Diamond Fabrics, part of Pakistan’s premier vertically integrated Sapphire Group, has selected Belgian-based BMSvision as a partner for its prestigious MES project in denim, a keystone in the roadmap towards an I 4.0 company.
”We were looking for a solution that goes far beyond the traditional production and machine monitoring. To prepare for an I 4.0 compliant manufacturing operation, we need a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) that can manage and track the entire production flow, from yarn to finished fabric. Furthermore, the system needs to seamlessly integrate with the SAP ERP system in place” said Mr. Tayyab Abdullah “After a thorough market research and various demo’s and workshops, we selected BMSvision as our partner because of their vast experience in the industry and the turnkey project approach including hardware, software, and services”.
In a first phase MES project, the warp preparation department including ball warping, sizing and beaming as well as the complete denim finishing department are covered. In a second phase, all looms will be connected. Each machine in the preparation and finishing department is equipped with a state-of-the-art touchscreen-based DU11 data collection terminal with a wireless barcode scanner. Once the production orders are released by the SAP system, the planning department uses the BMSvision scheduling software (PlanBoard) to assign the orders to the individual machines. Orders are started at the machine by scanning the barcoded batch travel card. The Plainview application visualizes the complete production process in real-time and highlights any possible deviation from a standard. A powerful reporting tool featuring interactive reports and charts, allows the users to create their calculations and reports. After each production step, the MES system prints a barcoded ticket, and all relevant production data is transferred to the SAP system. Diamond’s request to monitor and document the flow of goods throughout the whole production chain, to be able to trace all materials used, and to know the current status Work in Process all the time, is handled by BMSvision’s traceability module. Besides managing the production flow, Diamond Denim also implements the BMSvision EnergyMaster solution.