Integration isn’t easy or inexpensive, especially when it comes to connecting the factory floor to the enterprise. Yet, finding a way to share information from the shop floor to the top floor creates business efficiencies that are valuable to the bottom line. For those companies burned by a failed integration effort in the past or still struggling to decide what to invest in for the future, Mitsubishi Electric Automation and Oracle have come up with a no-risk offer that manufacturers may not be able to resist.
Called MOC in a Box, the offer consists of a server loaded with an Oracle database and Oracle’s Manufacturing Operations Center (MOC) enterprise manufacturing intelligence software, including sample dashboards for measuring operational equipment effectiveness (OEE). The Oracle software is pre-integrated with Mitsubishi’s MESInterface IT module, which connects a PLC directly to the MOC application and does not require middleware, OPC connections, or custom coding.
The preconfigured system can connect up to three machines on the plant floor to show how real-time information about the equipment can be moved into an MOC dashboard for analysis of uptime and preventive maintenance, Mitsubishi officials said.
The important thing is that the trial system — available for a 30- to 60-day period — allows customers to see exactly how the Mitsubishi and Oracle technologies work together without having to invest a dime.
“This is a way to test out the system without having to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said Bob Miller, Mitsubishi’s solutions marketing manager. “It’s a way to make sure the customer knows what they are getting.”
And, while Mitsubishi PLCs and Oracle MES systems are preferred, the MESInterface IT module can communicate with any controller, and MOC is MES-agnostic, the companies said.
“A key component to MOC is being able to get access to shop floor data directly from the control systems and PLCs,” said Manish Modi, Oracle’s vice president of manufacturing and PLM development. “Mitsubishi’s MESInterface IT module bridges that gap, giving access to real-time information coming from PLCs without going through a second layer of hardware or software.”
The duo was expected to announce their partnership, along with MOC in a Box, at the ARC Advisory Group conference in Orlando in February. Trial customers are expected to come later.
“Most companies always choose to do a pilot and want to prove out [the technology] before taking the plunge and rolling it out,” Modi said. MOC in a Box is a no-brainer because it just accelerates the test phase, he said.