Seiki Systems advanced planning and scheduling with real-time machine tool monitoring software, is enabling the Kenard Engineering Group to deliver precision manufacturing support to OEM companies in the defence, aerospace, communications and oil and gas sectors.

Kenard Engineering has a manufacturing site in Tewkesbury and a further site and head office in Dartford, Kent. Both sites are accredited to the stringent AS9100 aerospace quality standard with a total of 140 highly qualified staff employed to support customers 24/7.

The manufacturing process is optimised using integrated manufacturing systems and keeping control of the activities is KIDS (Kenard Information and Data Collection System), Kenard’s in-house ERP system. However, on the shop floor the company relies on Seiki Systems’ advanced scheduling, SFDC and machine monitoring software.

Operations director, Matt Cornford, explains: “The KIDS ERP software controls customer orders, monitors purchasing functions and production control. As an example the system interfaces with Exostar, the e-procurement system favoured by aerospace and aero-engine manufacturers to keep their global subcontract suppliers informed of delivery requirements, to filter and highlight changes to their schedule on a weekly basis. It also interfaces seamlessly with Seiki Systems Real-Time Scheduler, allowing us to accurately measure calculated delivery times against the customers’ expectations, which is crucial for On Time, In Full (Otif) figures.”

Designed to provide high visibility and control, Seiki Scheduler is a real-time finite capacity planning and scheduling system that plans each works order according to definable scheduling rules, current workloads and available capacity and creates a synchronised work-to list for each individual resource, including part numbers, individual operations, quantity, due dates and forecast finish.

“It’s a very powerful tool,” says Matt Cornford. “Sometimes a customer requires a part urgently; we can tell instantly if that schedule change will affect any other jobs which we are doing for that customer as well as any other customer. Even subcontract operations like hardening and surface finishing are scheduled, with further options to input sickness, holidays, planned maintenance and so on.”

Kenard also uses Seiki Systems’ NMS (Networked Manufacturing System) which provides a two-way communication link between the shop floor and the production control office. At the shop floor level it can display work queues and allow shop floor data collection (SFDC), machine monitoring, technical data distribution, DNC and probe data collection. The office analytical suite offers a remote display of machine status and alarms, machine performance analysis, individual job reports, and OEE.

A variety of multi-axis milling, turning and mill-turn machines are used to produce the components its customers require. The CNC system of each machine tool is connected to a PC so the Seiki software can facilitate bi-directional communications directly with the machine and operator.

Production manager, Danny Booth-Adams wants to create a paperless shop floor possible with Seiki Systems software. He says: “Operators get the NC code, set up sheets, drawings, tooling list and so on, just about everything needed to complete the job.”

Using Seiki monitoring software the machines’ status for both Tewkesbury and Dartford is displayed on large plasma screens in the production office. However, a recent MoD contract required even more control.

Cornford explains: “Our customer has such a tight schedule for the delivery of precision machined electronic enclosures that we had to have a spindle up time of better than 90 per cent. To achieve this Seiki Systems provided an application for our iPhones, replicating the graphics shown on the the planning office screens and allowing us to see the status of every machine. The loading and operation of the five-machine FMS (Flexible Manufacturing System) in Tewkesbury was key to this project, as it can run for up to 35 hours unmanned. The monitoring provided an essential management tool, keeping everyone focused on this important contract.”

Cornford says: “Using Seiki Systems increased our efficiency by 10 to 15 per cent and puts us firmly in control of the results expected from the shop floor. We could not have achieved what we have without Seiki Systems.”