Achieving greater efficiency in the press shop

Why a manufacturing execution system (MES) is particularly important in a press shop

Press shops use machines worth millions of euros – whether in automotive manufacturing, aerospace, or the supply industry. Every minute of downtime not only causes production delays but also incurs enormous costs.

To minimize unwanted downtime and, ideally, eliminate it altogether, the solution lies in a modern Manufacturing Execution System (MES). It orchestrates the interaction between machines, tools, materials, logistics, and people, ensuring transparency and efficiency.

What makes working in a press shop special

“The complexity of production is particularly high in a press shop,” explains Markus Czech, Business Consultant at FORCAM ENISCO. “That’s why production managers in press shops in particular need maximum transparency so that they know at all times which line is running smoothly and where action is needed.”

In addition, “a press shop is very noisy,” Markus Czech continues. “All employees are equipped with hearing protection and cut-resistant gloves. It is very strenuous work.”
This, in turn, places special demands on the MES software that is used. “In short, the software systems used in a press shop must be ‘simple and easy,'” Markus Czech continues. “A press team must be able to operate the software quickly and with few sub-steps.” This means that everything must be usable in a single interface with large buttons.

What makes the process in a press shop special

The challenges of the process in a pressing plant are also diverse. Markus Czech: “Every order requires smooth interaction between people, individual modules of the pressing system, the tool, the delivered material, and the environmental conditions.”

Example: Different tolerance ranges come together with every press stroke. Some tolerances are very, very narrow: If, for example, a normal strand of hair were to lie in the press mold, the product—for example, a car door—would later show a crack.
An MES must help to overcome such challenges.

Understanding downtime in press shops – and reducing it permanently

Downtime is one of the biggest obstacles to efficiency in production. With the MES FLEX solution, downtime can not only be recorded, but also classified in detail on up to five levels. MES FLEX thus ensures that OEE comparisons between two plants or factories are based on reliable and comparable data. This turns OEE into a real tool for process optimization.

A practical example: In a production line, there were repeated unplanned interruptions during container changes. Only the analysis by the Manufacturing Execution System revealed the following:

There were no long, continuous downtimes, but rather many short, recurring interruptions in the affected area. A targeted CIP measure made these processes interruption-free, and the MES reported a significant increase in efficiency for container changes within a short period of time.

Only those who use the OEE key performance indicator correctly can optimize processes

Factory teams in many companies, including press shops, rely on the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) metric. But only the correct use of OEE in a modern Manufacturing Execution System makes OEE truly meaningful.

This is because the decisive factor is how the three OEE dimensions of availability, performance, and quality are defined in the respective company. “An MES must enable the teams in the press shop to categorize these parameters precisely – only then will OEE comparisons between plants and factories be truly reliable,” emphasizes Markus Czech.

Example of how to categorize parameters precisely:

• Is a TÜV inspection planned maintenance or an unplanned interruption?
• Does tool training count as production time or downtime?

Optimizing setup times: Greater productivity in the press shop

An often underestimated lever for greater efficiency lies in the setup process. With MES FLEX, setup times can be analyzed in blocks and specifically shortened using SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Die) methods.

The result: If setup times are reduced from 60 to 50 minutes, for example, the MES documents the optimization in black and white – a clear advantage for continuous improvement processes in the press shop.

Real-time shop floor transparency

The shop floor is the heart of every press shop. A modern manufacturing execution system offers maximum transparency:

• intuitive terminals with large buttons
• color-coded status diagrams for production meetings
• Dashboards that immediately show where a line is running smoothly and where action is needed

“Real-time shop floor transparency is the basis for any sustainable increase in efficiency in the press shop,” says Markus Czech.

MES FLEX in use in press shops: The key to stable processes

A modern MES such as MES FLEX from FORCAM ENISCO networks all relevant data sources in a press shop, evaluates them in real time, and visualizes them clearly. This allows malfunctions to be immediately detected, analyzed, and specifically remedied.

What makes it special is that MES FLEX covers the entire process chain of a press line – from the press itself to coil material and conveyor technology to tools and organizational processes.

Open interfaces for flexible press shops

Another advantage of MES FLEX is its open system architecture.

• It communicates with the machine controls “southbound.”
• “Northbound,” it integrates seamlessly into ERP systems such as SAP.
Thanks to its modular design, press shops can flexibly expand the system and digitize it step by step.