Why do we need to collect production data? How was it introduced? What specific requirements had to be fulfilled, especially in the rough environment of production?
The answers can be found in the following article:

At Lippert GmbH & Co. KG, we use HKS production data acquisition with interface to Microsoft Dynamics NAV2016 and  datafox IPC EVO.

A project must be transparent at every stage, thats the only way calculation, order preparation and production planning works efficiently. Delays in individual planning- and production phases not only jeopardize the completion date, but also quickly throw a project out of control financially. In order to achieve this goal, an individual software based on Access was first used on an acquisition computer. Due to technical reasons, an extension of this solution was not feasible.

In early 2017, these facts induced company Lippert to look for a professional instrument to record and evaluate production data quickly and effectively. Hereby the task arose, that BDE-data must be transferred to Microsoft Dynamics NAV for the evaluation of necessary key figures.

The way to success

For many years, company Lippert has been successfully using the HKS – time recording solution ZEIT;;Plus, together with three BDE-MasterIV recording devices from Datafox GmbH. For this reason, a request was first made to HKS. The requirements for the new BDE-solution were worked out in a project team. It soon became clear, that the requirements could not be met by a BDE solution. A basic requirement was, that the recording of man-hours for production orders, production quantities with validation, recording of semi-finished parts and set-up times, had to be as intuitive, fast and easy to understand as possible. The choice of the acquisition terminals should preserve the greatest possible flexibility. .A further requirement was, that all acquisition terminals must be able to operate in the rough manufacturing environment without any problems. Therefore protection class IP65 was specified.
Already during the definition of the requirements, HKS was able to convince by a flexible project team that was able to respond to the individual specifications and the proposed solution via an intuitive WEB user interface. During the tender phase, HKS decided for Datafox’s EVO industrial PC series acquisition terminals. Hereby the requirements for web recording, industrial suitability and compatibility with the existing acquisition terminals for time recording could be fully covered. The overall concept was convincing and in April 2017 company Lippert decided in favour of HKS’s comprehensive offer.

In July 2017, the first version of the BDE acquisition system, with interface to MIcrosoft Dynamics NAV ERP software, was installed. Two months later, the new Datafox IPC EVO 18.5 was put into operation together with the BDE data acquisition software. In December 2017, the installation was increased by two Datafox IPC EVO 18.5 acquisition terminals and in April 2018 by a another three.

Conclusion and outlook for the future

The front-end, i.e. the WEB – acquisition was accepted by all employees, even from the produktion With great commitment, all bookings were integrated into the daily work routine. The illustration of the business procedures was also successfully implemented within the required time. By eliminating the island solution and integrating the BDE-data into our MIcrosoft Dynamics NAV ERP system, we have now taken the first step towards realistic entry data.

This created the basis for collecting essential information on current and completed production processes swiftly and in a profound manner, to make the right decisions on basis of the collected data.

The Enterprice

In third generation, company Lippert GmbH & Co. KG is focusing on long-term customer relationships, a high educational standard for its employees and innovation, to meet the rapid demands of the market when implementing its pioneering projects.
Over 300 employees realize projects for conveyor- and sorting systems, machines for the ceramic industry and complex solutions in the field of automation technology. Many well-known companies, domestic and abroad, are among our customers.