|
|
 |
Manufacturing for Quality—The Value of Integrated MES and SPC: A Case Study
|
|
|
Manufacturing Execution Integrated with
Inline SPC Reduces Cost of Quality and Improves
First-Pass Yield
The Image Sensor Solutions (ISS) division of
Eastman Kodak had a challenging task ahead of
them: To ensure quality while maintaining flexibility
to meet changing production demands, ISS endeavored
to systematically replace its legacy shop floor
tracking system with a flexible and scalable
Manufacturing Execution System (MES) for its
image sensor products. The new system would
help improve yield, increase production visibility,
decrease operational costs and bring products
to the market faster.
At Kodak ISS, factory and process optimization
are critical to operating in an environment
driven by: higher customer expectations for
on-time delivery, demand for reduced product
costs, increasing pressure on the bottom line,
and the requirement for high factory yield.
In such a highly complex and demanding manufacturing
environment, where a wide variety of products
are manufactured at numerous specifications,
business success depends on flexibility and
instant traceability, real-time monitoring of
equipment and process data, constant fine-tuning
of process efficiency and optimizing overall
product yields. For Kodak, the main business
objective was to improve economic performance
while building upon the Six Sigma methodology.
Kodak ISS develops, manufactures and markets
image sensors for high performance imaging markets.
The division makes solid state charged-coupled
device (CCD) and complementary metal oxide semiconductor
(CMOS) image sensors for applications ranging
from satellite and medical imaging solutions
to digital cameras and machine vision products.
In pursuit of continuous process improvement
Six-Sigma is a methodical, data-driven process
designed to determine what a company’s
customers expect and then to deliver on those
expectations by eliminating product defects.
Six Sigma maximizes shareholder value by achieving
the fastest rate of improvement in customer
satisfaction, cost, quality, process speed,
and invested capital. Kodak ISS quickly realized
Six Sigma alone could not bring a process under
statistical control, increase process throughput
and improve return on assets.
The solution to these challenges may be realized
through establishing a manufacturing infrastructure
that focuses on the alignment of technology,
a flexible manufacturing execution system (MES),
and an integrated online statistical process
control system. Combined these elements can
deliver variability reduction, cycle-time reduction,
and ultimately cost reduction.
A flexible and scalable manufacturing execution
system is able to manage, monitor, and synchronize
manufacturing activities across globally distributed
plants, and integrate them in real-time with
core business processes. The system will enable
manufacturers to respond rapidly to changing
demand, optimize the use of production assets
and quickly ramp up the production of new products.
Readily accessible information built upon accurate
data collection is equally essential to supporting
process improvements and manufacturing variability
reduction. This is important due to the fact
that rapid technology changes where products
and processes are becoming more complex often
results in increased process variability and
lower yield.
After a careful analysis of the solutions available
in the marketplace, Kodak ISS chose a manufacturing
execution system with integrated statistical
process control to simultaneously collect real-time
manufacturing data and perform real-time statistical
analysis. This enabled dynamic feedback and
closed-loop process improvement, in addition
to providing customized control charts to operators
and executives alerting them real-time to potential
quality issues.
Features of an integrated MES and SPC System
Kodak's image sensors are used in a wide variety
of products. As a result, they must manufacture
them to meet numerous specifications. The unique
characteristics of its product lines and the
stringent quality guidelines require Kodak ISS
to constantly verify their product fabrication
processes and make sure that the resources are
performing within engineered limits. Defining
the key requirements of a Web-based system that
would help enforce a standardized process was
a daunting challenge. After careful evaluation
and following a rigorous Six Sigma process,
the quality engineers at Kodak ISS put together
a detailed plan of reorganizing the quality
process and revitalizing the fundamental principle
of quality: “Do it right the first time
and leverage the right tools.” The team
put together a detailed requirement specification
for an integrated MES and SPC system.
The key requirements of this integrated system
were:
- In addition to classical WIP tracking, the integrated
system must manage the execution of a schedule
within the plant, directing plant personnel,
equipment and recording actual progress at
a granular level. It also must manage multiple
changes or revisions in the manufacturing
process, including revision management for
products, routings, specifications, instructions,
data collection, etc.
- In addition to process modeling capabilities,
the system should have the capability to configure
both the logic and data attributes of objects
for each block of the model. Configurable logic
provides the ability to change the detailed
processing logic at each step of the process
model without changing the source code. Configurable
logic alone is not enough. The system must provide
ability to configure objects to support the
addition of data elements to complement the
basic set of elements for process modeling and
tracking.
- The system should be integration ready, designed
bottom-up with extensible & scalable architecture,
and must have the propensity to handle high
volume transactions. The system should allow
standard manual entry of data but also easily
integrate to equipment.
- The integrated system should be able to operate
in a way where live production information from
the manufacturing execution system is fed directly
into the SPC system to identify, analyze, and
solve potential problems while production continues
- before equipment is shut down, material is
scrapped, and production time is lost. Engineers
must be able to configure SPC control charts
that are automatically updated when quality
data is collected. Operators can then view real-time
charts to provide immediate feedback, and engineers
can review historical charts when analyzing
specific events.
- The SPC system must apply statistical process
control to quality and defect data during the
manufacturing process. The control charts and
statistical rules must be user-defined from
a robust library. Violation of a rule must cause
an alarm, and must also trigger actions such
as generating an alert for analysis and follow-up,
changing the status of a machine, or placing
material on hold.
- Operators must be able to add annotations to
explain exception conditions, and mark anomalies
for exclusion from statistical calculations.
Corrective action plans must be displayed automatically
to accelerate problem resolution.
- Finally, Engineers must be able to analyze
data by applying various SPC analyses without
impacting the high transaction response time
needed in production. Data needs to be analyzed
in off-line specialized applications and therefore
needs to be easily exported.
Live with a flexible MES system with Built-In
SPC system
Today, an integrated MES and SPC system* is
running in concert with other enterprise applications
at Kodak ISS. The system provides visibility
of the entire production process to aid in throughput
management and capacity planning, as well as
real-time data collection and operational analysis
capabilities. Individual lots and work-in-process
inventory are tracked in real-time through each
step of the production flow as it happens. At
Kodak ISS, The process steps are equipment-based,
so the system tracks the lot along with the
piece of equipment that it is processed through.
In addition, data is collected against that
equipment along with all the relevant test data.
The MES system traces the physical movement
and cycle time of each process step, tracking
product movement by lot. Terminals with merely
Internet Explorer-based browsers provide visibility
of the status of each lot. An electronic change
order system allows engineers to highlight changes
to the production process directly to the operator
on the production line. The electronic problem
reporting system tracks process issues for each
lot, actions taken against the lot, and the
final disposition.
An inline SPC system, tightly integrated with
the MES system, monitors statistical exceptions
in real-time. Operators are prompted to enter
data at various steps of the production process
by the MES system. This data is then used to
dynamically generate inline SPC charts. The
charts are instantly displayed to the operator
and out-of-control events may immediately cause
a lot to be held, a machine’s status to
be changed or one of another set of predefined
actions to occur. Additionally, an out of control
action plan is displayed to initiate investigation.
Everything starts with a Parametric Data Definition
(PDD). The PDD defines the data fields that
will be collected during the build process and
the data structure those fields will be stored
in. Kodak ISS has 14 unique tables to store
the SPC data. The system’s ability to separate
the SPC data into specific tables makes the
real-time analysis and feedback much more efficient,
because the table sizes are optimized.
A Data Collection Definition (DCD) references
a PDD. The DCD is referenced by transactional
objects within the MES system. A Specification
object specifies the DCD used for data collection
when a move-in, move-out, or other transaction
is executed.
The DCD is also referenced by an SPC Chart
Group. The SPC Chart Group identifies the charts
that will be displayed following the data collection.
The SPC Chart object specifies the macro that
will be executed to produce the result set for
the SPC Chart, the chart type, the chart limit
rules, the email addresses that will receive
a notice if the chart causes a violation, the
option to put the lot on hold with a valid reason,
and of course the variable that will be plotted.
Kodak ISS plant engineers constantly fine-tune
process efficiency and optimize overall product
yields as new image sensor products are designed,
prototyped and tested.
* In early 2004, Kodak ISS
went live with Camstar Systems Inc., a Charlotte,
North Carolina-based company that develops Web-based
manufacturing execution system and quality solutions
for global manufacturing companies. Camstar partners
with Statit for the Online SPC system.
Positive Growth Measurements
The system has become an integral part of Kodak’s
manufacturing and quality processes. The system,
which has proven to be easy to use and maintain,
provides real-time visibility into the production
processes, helps increase yields and increase
manufacturing agility to meet changing customer
demands.
In a global competitive market, winners will
be those that embrace innovation and technology
and drive change while providing world-class
quality at competitive prices. To Kodak ISS,
success is all about providing customers with
zero defects, high quality product while increasing
flexibility, and improving customer responsiveness
thus enhancing their competitive edge in the
marketplace.
By: Manash Chakraborty Senior
Director of Business Development, Camstar Systems,
Inc. and
Joseph Blakely Business Analyst, Image Sensor
Solutions, Kodak
###
About Camstar Systems, Inc.
Camstar’s Enterprise Manufacturing Execution
System and Quality Systems help manufacturers
rapidly boost the performance of their distributed
manufacturing operations by delivering complete
visibility and by providing the flexibility required
for rapid growth and change. Camstar’s unparalleled
solution monitors, controls and synchronizes global
manufacturing, delivering process interoperability
and best practices – resulting in maximum
agility, the highest quality products, and leaner,
more efficient operations. More than 100 leading
companies, including AMD, Amkor, ASAT, Corning,
dpiX, GEM Services, Genesis Microchip, Hitachi,
IBM, Kodak, Philips Semiconductor (NXP), SanDisk,
Sony Ericsson, Renesas, SCHOTT, and Spansion rely
on Camstar as a trusted software partner. For
more information, please visit www.camstar.com.
About Statit
Originally founded as Statware in 1983, Statit is a leading developer of process optimization
software technologies for the healthcare and manufacturing
industries. Statit provides tools, applications,
and professional services that assist users in
understanding and managing processes and their
outcomes for optimal quality, consumer satisfaction,
and cost containment. In 1997 this vision was
transformed to developing process optimization
software applications by focusing on Internet
technologies. Building on a decade of development
in process management, Statit has created
a new model for empowering the enterprise through
its Web-based applications for total and continuous
quality improvement. For more information, visit
www.statit.com.
###
| Company Contact: |
Company Contact: |
| Camstar Systems, Inc. |
MIDAS+ Statit Solutions Group |
| Manash Chakraborty |
Bill Martinez |
| (408) 559-5737 |
(541) 752-4500 |
| mchakraborty@camstar.com |
|
If you would like additional information,
please call our staff at (541) 752-4500 or send
email to
.
|
|
|
