Lego isolates and optimises bottlenecks with Intellution’s production monitoring software

In an effort to make its production process more efficient, famous toy manufacturer Lego’s Danish manufacturing plant has installed Intellution’s production monitoring system (PMS), iFIX. Jens Jorgen Meisner, Lego’s project manager for the PMS implementation, explains: “My brief was to standardise time and code definitions, provide on-line production data, provide for internal benchmarking and to integrate existing systems for planning, alarms, transport, maintenance and machine management.” iFIX is now at the centre of Lego’s PMS delivering full HMI (human machine interface) functionality, customisable configuration tools and terminal server support. And it also allows remote thin client access, enabling full HMI/SCADA applications to be accessible from remote locations. Now in full operation, the PMS gives Lego a complete overview of data from each machine in the production process. Reports are updated 24 hours a day from any PC terminal on Lego’s intranet using a standard browser. “We can isolate and optimise bottlenecks as well as prevent local problems and implement preventive measures. We’re delighted with it,” says Meisner. The project includes 130 iFIX licenses connected via OPC to 800 existing terminals on the shop floor. iFIX also communicates with Lego’s Oracle database over the existing network to store real time and long term data records.