Overview

MEKRA – all data securely in view

In order to produce its innovative camera monitor system for commercial vehicles, vision system specialist MEKRA not only needed a new production line, but also a high-performance connection to SAP ERP in order to document the manufacturing process seamlessly. The solution was machine data acquisition (MDA) with the Manufacturing Execution System top MES.

In Germany alone, around 350,000 new commercial vehicles are registered every year. With the growing volume of traffic, road safety is also playing an increasingly important role. MEKRA LANG GmbH from Ergersheim in Franconia is a specialist in this field. Founded in 1932 as a small mirror workshop in a backyard in Fürth, MEKRA has long since become a global pioneer in visibility systems for commercial vehicles. While the development of mirror systems established the outstanding reputation of the family-owned company for decades, MEKRA sees the future in mirror replacement systems: digital camera-monitor combinations – with all-round vision, HDR and improved night vision, automated camera tracking and numerous assistance systems on request.

Traceability for central components

MEKRA researches and develops its digital vision systems at the highest technological level. The quality standards established throughout the company also apply to production. However, MEKRA set itself higher goals for 2018: The company wanted to be the first manufacturer in the world to offer a mirror replacement system with approval from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA). Product quality is one of the prerequisites for achieving this. However, the complete traceability of the systems and their core components – the sensor heads and installed circuit boards – is also essential. In a completely new production line, the entire manufacturing process was therefore to be mapped digitally.

From spring 2017, the new assembly line was designed together with a German special machine manufacturer. It included manual workstations and partially automated production steps as well as an extensive test station for functional quality assurance. For the successful KBA approval of the mirror replacement systems, the serial numbers had to be traceable from the supplier to the customer. “Until then, such comprehensive traceability was neither possible nor necessary for us,” says Holger Stark, Head of Production in MEKRA’s SAP team.

Meaningful machine data for the ERP

Although MEKRA had been using the top MES (Manufacturing Execution System) from top flow since 2008, this had previously only been used to record production data and was not sufficient for the required traceability in its original expansion stage. “However, in order to successfully launch our technology on the market, we needed a production line on which essential data could be read out and transferred to the SAP ERP,” recalls Holger Stark, who was responsible for managing the IT side of the initial project. For example, if the small series of a customized mirror replacement solution had to be produced in a specific design, the order number, order quantity and serial numbers of the components had to be documented transparently.

For Holger Stark and his colleagues, it was clear that the best way to collect the required data was in the quality assurance department of the new production line: “Several safety-critical components come together in our assembly line. It is only during testing in quality control that it is decided which products meet the standards – and are allowed to leave our premises.” Production therefore needed to feed its data into SAP ERP at this central production step. The task of expanding the existing MES to include flexible machine data acquisition (MDA) was possible as standard with top MES and the specialists from top flow.

Experts from different disciplines

“We were lucky that we already knew a suitable provider in top flow. After all, our existing production data acquisition was based on their top MES and we had a lot of good experience with the system,” says project manager Stark. MEKRA therefore organized a workshop with the commissioned plant manufacturer and top flow during the planning phase in April 2017 to present the project and its requirements.

Holger Stark was excited to see how the interdisciplinary experts would work together: “Business management, technology, IT and the associated processes had to be taken into account – that’s challenging. But it quickly became clear that all sides were able to exchange ideas in an objective manner and find solutions directly.” Good communication was the decisive success factor. After all, the actual product, the mirror replacement system, was developed in parallel with the production line and its machine data acquisition. “The people involved were able to shine with creativity and teamwork,” says Stark.

The close coordination also included finding a suitable architecture for machine communication. The choice fell on OPC UA as an open, scalable, flexible and future-proof standard. Top flow was able to quickly implement the necessary adaptations for the OPC handshake. For Holger Stark, this was another sign that he had made the right decision: “With top MES, which we have been using for years, we already had the basis for the MDE connection to the SAP ERP. And if required, the system is absolutely future-proof – even for OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness).”

Automated recording of serial numbers – and more

The new production line in Ergersheim, Franconia, has been producing the first mirror replacement systems in small quantities since October 2018. Series production started in spring 2019 – with approval from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority. MEKRA benefits from the desired transparency of the MDE solution: production-relevant information such as order quantity, material numbers or the revision status is transferred to the assembly line at the start of the order. The data generated during production is in turn automatically recorded at the machine and flows into the ERP system in real time.

“The seamless traceability of components is crucial for our safety-critical products. With machine data acquisition from top MES, we have found a transparent and future-proof solution.”Holger Stark, responsible for production in the SAP team at MEKRA

“There are particularly exciting production stages for us, such as writing the circuit boards with our software. If everything goes according to plan, we log the production progress. If a problem occurs, we find out exactly where and, via the serial numbers, which board is affected. Traceability is a huge advantage here and in the final quality check,” says Holger Stark. With top MES, MEKRA obtains a precise equipment structure for its products: Information on the installed serial numbers of the sensor head and the circuit board as well as the installed software version.

Highly detailed data for greater efficiency

From a business management perspective, there is another interesting point: thanks to the integration in SAP, MEKRA can map fully automatic feedback on good quantities and rejects in the ERP, as well as data on the running and downtimes of the machines. The system also allows the causes of faults and rejects to be identified and measures to be initiated quickly. The combination of machine and production data acquisition creates a highly detailed database for meaningful OEE key figures and efficient production.

Motivated by the positive experience, Holger Stark is already planning the next project: a flexible platform camera as a basis for a wide range of applications. “Another special machine manufacturer is coming on board for the new production line. And as similar criteria apply here as in the last project – traceability of the installed components, real-time mapping of the production status or the OEE key figures – we are happy to rely on top flow’s expertise again.”

Success Story top MES MEKRA LANG GmbH & Co. KG



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Overview