In the last few years, machine monitoring has gone from “Something Nice To Do” to “Something We Must Do”. The reason behind this transition is simply because succeeding in business has become increasingly competitive due to overseas competition and customers expecting high quality at a lower cost.
Luckily, Caddis Systems has developed a cost-effective machine monitoring system that is easy to integrate into your production environment and provides you with a visually intuitive dashboard that is viewable on any device. Our customers continuously provide us with feedback on how they use Caddis and the positive results they are now seeing as a result of integrating Caddis into their production environment.
Below is a short summary of why machine monitoring is important to the success of our customers.
Machine Utilization: This is extremely important when it comes to capital expenditures. We hear from many customers that in the past if they were told they needed a new machine to keep up with production, they simply took this as fact and spent the money. The reality is that in many cases, the solution was not to spend $250-$500k on a new CNC but to better schedule the current machines they have. The only way supervisors and decision-makers were able to overcome excess spending on high dollar items was to clearly see the utilization data Caddis provides and then make purchasing decisions based on factual data rather than best guesses.
Predictive Maintenance: No one likes to be the messenger when it comes to telling their boss that their machine is down. In the past handwritten notes on maintenance actions probably kind of work but it’s easy to forget maintenance when production is speeding along and delivery schedules need to be met to keep the customers happy. Unfortunately not maintaining a machine on a regular schedule or not noticing clear signs of machine wear can cause costly results. Caddis has Predictive Maintenance capabilities that allow a user to enter in a schedule and then get reminders when machines are due for service.
In addition, a user can track cycle runtime and downtime. So over time, a user will see that a machine typically experiences some sort of failure at a specific point of time. Another nice aspect of the Caddis Predictive Maintenance capabilities is tracking such signs of breakdown such as vibration, psi, and fluid, stack, or ambient temperature. By setting up certain excessive thresholds within Caddis, the user is alerted by text, email, or audio/visual alarm on the shop floor that a machine is showing signs of failure and address the issue immediately.
Shift Accountability: In an ideal world every shift would perform at the same level of efficiency. However, we don’t live in an ideal world so we must adapt to overcoming shortcomings in shift efficiency. While some customers had initial concerns about Caddis being a “big brother” tool that would upset their employees, it was quickly realized that Caddis not only held people accountable to on-time starts and OEE. Caddis also gave operators and supervisors more control over their success. Now they are made aware of potential machine issues and they can schedule their department, cell, or machine in a way to become much more efficient than they were able to previously.
Caddis has also brought about some friendly competition between departments and shifts. By meeting or exceeding efficiency expectations, employees and owners are now enjoying the increased profits which lead to overall not only a more stress-free and stable work environment but also an increase in salaries, bonuses, profit sharing, etc.
If you are ready to increase the success of your business, please reach out to us and request a demo to learn how Caddis Systems can help you be a leader in your industry.
