After creating a production line control system, designing a single interface between this system and the MES becomes a manageable task.
The SQL interface between the SCADA system and the MES is achieved using the JS programming capability of WinCC Unified. The production order table is fetched from the database and the operator is able to pick up the desired orders, arrange the production sequence and start the production. A feedback is provided to the MES through the database interface to keep a coherent sychronization across the whole production and management stack.
The production line parameters are managed by the SCADA system and propagated to the single machines. The recipes are provided to the MES in order to keep also the quality department in the loop and enabling fine tuning on the parameter sets.
Performance Insight has been integrated to provide a realtime evaluation of the machines status across the production line. With Performance Insight the end user is provided with an OEE-based analysis on the line efficiency, to help them on the performance evaluation and the search of production bottlenecks. This is possible thanks to the flexibility of the Performance Insight option, which allows the operators to design customized dashboards picking up pre-configured elements and formulas directly at runtime level.