Towards a 4.0 fastener industry 04 April 2017

By Aldo Cereda, CEO and R&D manager, FASTDEV Srl

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is on the horizon, involves the application of new digital technologies to production systems. What happens in a factory when all the innovations brought by the internet are really taken into consideration?

We are talking about the ‘internet of things’, cloud computing and cyber physical systems. When machines are fully automated and able to acquire data themselves, send it over the network, interfacing with other machines to improve productivity and efficiency. This will lead to factories converting into smart factories, and industries into 4.0 industries.

This is what enables the integration of Easyprod 4.0 from FASTDEV – a specific production management software for the fastener industry, designed to streamline processes and reduce costs.

With Easyprod 4.0 the workstation becomes a terminal that collects all the information concerning the production process management, such as the procedures of non-compliance, maintenance, and machine loadings – with all data digitised. It can go even further. We no longer speak of managing the production, but of governing it. The system itself proposes solutions and, in the event of any problem, solves them directly. No dedicated hardware is necessary because Easyprod 4.0 interfaces with all the main control systems installed on the machines (including process monitoring systems).

The integration with ERP enables the creation of a virtuous system aimed at:

- Time savings.

- Reducing manual activities.

- Limiting human errors.

- Minimising scrap.

- Always having drawings, documents, images, etc, online.

- Integrating the production processes.

- Optimising costs and efficiency.

Easyprod is a reality that has been functioning for several years, and the 4.0 version will be showcased at the upcoming Fastener Fair Stuttgart show. Easyprod 4.0 is the latest update of a native software, that for forty years has been constantly developed, evolving with the times together with the needs of fastener companies, from small to large enterprises.

The greatest advantage of Easyprod 4.0 is that the software has been developed specifically for the needs of the fastener industry – available to customers in Italy and abroad. This enables companies to make a strategic choice and be proactive in using software that provides clear added value.

Among other strengths there is also the simplicity of use, and how it can be easily intregrated into any production structure – quickly and effectively. Technologically advanced, the system also offers complete modular, multi-plant, multilingual capabilities that enable it to cover all MES functionalities.

From order management to real time progress of the batch in the production; as well as from the raw material supply to the traceability of the equipment – up to the trials; plus the warehouse organisation and human resources; all this data, once collected and interconnected, can really provide valuable information and input to transform an analog company into a digital one, and to bring it quickly to a higher level: The 4.0 level.

www.fastdevsrl.com

Content Director

Will Lowry Content Director t: +44 (0) 1727 743 888

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Will joined Fastener + Fixing Magazine in 2007 and over the last 15 years has experienced every facet of the fastener sector - interviewing key figures within the industry and visiting leading companies and exhibitions around the globe.

Will manages the content strategy across all platforms and is the guardian for the high editorial standards that the Magazine is renowned.