How to Build a Digital Factory? A Super Detailed Analysis is Here
The printing industry has dual attributes of ideology and cultural service, bearing important responsibilities in consolidating positions, inheriting culture, and serving the people. The National Press and Publication Administration proposed the development directions of 'greening, digitalization, intelligentization, and integration' in the "Special Plan for the Development of the Printing Industry during the 14th Five-Year Plan Period," providing guidance for optimizing and upgrading the industrial structure of the traditional printing industry.
Hebei Province, as a major area for the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, plays an important role as an 'experimental zone for industrial transformation and upgrading.' As a practitioner in Hebei's printing industry, based on my understanding and the needs observed during the digital transformation of publication printing enterprises, I propose the core key points for the current stage of digital construction and explore how traditional publication printing enterprises can catch the 'fast track' of digitalization, achieving sustainable development for enterprises.
Digital technology and intelligent equipment empower publication printing enterprises
Digitalization in printing enterprises refers to applying digital technology and equipment, combined with information system software, using digital methods to transform traditional printing production processes and management modes into a data-based, real-time interactive digital operation model for production and management.
Digital construction, internally within printing enterprises, involves the full printing production process, including prepress, printing, post-press processing, quality inspection, in-plant logistics, and storage warehouses. It also forms a closed-loop flow of data between production and management, achieving automatic job reporting, automatic scheduling, and quantitative assessment of personnel, reducing costs while ensuring quality and efficiency.
Externally, for printing enterprises, it involves information interaction with upstream and downstream customers, markets, and the supply chain, achieving full ecological business collaboration, improving enterprise management levels and service quality, and enhancing competitiveness.
Based on the actual situation of enterprises, empowering them revolves around technology research and development and applications in automation, digitalization, intelligentization, integration, and greening.
01 Production process digitalization empowers the scientific management system of enterprises
Through automatic acquisition of production information, digital job reporting in production processes, and real-time interaction of production data with enterprise information systems, enterprises can achieve coordinated operation between production and management, empowering the scientific management of the enterprise.
02 Digital inspection empowers quality management improvement
Through the integration and application of offline (online) printed product image inspection systems, automated equipment and intelligent visual imaging technology replace manual inspection, improving inspection quality and work efficiency. Deploying full-process visual inspection after printing, online weighing of bound products, and other digital equipment ensures product quality while empowering quality management digitally.
03 Automated production lines empower cost reduction and efficiency improvement
Based on the enterprise's own production environment, develop and deploy automated production lines such as 'printing and stacking linkage line,' 'perfect binding linkage line,' and 'packing (or bundling) and stacking linkage line,' integrating discrete production processes through linkage lines, reducing labor input, lowering production costs, and improving production efficiency.
04 AGV applications empower in-plant logistics automation
Based on the reasonable process layout of the enterprise, for steps such as from paper warehouse to cutting machine, cutting machine to printing machine, printing machine to semi-finished product stacking area to perfect binding linkage line, finished product pallets to finished product storage, and handling of raw and auxiliary materials, AGV transport robots are increased, and a TMS intelligent handling system is developed, integrated with the production management system, achieving in-plant logistics automation.
05 WMS warehouse management system empowers intelligent warehouse management
Through intelligent warehouse transformation, using automated stereoscopic warehouses and a WMS management system, digital management of paper and material storage, outbound, transfer, and inventory checks is realized, empowering the enterprise's warehouse management to be intelligent.
Current exploration of production digital system integration in enterprises
At present, digital technology has penetrated all sectors of the industry, bringing intelligent, efficient, and precise printing production methods, along with the emergence of new business forms and models. Thus, publication printing enterprises need to actively adapt to the digital era, promote digital upgrades according to the concept of collaborative integration, and change traditional production operations and business models.
Production digitalization is inseparable from the MES system. The printing industry is a discrete manufacturing industry; MES is a Manufacturing Execution System that provides real-time feedback and response to ERP and production site management, as well as coordination among people, machines, materials, methods, and environment in the production process. Its core value lies in reducing costs, ensuring quality, and improving efficiency. MES is a large multi-component software system. Enterprises should deploy functional modules selectively according to needs to achieve the greatest benefit with reasonable investment.
Based on the characteristics of publication printing enterprises, the current stage mainly focuses on digital upgrading and transformation of printing and post-press processing production processes.
01 Data acquisition
Data collection is the basis of digitalization, through a variety of ways to obtain production equipment status information and production data, provide a large amount of production raw data for the production data processing system, and store and upload the data to realize the data collection and data integration of printing equipment.
The selection of data acquisition technology should be based on the needs and actual conditions of the factory, including the size of the production line, the type and quantity of equipment, and the complexity of the production process. In particular, the data acquisition system is not a simple collection of data, but should have the ability to collect, transmit, and temporarily store data, and also need to have high reliability, high scalability, and easy maintenance.
For publication printing enterprises, in the process of digital and intelligent construction, the data that needs to be collected mainly includes the following points:
1. Equipment working status information
Information such as power-on operation, normal standby, fault alarm, and maintenance.
2. Equipment production output information
Cumulative output, real-time output, production speed, shift production and other information.
3. Raw and auxiliary materials and semi-finished product supply information
Paper, special inks, laminating materials, packaging paper, semi-finished product trays and other information.
4. Equipment production environment information
Information such as the temperature and humidity of the printing environment, the pH of the dampening fluid of the printing machine, and the balance of water and ink.
5. Information on the energy consumption of factory resources
Information such as the temperature and humidity of the printing environment, the pH of the dampening fluid of the printing machine, and the balance of water and ink.
02 Data processing
The production data processing system carries out secondary processing of the collected production data, and carries out data management such as cleaning, classification, labeling, calculation, storage, query and other data management of different categories, different units, and different quantitative concepts with ERP interoperability, forming the available data of personnel, equipment, products, work orders, PMC and other multi-latitude systems.
1. Personnel
production quantity, production meters, working hours, effective production time, transfer efficiency, cumulative output on the shift, etc.
2. Equipment
Actual output time, downtime, production duration, uptime rate, etc.
3. Products
Average input-output rate, average scrap rate, one-time integration rate, finished product deficit rate, etc.
4. Work order
The number of completed processes, the production time, the output per hour, the number of qualified products, the scrap rate, the completion rate, etc.
5.PMC
total production volume, semi-finished product inventory, downtime waiting time, plan achievement rate, etc.
Considering the high resource consumption of a large amount of data processing, the production data processing system provides post-processing index data for the evaluation index query and display system as an independent part.
03 Digital reporting
For the printing production of discrete manufacturing mode, machine workers generally have to go to the workshop reporting desk to log in to the reporting system, calculate the output and fill in the system software. For planned scheduling, personnel assessment, OEE production managers, there are often problems such as unclear order production progress, poor production process connection, time-consuming and laborious performance appraisal, and difficulty in reporting and reporting, which greatly affects production efficiency and employee production enthusiasm and increases enterprise management costs.
The digital reporting of the production process is to process and analyze all kinds of production data collected by the data collection system, and upload it to the enterprise ERP system in real time, so that the production scheduling and management assessment departments can grasp the production information in a timely manner, control the production rhythm, count the production quantity, analyze the production efficiency and quality, and generate production reports. The digital reporting system should also have functions such as visual report display and alarm reminder to allow managers to understand the production situation in a timely manner.
To build a digital reporting system, it is necessary to minimize the amount of independent input data of front-line employees, focus on simple operation, confirmation and confirmation, reduce the complexity of operation, and ensure the authenticity, timeliness and effectiveness of work reporting data to the greatest extent.
04 Data analysis
In accordance with the requirements of enterprise management, it is refined and sorted out with production, quality, operation and other departments, and data analysis and evaluation rules suitable for the characteristics of the enterprise are formulated to promote the improvement of the digital level of enterprise management.
Combined with the actual situation of the enterprise, data analysis and application are carried out from the dimensions of equipment, work orders, production progress, personnel, products, quality, orders, etc.
1. Equipment
Equipment assessment indicators refer to statistical analysis from the perspectives of actual output time, downtime, machine running speed, total output in the time period, output MAX, output AVG, input-output rate, time utilization rate, equipment performance rate, quality qualification rate, equipment OEE, etc.
2. Work order
The work order assessment index refers to the statistical analysis from the perspectives of the work order conversion time, production time, single-hour output, input-output rate, scrap rate, one-time integration rate, and finished product deficiency.
3. Production schedule
Production progress (PMC) assessment indicators refer to statistical analysis from the perspectives of production progress downtime and waiting time, plan achievement rate, total amount to be produced, and semi-finished product inventory.
4. Personnel
Personnel assessment indicators refer to statistical analysis from the perspectives of personnel transfer efficiency, work and rest time, actual output time, single-hour output, and total output in a time period.
5. Variety
The variety assessment index refers to the statistical analysis from the perspectives of the average conversion time, average production time, single-hour output, output MAX, output AVG, average input-output rate, and average scrap rate.
6. Quality
The quality assessment indicators are mainly statistically analyzed from the perspective of the production scrap rate of the work order process. In addition, if the company is equipped with quality inspection equipment, it can directly communicate with the equipment system, and carry out quality data analysis, application and visual display based on the quality data of quality inspection equipment. This part needs to communicate with quality inspection equipment manufacturers and develop interface communication units.
7. Orders
The order assessment indicators are mainly statistically analyzed from the perspectives of order delivery rate, on-time delivery rate, out-of-stock rate, and pass rate.
05 Data display
The data analysis results should not only be applied interactively in the information system, but also displayed and intuitively observed. According to the different responsibilities and management positions of the enterprise, it is generally divided into four levels of display application scenarios.
1. Enterprise leadership
For the overall control of production management for enterprise leaders, it mainly displays three aspects: first, from the perspective of output, including the cumulative number of prints, product quantities, etc.; second, from the perspective of order delivery and production quality, including the on-time delivery rate of business orders, product qualification rate, input-output rate, etc.; The third is from the perspective of production management, including equipment OEE, labor production efficiency, etc.
2. Production management
For the service of production management and equipment management departments, the following three types of content are mainly displayed: First, the comprehensive data report of each production workshop, including output data (annual output, monthly output, daily output), duration data (annual production time, monthly production time, daily production time, annual standby time, monthly standby time, daily standby time) and work order data (annual work orders, monthly work orders, daily work orders), etc.; second, the efficiency data of each production workshop, including on-time delivery rate, product qualification rate, equipment OEE, etc.; The third is the progress of the completion of the task scheduling of each production workshop on the same day.
3. Workshop management
The timely coordination and control services of the workshop manager mainly include: first, the comprehensive data statistics table of the workshop, including output data, time data and work order data; second, the efficiency data of the workshop, etc.; the third is the comprehensive progress data of the workshop's task scheduling on the same day.
4. Machine leader and team leader
For the person in charge of the production machine to understand the current equipment operation and order execution in a timely manner, the display content mainly includes: first, the basic operation information of the machine, including the machine name, the captain's name, the team name, etc.; second, the output and production time information of the current team, including the output of the shift, the production time, the standby time, etc.; third, the current task scheduling implementation of the machine, etc.; fourth, the details of the current execution of the work order of the machine, etc.; fifth, the percentage of progress completed by the current work order and the estimated completion time, etc.
06 System integration and application
In the process of intelligent upgrading and transformation of printing enterprises, achieving automated integration of the production line through digital means is a key task and plays an important role in the development of the enterprise. By utilizing automated production equipment, intelligent devices, and digital methods, and applying system integration technology, the following objectives can be achieved:
First, to realize the automation and digitalization of the production line, making the production process more efficient, accurate, and fast.
Second, to significantly reduce labor requirements, improve the safety and reliability of the production line, and lower production costs.
Third, to enhance the stability and consistency of printing quality, reducing product quality fluctuations caused by human factors.
Fourth, to help reduce resource waste and environmental pollution, decrease energy consumption, and meet the requirements of green and sustainable development.
Fifth, to promote technological innovation in the publishing and printing industry, advance the digital and intelligent transformation of enterprises, enhance their competitiveness, and provide support for enterprises to explore new business areas and markets.
Digital transformation has become a core strategy for printing enterprises to cope with current market challenges. As for how traditional print publishing companies can catch the digital 'fast track,' the author believes that, first, managers of publishing and printing enterprises must break free from traditional thinking-they should not pursue automation based on outdated processes, nor implement informatization based on backward management methods, and should not pursue intelligence without a digital foundation. Enterprises must address their digital shortcomings and achieve digital production and operation management.
Second, they need to accelerate digital development, enabling interaction of business and information data between production equipment, software systems, and between equipment and software, promoting informatization, digitalization, and process standardization across all business processes, forming a closed-loop data management and business collaboration system.
Third, they should establish an enterprise-level big data center, conduct historical data analysis, build a multi-dimensional evaluation system, and use data to uncover issues and weak points in production and management, optimize management processes, refine production techniques, and drive quality improvement and efficiency enhancement in the enterprise.