Qimarox adopts the PackML
guidelines for the integration of machines into production and packaging lines.
This means that the components of Qimarox are now even easier to integrate,
operate and maintain. With PackML, the manufacturer of palletising modules and
vertical conveyors, among other things, is responding to an increasing demand
from the market. Almost all major consumer product manufacturers – including
Nestlé, Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo – set PackML as a prerequisite for new
production and packaging lines.
‘PackML’ stands for Packaging
Machine Language, a guideline drawn up by the Organization for Machine
Automation and Control (OMAC). This organisation is supported by large,
globally operating manufacturers of consumer products such as Nestlé, Procter & Gamble and
PepsiCo. In collaboration with system integrators, machine builders and
technology suppliers, they want to create open standards for the vertical and
horizontal integration of machines. ‘Horizontal integration’ refers to the
interaction between the machines themselves (machine-to-machine communication),
and ‘vertical integration’ to linking this with central control systems.
Qimarox’s alignment with
PackML means that its palletisers, vertical conveyors and other machines are
now even easier to integrate, operate and maintain. Manufacturers of consumer
products using PackML as a guideline succeed in bringing new production and/or
packaging lines into use three to four months earlier. They are seeing the
total cost of ownership (TCO) of their systems fall significantly, while the
overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) increases. System integrators and machine
builders who incorporate Qimarox modules into their solutions also benefit from
the simplified integration and acceleration of test procedures.
Conditions for innovation
Standardisation in the
realisation of production and packaging lines is desperately needed. Standards
allow manufacturers to shift gears quickly and adapt their production processes
to the rapid changes in the market. OMAC is currently preparing to enable
concepts such as plug-and-play and plug-and-produce in due course. ‘PackML
increases the possibilities for innovation. If manufacturers want to update a
system, they don’t need to modify the control system of an entire packaging
line. They only need to concentrate on the parts that need to be updated,’ says
Uwe Keiter, chairman of the OMAC Packaging Workgroup.
In order to take full
advantage of new technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) or
artificial intelligence (AI), standards are also indispensable. ‘Today, we can
store and analyse data from different machines in the cloud. However, this is
only really useful if we record the data identically, so that we can for
example compare the performance of machines and calculate the OEE
unequivocally. PackML makes that possible,’ says Keiter, who in his everyday
life works as Business Development Director / Consumer Goods for technology
provider Lenze.
Agreements in three areas
PackML comprises agreements in
three areas. The first area concerns the status of the machine. If the status
is ‘idle’, then it is ready to produce. With a start button, the operator can
then actually start the machine, after which the status will change to
‘execute’. If there is a fault, the status will switch to ‘held’. Thanks to the
uniform set of agreements, operators can operate a new machine without any
training and service engineers can quickly find out which part of the
production or packaging line has the problem.
The second area concerns the mode
of operation of the machine. Is it set to ‘automatic’, ‘manual’ or
‘maintenance’? Thirdly and lastly, agreements have been made about the way in
which data is exchanged between the machines themselves and with the overlying
control system. This could include, for example, the speed of the machine: will
it be specified in metres per second or in units per hour? It has also been
established that each machine will only exchange data with the machines
immediately before and after it in the line. ‘If machine B has a fault and the
status jumps to ‘held’, this is only passed on to machine A and C, but not to
machine D. Machines A and C can respond to this by reducing their speed, which
means that the status will change to ‘suspended’. Machine C in turn passes this
status on to machine D’, explains Keiter.
PackML as a prerequisite
PackML offers advantages not
only for end users and system integrators, but also for Qimarox and other
machine builders. The OMAC guidelines make it easier to also design the control
system of machines in a modular way. When upgrading, they only need to modify
the module, not the complete machine. This reduces the time needed for testing
and troubleshooting. In a factory acceptance test, there is no longer any need
to test the communication with other machines, which can result in time savings
of 60%. There is also no need to keep reinventing the wheel when programming
the machine: 80% of the software can be reused.
By adhering to PackML, Qimarox
is responding to market demand. ‘More and more manufacturers of consumer
products are including PackML as a precondition in their request for a
quotation. By meeting PackML’s specifications as standard, we make it easier
for our own customers – system integrators and machine builders – to meet these
requirements,’ says Jaco Hooijer, Operations Manager at Qimarox. ‘In addition,
we recognise the importance of standardisation in the industry. By becoming a
member of OMAC we want to contribute to the further spread and adoption of
PackML’.
Everyone benefits
OMAC is happy with the
registration of Qimarox. More and more machine builders are adopting PackML,
according to Keiter. ‘We can buy machines anywhere and link them together to
form a production or packaging line. However, most machines’ software is not
consistent, simply because it was created by different programmers. This makes
it difficult to connect these machines to, for example, a MES (Manufacturing
Execution System). It also means that operators and service engineers have to
be re-trained for each machine. Everyone in the industry benefits from
guidelines like PackML, both users and suppliers of production resources’.
About Qimarox
Qimarox is a leading
manufacturer of components for material handling systems characterised by
ruggedness and reliability. Innovative concepts, patented technologies and
continuous development allow Qimarox (which emerged from Nedpack) to
manufacture product lifts and palletisers that combine flexibility and
productivity with a low total cost of ownership. System integrators and
original equipment manufacturers from across the globe use the machinery of
Qimarox in end-of-line systems and storage and order picking systems in various
industries. Please visit www.qimarox.com for more information.
