DSF Cyclone User Interview: On-site staff talk about horizontal expansion of production line improvements and the path to accelerating digital transformation

To realize a smart factory, the most important thing is to take an "experience first" approach, which is to start small and start with quick wins. Specifically, data is collected and accumulated on a specific pilot line, and small successes are experienced in utilizing the data and improving operations, and then these successes are expanded horizontally.
In the case of manufacturing industries that are involved in the production of a wide variety of products in small quantities, which are common in Japan, the target of horizontal expansion may be equipment or products that are completely different from the pilot line. In such an environment, horizontal expansion incurs costs each time, making it difficult to achieve a return on investment. The solution to this problem is "DSF Cyclone" provided by Macnica.

　DSF Cyclone can be quickly introduced to a specific pilot line, generating success stories, and then this know-how can be rolled out to other lines in the factory. However, if there is no one knowledgeable about IT at the production site, many people may feel uneasy about rolling it out.
So this time, we interviewed people who have actually deployed DSF Cyclone, and we will introduce some of the materials that summarize what skills and experience the people in question had, what roles they played, what kind of prior learning they did, and how they managed to deploy DSF Cyclone horizontally.

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What is horizontal expansion of production line improvements?

There are four roles in the horizontal expansion of production line improvements:

1) Summary
In preparation for the system's horizontal expansion, we will share and coordinate with the manufacturing department and information systems department in advance to manage the progress of the expansion and issues. It is also important to confirm the subject matter and secure study time so that practitioners can study appropriately in advance.

② On-site data acquisition
To acquire data, the environment is grasped in advance based on on-site data (PLC, signal lights, workers) that will be used for horizontal deployment of the system, additional equipment is installed as necessary, and additional logic is implemented in the system.

③ Preparation of master data
We will consider and register the necessary master data, such as production plans, equipment, workers, and losses, for the horizontal expansion of the system.

④ Create a dashboard
To make better use of the system in the field, dashboards will be modified and additional ones will be created based on templates.

Introduction of materials

This column introduces an excerpt from one of the three interviews included in the materials.
The table below summarizes the affiliations, positions, and roles of the interviewees.

		role
		Summary	On-site data acquisition	Master data preparation	Dashboard creation
Affiliation or position	Department: Production Technology Position: Leader Career: Factory IT manager	〇			〇
	Department: Production Technology Position: Person in charge Career...Worker		〇	〇
	Department: Production Technology Position: DX specialist Career: IT engineer		〇	〇	〇

Interview 1: You can easily create the dashboards you want to see! Using DSF Cyclone from the perspective of the promotion leader

Manager of the production technology department with 15 years of experience in factories and IT skills cultivated on-site

He is in charge of management in the production technology department and is promoting activities to create a smart factory. When he first joined the company, he had no experience with systems, but over his 15-year career, he has acquired IT skills through the operation and maintenance of MES. He has also obtained an IT passport.

Summary

Understand the basic mechanisms of Masterline and develop in-house horizontal expansion
Equipped with versatile BI tools that are hassle-free and easy to use
By expanding the team horizontally, we were able to give members the experience they were lacking.

I understand that the initial Master Line was built with support from Macnica, and that it has now been expanded to 10 lines. Were you aware of this expansion from the start?

The three lines that were initially introduced were already capable of communication when they were up and running, so we decided to start there. From the beginning, we had in mind that we would eventually expand to all lines, so we first understood the basic mechanisms on the initial master line, and then, following instructions from our superiors, we decided to proceed with horizontal expansion in an in-house format.

Did you have any concerns about expanding horizontally using only field members?

To be honest, I don't have the skills to build a new system from scratch, but I and the other members were quite good at imitating what we had been taught and coming up with ideas on the ground, based on our past experience. We thought that if we could learn and receive support as needed during the initial construction stage, we would be able to deploy it sufficiently, so we weren't too worried. From the beginning, we had been working on the project with a small but elite team, but as the number of lines to be deployed and the scope of the system increased, I also began to work in other departments. At that time, we were able to bring in new members who were familiar with IT, and we were able to develop the practical level mainly with the members. At the moment, there were some parts of the work style that were not very efficient, so we wanted IT personnel who could utilize their experience in other workplaces at our site, rather than members who were familiar with the factory site.

How are you currently involved with DSF Cyclone?

Recently, in response to requests from the head office and logistics department to view data such as production status in real time, we created a dashboard using the BI tool built into DSF Cyclone. DSF Cyclone has some pre-prepared templates for what we want to create based on accumulated data, so it didn't take much effort. We also spent about half a day attending a seminar hosted by the BI tool vendor, and found that if you're not too concerned with visuals, you can easily create a dashboard with DSF Cyclone.

What information did you use as a reference when building the dashboard?

The support sites of BI tool vendors were also easy to search and helpful. Also, the BI tool built into DSF Cyclone, for which I actually designed the dashboard, is a general-purpose solution, so there is a lot of information out there if you search. I think I was able to make use of it without having to go through too much learning.

Have you ever had any difficulties with horizontal expansion?

I didn't have much trouble with the setup work because I left it to the field staff, but I feel that it would be more effective to work more closely with the field staff on how to utilize the data and what kind of data to use, and then present the benefits to them.

Is there anything you gained from managing this project?

Each member had different experiences and skills. Some had plenty of on-site experience with equipment but little experience with IT, while others had IT experience in other industries but were new to equipment. DSF Cyclone acted as a bridge between the two groups, allowing each member to gain the experience they were lacking through horizontal deployment. We hope that by utilizing this experience, they will be able to provide more positive opinions on approaches to acquiring good data when updating equipment in the future.

What do you think about Macnica 's support?

There was a support desk where we could answer questions via chat, so it was very helpful to be able to consult with them immediately if we had any problems. Macnica also asked us how much work we wanted to do during this period, and they followed up with us regularly, so we were able to make steady progress, which was the biggest thing. We are very grateful.

Guide to download materials

To read more, please download the document from the button below. Please take a look at the practical trajectory of horizontal expansion through DSF Cyclone.

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