Big data has been a buzzword for a few years now, as computer capabilities increase and data acquisition grows.

In the manufacturing sector, industries are seeing massive increases in the amount of data coming from their production lines, thanks to Industry 4.0 technology that makes use of machines embedded with sensors and wirelessly connected to the cloud for machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) communication.

However, along with these massive amounts of data comes the need to effectively manage them, and this links directly to the concept of data as an asset.

Data as an Asset explained

A data point is only a number which, considered in isolation, may have no value, and the same reasoning can also be extended to an entire data set. The concept of Data as an asset that implies that data acquire value when put in relation to other data and to business operations. In other words, these data, when analyzed together, increase their total value by helping inform business and factory decisions and strategy more effectively than they could do if considered by themselves

For more information surf on www.acelli.it, visit A.Celli Blog page and download our free eBook: How to set up data driven production processes in tissue & nonwovens industries

How to manage Data as an Asset

Traditionally, a tissue and nonwovens company collected data that would provide a view into the productivity and profitability of a production line. This might be data such as costs, the production volume and the demand for the product.

Now, thanks to the Industry 4.0, the companies are provided with detailed machine data (speed and tension) and environmental data (temperature and humidity).

• The first step in managing data as an asset is to combine the traditional data with the operational ones to come up with a complete picture of the operations and the productivity.
• The next step is to ensure that all data is accessible via a machine-and software-independent platform. This platform must provide features such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to analyze the data and recognize patterns, thanks to which the companies can enjoy fully automated adjustments to the production processes and predictive maintenance scheduling.
• Finally, these data must be accessible to and well-managed by everyone at the company. It should be everyone’s responsibility to ensure these data are used to balance corporate operations for maximum profitability. This allows every worker at the company, from the top down, to optimize the data for their needs, while still recognizing the needs of the company as a whole.

For more information surf on www.acelli.it, visit A.Celli Blog page and download the free eBook: “How to manage data governance in an Industry 4.0 system”

Using Data as an Asset for intelligent collaboration

With Industry 4.0 technologies and proper management of data as an asset, tissue and nonwovens companies can ensure intelligent collaboration between the production line and the converting line. Each machine on these two lines, as we previously said, will be outfitted with sensors capable of transmitting operational data in real-time, and all of these data will flow to a single platform where they can be integrated and analyzed by AI.

The advantage of this setup is that the AI will be able to detect anomalies and small changes in the operation of any single machine or one of its part that might disrupt the flow of production and converting.

An example might be when the master roll rewinder is not moving at a speed fast enough to accommodate the rolls coming off the production line. The data will reflect this inconsistency and the speed of either the toilet roll rewinder or the production line will be adjusted automatically by the AI program.

Another example could be when there is a faulty part in the paper log cutter, resulting in the need to take the converting line offline. The data analysis will result in the automatic redirection of the roll coming off the production line to a functioning converting line.

For more information surf on www.acelli.it, visit A.Celli Blog page and download the free eBook: “How to measure tissue and nonwovens mill machinery performance with real time analytics”

A.Celli Digital Solutions for Data as strategic Asset

A.Celli Digital Solutions has been designed to fully and automatically manage data as an asset. This cloud-based platform provides:

• a distributed real time monitoring system called “Machine Monitoring”;
• a business intelligence platform called “Efficiency 4.0”;
• a Product Passport methodology called “iREEL^®”. 

iREEL^® is particularly important when it comes to intelligent collaboration between the production and converting lines, because it provides a fully integrated framework that enables communication between the data coming from the different machines on each line and the ones coming from industrial and business applications.

Data is no longer something companies can afford to collect and store somewhere they will gather virtual dust, but they must be viewed as an asset that can be used to positively impact production and corporate operations. In the tissue and nonwovens industry, data as an asset is a critical component in ensuring the smooth flow of product from the production line to the converting line and the optimal efficiency of the production process.

For more information about one of the best Industry 4.0 solution that can boost productivity on your tissue and nonwovens production line, surf on www.acelli.it, visit A.Celli Blog page and download the free eBook "A.Celli Digital Solution: Your Fellow Traveller on Your Journey Through Industry 4.0"!

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