CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 2, 2005--GE Fanuc Automation, Inc, a unit of GE Industrial, today announced that Nissan North America has chosen Proficy(TM) Plant Applications Version 4.2 for an Enterprise Manufacturing Intelligence (EMI) solution that will ultimately help Nissan reduce downtime at its Smyrna, Tennessee and Canton, Mississippi manufacturing plants.
"GE Fanuc has been Nissan's automation software partner for mission critical applications for more than 15 years," said Jeff Garwood, CEO of GE Fanuc Automation. "This latest solution leverages our strategic relationship and Nissan's existing software infrastructure to improve their Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)."
The Nissan solution, which includes the Downtime, Scrap and Reject Tracking and Reporting capabilities found within the Efficiency and Quality modules, resulted from a need to identify which processes were causing the most downtime and where their bottlenecks were. The company was looking for a common solution to deploy at both its Smyrna and Canton facilities in all process areas including stamping, body, paint, and assembly.
The Nissan/GE Fanuc team has conducted a pilot of this application in its Smyrna Paint Operation focused on downtime on the line. The team demonstrated Plant Applications' rapid deployment capability with a three-day "start to live" production system that yielded results such as: easy configurability, ability to clone configurations, variable data in the context of events, statistical analysis to determine "normal" and set limits, ready-to-use web reports with drill down, the ability to leverage Excel for additional analysis and reporting, and automatic detection and interpretation of downtime reasons.
Proficy Plant Applications will allow Nissan to continue to leverage its existing technology investments. It currently employs hundreds of Proficy CIMPLICITY HMI stations, which are deployed across their North American plants. In addition, Proficy Tracker is used as the backbone for Nissan's MES-based integrated Production Management and Control systems. The large application footprint also allows the IT staff to make use of critical downtime fault codes, triggers and logic already in place.
"Manufacturers should invest in Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) tools at the plant level to provide an immediate ROI," said Kevin Mixer in the August 2004 AMR Research Report, 'Automotive Industry Outlook: Profits and Compliance Require IT Investments To Boost Vehicle Quality.' "Targeting the Operations Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) performance metrics, plants have seen an increase in effectiveness from 55% to 75% in less than six months and ROI in less than 12 months. Hard savings have come from expanded capacity, lower premium freight, and reduced overtime."
Proficy Plant Applications is a unique software solution that digitizes the collective information being generated throughout production facilities into a "virtual plant" that can be accessed where, when and how it is needed. It allows measurement and monitoring of performance across key criteria in real-time. With a core set of scalable modules focused on the most critical aspects of production - Efficiency, Quality, Production and Batch Analysis - Plant Applications allows users to leverage the specific applications needed to deliver the greatest return on investment in these areas. And with integrated web-based reports, key performance indicators (KPIs) and notification services available with all Proficy modules, it is the complete solution for making real-time decisions throughout the plant.
"GE Fanuc is the smart choice for Nissan and this was evident in all of the work done by the team," continued GE Fanuc's Jeff Garwood. "Our dedication to customers like Nissan and the development of our software products demonstrates our leadership and commitment to the market."
About GE Fanuc Automation
GE Fanuc Automation, a joint venture between GE and FANUC LTD of Japan, delivers automation hardware and software designed to help users reduce costs, increase efficiency and enhance profitability. With solutions and services catering to virtually every industrial segment, GE Fanuc Automation provides a diverse array of capabilities and products, including controllers, embedded systems, advanced software, motion control, CNCs, operator interfaces, industrial computers, and lasers. Headquartered in Charlottesville, VA, GE Fanuc Automation is a part of GE Industrial and combines the diverse global strengths of the GE family with the local presence customers need to design, develop and maintain their automation investments.
For more information, visit www.gefanuc.com or contact: GE Fanuc Information Center, P.O. Box 8106, Charlottesville, VA 22906, Phone: (800) GE FANUC (800-433-2682), Fax: 434-978-5205, e-mail: [email protected].
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(C) 2005 GE Fanuc Automation Americas, Inc. All rights reserved.
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