Key Manufacturing Systems: CIM, SCADA, Traceability, Simulation

Posted on Apr 3, 2025 in Information Systems Engineering

Computer Integrated Manufacturing

Concept of CIM

Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) attempts to integrate all production processes (design, materials management, production planning, warehousing, manufacturing, etc.) through the proper use of computers in all areas of the company and information management.

Definition of CIM

According to the Computer and Automation System Association (CASA) and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME):

CIM is the integration of the entire manufacturing enterprise using computer systems and data communications, combined with new management philosophies that improve personal efficiency and organization.

Computer systems introduced in manufacturing companies initially allowed the automation and mechanization of many tasks. More recently, they have enabled the computer-based integration of whole areas of the company.

CIM’s current challenge is the computer-based global integration of the manufacturing company, breaking the so-called islands of automation and information.

ERP Systems

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software is an integrated set of financials, distribution, and manufacturing interfaces with some other applications.

MES Systems

Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) are mainly online computer systems that provide tools for carrying out various activities of production management, including:

  • MRP (Material Requirements Planning)
  • MRP II (Manufacturing Resource Planning)

Industrial Applications of Information Systems

Key industrial applications include:

  • ERP Systems
  • MES Systems
  • Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems
  • Software Tracing
  • Production systems simulators

SCADA Systems

Introduction to SCADA

Modern facilities include complex devices for monitoring the system in general. SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) systems control, monitor, and acquire data from processes, serving as an interface between the operator and the process.

These systems:

  • Show an overview of the installation.
  • Allow rapid acquisition of large amounts of data relating to the specific performance of various components.
  • Usually include capabilities to perform various control tasks.
  • Centralize information, which is ideal for maintenance use.
  • Are often connected with maintenance management systems.

Given the large volume of information handled in industrial sites, plant monitoring systems typically take the form of specific SCADA software packages. They are widely used in industry across numerous processes, requiring interdisciplinary work and are currently in high demand.

Benefits of SCADA

  • Communication with field devices.
  • Real-time operation.
  • Alarm management.
  • Historical data logging and report generation.
  • Modification of PLC control parameters.
  • Distribution of information to various departments.

Functions of a SCADA System

  • Collecting, storing, and displaying information continuously and reliably, corresponding to field signals (e.g., device states, measurements, alarms).
  • Carrying out control actions initiated by the operator (e.g., opening/closing valves, starting/stopping pumps).
  • Alerting the operator to detected changes in the plant, including abnormal conditions (alarms) and routine operational changes (events). These changes are stored for further analysis.
  • Supporting general applications based on system-obtained information (e.g., reporting, trend graphs, variable histories, calculations, predictions, leak detection).

Elements of a SCADA System

  • PLC (Programmable Logic Controller): Direct Control of Processes.
  • PC (Personal Computer): Supervision and Control for the Operator.
  • Network: Allows Data Exchange.

Hardware + Software = SCADA System

SCADA Modules

  • Communication
  • Configuration
  • Graphical interface
  • Process
  • Data management and archiving

SCADA Hardware Architecture

Two layers are typically distinguished:

  • Client Layer: Responsible for human-machine interaction (e.g., PC, HMI).
  • Data Server Layer: Manages Process Control Data obtained from field devices, usually through PLCs via fieldbus, LAN, or direct connection.

In simple systems, these two layers may be combined into a single hardware unit, such as a PC.

SCADA Software Architecture

  • SCADA Server:
    • Responsible for data acquisition and organization.
    • Configurable sampling frequency.
    • Database of process information.
    • Real-time operation.
    • Prioritized alarm management.
    • Registration of changes in process parameters.
  • SCADA Client:
    • Collects and displays desired data from the SCADA server.
    • Shows process data trends, history, logs, alarms, etc.
    • Allows interconnectivity with common office software (import/export data).
    • Provides Access Control.
    • Generates reports.
  • Communication:
    • Between different machines, communication via TCP/IP is the most common.

Product Traceability

Definition of Traceability

Traceability is defined as:

  • “The ability to reconstruct the history of the use or location of an item or product through a registered identification” (UNE 66901-92).
  • “Procedures that control the historical, physical condition and the trajectory of a product or batch of products along the supply chain at any given time” (AECOC: Spanish Association of Commercial Coding. Traceability Reverse Logistics).

Implementing Traceability

Via tracing, it is possible to refer to the origin of raw materials, the history of processes applied to the product, distribution, and product localization.

Effective traceability involves:

  • Collaboration: Requires cooperation between different actors in the supply chain. Information must be transmitted throughout the production process. Traceability is the result of concerted global action.
  • Identification & Data Exchange: Requires coding, automatic identification (Auto-ID), and information exchange between various actors in the productive system.
  • Information Registration: Each agent in the supply chain must have a system ready to generate, manage, and record the necessary traceability information at any time.
  • Correct Identification of Goods:
    • All Consumer Units and groups must be codified and symbolized with a code that identifies them individually and unambiguously.
    • All Consumer Units must be formed and printed with the expiration date or best before date and/or lot number.
  • Transmission of Information: The necessary traceability information must be transferred to the next actor in the supply chain.

Software Tracing

Tracing software helps track products along the supply chain, packages data in a readable format, and prepares it to be read. Regulations (e.g., EU, Ministry of Health) specify aspects required for traceability records, although there isn’t a universal standard for packaging and exchanging data.

Data to Log:

  • Raw materials (batch code, date, characteristics)
  • Manufacturing conditions, processes, and machines
  • Storage conditions
  • Packaging details
  • Transporters, distributors, and distribution centers
  • Date of completion of each trace step

Transmission Systems for Tracing Information:

  • Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
  • Barcodes (e.g., GS1-128)
  • RFID using EPC (Electronic Product Code)

Simulation in Manufacturing

Simulation involves applications that mimic the behavior of real systems. It is a tool used to predict real system responses and provides the opportunity to study complex systems that cannot be easily modeled analytically. In production, simulation is used to develop alternative designs for the production process, evaluate change control policies, and more.

Applications of Simulation:

  • Evaluation of policies and programs for line preparation and maintenance.
  • Assessing the impact of production changes (product manufacture, packaging types/size, production lots, delivery times).
  • Reducing inefficiencies and costs from line shutdowns, fittings, material reprocessing, waste, lack of equipment, etc.
  • Implementation of new support and material handling methods.
  • Determination of necessary labor resources.
  • Conception and design of packaging and packaging lines for consumer goods.
  • Assessment and analysis of investments in new technologies (process, machinery, equipment, automation, control systems).
  • Optimization and improvement of the productivity of existing lines.
  • Design of layouts and dynamic control systems for production lines.
  • Identification, analysis, and management of bottlenecks determining the system’s production rate.
  • Analysis of line capacity and speed concerning potential increases in production.