Control system extension boosts tire factory outputs

Cimcorp’s latest control module for the tire industry enables control of production machines in the raw materials and components area.

Since turning its attention to the tire sector twenty years ago, Cimcorp has gradually applied its technology to each step of the production process. Today, seven of the world’s top ten tire manufacturers benefit from Cimcorp’s ‘Dream Factory’ automation solutions.

Industry know-how
Now Cimcorp is looking beyond the scope of its own automation technologies to provide control for production machinery in the raw materials and components area. Explains Kai Tuomisaari, the company’s Vice President, Sales and Marketing, ''Very often, clients want us to help them to control their production machines in terms of recipe management and In-Process Verification. As a result, we’ve developed a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) module within our controls platform. By extending our control solution into this initial production stage, we enable complete traceability for tires from raw materials right through to the shipping dock.''

Full traceability
The MES is designed to provide full control through recipe management – including recipe creation, amendment, uploading, archiving and validation – workstation management, material movement management and production simulation. By logging material batches, operators and processing times, the MES provides complete component data management for the tire-building process. It also ensures integration of the process machines with the host system and In-Process Verification (IPV) to check that the right raw materials, components or products arrive at each processing station. Through real-time inventories, reports and alerts, the MES ensures complete traceability of raw materials and components.

Less scrap, better yield
The MES works alongside other modules in Cimcorp’s controls platform to ensure that all logistics processes, and thereby factory outputs, are optimized. Says Kai Tuomisaari, ''Better control of the whole process means that more high-quality tires are produced. Tracing, combined with smaller buffers and 100% availability of components at all process machines, increases the yield dramatically.'' 

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