FACTIVITY has become a partner with Opto 22, a worldwide supplier of programmable automation controllers. Opto 22 manufactures controllers, I/O, solid-state relays and software products that link electrical, mechanical and electronic devices to networks and computers. Its products are used to monitor, control and get data from all the machines and devices that are essential to their business. “FACTIVITY has been helping customers with their machine monitoring projects for many years now,” says John Leibert, President, FACTIVITY. “However we’re now at a point in our growth when we need to enhance our machine monitoring offerings within factory floor automation equipment, and Opto 22 has been our most common method of machine communication connectivity.”
A number of FACTIVITY’s current customers already enjoy the benefits of having a single source supplier of MES (Manufacturing Execution Software) tied closely with automation controllers. “But now that Opto 22 has demonstrated a mobile solution with their groov product, FACTIVITY feels this will dovetail with its work currently underway with Mobile POD (Production Document) solutions,” Leibert said.
Opto 22’s groov provides a simple way to build, deploy, and view effective, scalable operator interfaces to monitor and control virtually all automation systems and equipment from mobile devices and computers. Using only a modern web browser, groov lets you quickly and securely build and deploy browser-based interfaces for automation, monitoring, and control applications. These operator interfaces can then be viewed on almost any computer or mobile device regardless of its manufacturer or operating system, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, PCs and even smart high-definition televisions.
The joint partnership with Opto 22 will help FACTIVITY customers better understand the costs of implementing a factory-wide (or enterprise-wide) machine monitoring solution. This also complements all the work FACTIVITY has been doing building OEE product solutions in an OPC (Open Process Controller). FACTIVITY can now not only implement the integration with controllers, but can provide network maps to minimize cable runs, determine if wireless is an option, and quote costs for the appropriate equipment configuration that best suits the customer needs.
The FACTIVITY Machine Monitoring Module requires the license of the FACTIVITY Shop Floor Workbench solution. The SF Workbench contains the UI (User Interface) that has become a standard in touch screen factory floor ease-of-use. The UI provides the paperless user interface and is the backbone of the FACTIVITY MES offering. Machine monitoring adds the integration of real-time machine event drive transactions through the use of Opto 22 and the FACTIVITY OPC package solution that goes beyond “counters” and weigh scale electronic input devices.
