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Continental AG
Key points
- Continental AG is the world’s fourth largest tire manufacturer. Almost every third car in Europe is delivered with tires from Continental.
- When the company sought an update to their process analysis and control systems for their passenger car, light truck, bus and truck tire production sites, they selected Mitsubishi Electric Iconics Digital Solutions’ HMI/SCADA suite.
Challenges
- Handle near real-time data collection from production equipment for process and product analysis and optimization.
- Improve the company’s production processes based on statistical process control (SPC) measurement of product performance-relevant data.
- Handle equipment or network failures and prevent data loss.
Outcomes
- GENESIS64 automation software is transparent, web-based, and has a light installation footprint.
- The HMI/SCADA suite includes a mechanism for decision and escalation workflow, as well as for SPC online.
- Redundant architecture, including data buffering at sources, provides peace of mind that no data will be lost.
“Continental selected GENESIS and Hyper Historian due to the company’s product scope, in terms of technical solutions, and the flexibility of its available modules. Continental favored Mitsubishi Electric Iconics Digital Solutions’ strong customer orientation, the flexibility and availability of its employees, and the fact that they were solution-oriented.”
About Continental AG
Continental AG, headquartered in Hannover, Germany, is the world’s fourth largest tire manufacturer. Founded in 1871 as a rubber manufacturer, the company now contains additional divisions handling brake systems, interior electronics, automotive safety, powertrain/chassis components, tachographs and additional parts for the automotive and transportation industries. Almost every third car in Europe is delivered with tires from Continental. Its Division Tires features tire brands like Continental, Uniroyal, General Tire, Semperit, Barum and many more. Today the company has over 227,000 employees in 56 countries.
Continental Tire Manufacturing In Process
Project Summary
Continental AG selected our HMI/SCADA software suite, in addition to the high-speed, reliable, robust plant historian.
Continental sought an update to their process analysis and control systems for their passenger car, light truck, bus and truck tire production sites, within 18 separate locations worldwide. The company’s initial aim was to develop a system that could handle near real-time data collection from production equipment for process and product analysis and optimization. Thus, “DOPAC” was born.
DOPAC was the internal project name initiated by Continental, standing for its planned “Database for Online Process Analysis and Control”. A pilot project began in 2016 in the company’s Puchov, Slovakia plant, with a year spent on prototype development.
Condition Testing for Continental’s WinterContact Tires
Continental decided early in the process to move on from installed legacy systems and, after considering multiple vendor solutions, decided upon GENESIS HMI/SCADA and Hyper Historian data historian to comprise the heart of DOPAC.
Continental’s new system was intended to steer and continuously improve the company’s production processes based on statistical process control (SPC) measurement of product performance-relevant data. A taskforce was put together to clearly define the company’s IT requirements, as the right pertinent performance data was deemed necessary for continuous improvement. On top actual product and process data were for intended advanced analytics.
During the pilot phase, Continental prioritized its expected core functionalities for their new system. High on the list was real-time data collection. Another necessity was a redundant architecture, including data buffering at sources. The company also highly valued integrating specification systems, high-rate data compression and data mapping.
Next on the company’s list of priorities was process analysis. Their selected system needed to include a mechanism for decision and escalation workflow, as well as for SPC online. Rounding out Continental’s core functionality priorities were dashboarding and archiving abilities. At the end of Continental’s pilot project, DOPAC will be installed in two locations on more than ten pilot machines in each facility. The company continues to validate DOPAC’s business use case through the performance of defined technical test cases. When finalized, the system will be expected to work with multiple brands of PLCs, handle initial groups of sensors/tags defined by central functions, and an interface with the company’s current MES systems.
Benefits of the System
Continental selected GENESIS and Hyper Historian due to the company’s product scope, in terms of technical solutions, and the flexibility of its available modules. Continental favored our strong customer orientation, the flexibility and availability of its employees, and the fact that they were very solution oriented.
The system’s SPC capabilities helped Continental monitor product and process data in real time, identify quality issues, and support continuous process improvement.
Testing at Continental’s Contidrom Track Near Hannover, Germany
Conclusion
Nobody knows product “rollout” better than a tire manufacturer. Following the pilot phase of its DOPAC system, Continental expects to roll out GENESIS HMI/SCADA and data historian solutions throughout its remaining 20 passenger car, light truck, bus and truck tire production facilities throughout the world.
