Machines and systems in the manufacturing industry are seldom a perfect match, no matter the size of the company. Businesses can make their production processes more efficient and boost their competitiveness by integrating their machines into manufacturing execution systems (MES) - but this generally involves a great deal of effort. Efficient production calls for transparency, which in turn requires methodical data capture on the shop floor - and this can only be achieved by interlinking machines and connecting them with an MES. Until now, it could take anything up to an entire day to connect a machine, depending on its make and complexity. But the Shopfloor Connectivity Suite that MPDV Mikrolab GmbH is showcasing at HANNOVER MESSE 2016 can accelerate the process no end and reduce the time required to just one hour in some cases.

It achieves these massive time savings by assisting machine connection in four clear-cut stages:

1. Determining the input channels, 2. Selecting and setting the driver, 3. Configuring the data source, and 4. Connecting the channels. If required, the chosen settings can then be used as a template for other areas or plants. The Shopfloor Connectivity Suite includes an extensive library of drivers and interfaces, and customized configurations can be added with ease. The accompanying software package contains a user-friendly driver development kit for this purpose. In short, HYDRA provides manufacturing companies with an extensive and easy-to-operate tool for interlinking their machines that enables them to capture more data with very little configuration effort involved.

MPDV Mikrolab GmbH (74821 Mosbach, Germany), Hall 7, Stand A12

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