Released on: June 4, 2008, 7:07 am

Press Release Author: Thomas R. Cutler

Industry: Software

Press Release Summary: OPC Portal of Automation.com Profiles Pollak-APD and Hertzler
Systems

Press Release Body: Automation.com has a special portal for Object Linking and
Embedding for Process Control (OPC.) Manufacturing journalist Thomas R. Cutler
profiled how OPC drives overall equipment effectiveness; to read more the
Automation.com OPC portal can be found at
http://www.automation.com/sitepages/pid2774.php.

Support for OPC came about as a request from several leading manufacturers in recent
years, including Pollak-APD. Pollak-APD designs, engineers, tests and manufactures
world-class work-enabling devices for the transportation industry based on efficient
electro-mechanical actuation technologies. About five years ago, Pollak started
automating data collection after noticing a secretary hand-keying thousands of data
points into a spreadsheet. Pollak-ADP is a Six Sigma/Lean shop and has put a lot of
emphasis on OEE (Overall Equipment Efficiency). They have one particular product
with a sub-four-second cycle time. This equates to about 17 parts per minute, 22
hours per day, six days a week. By analyzing downtime with GainSeeker, they were
able to boost OEE from 65% to 75%, representing more than a $130K increase in
throughput. This has enabled them to keep with up with increased product demand
without increasing production capacity (no capital investment) or staffing.


With this concept in mind, Hertzler Systems added new functionality to GainSeeker
SPC (statistical process control), specifically support for OPC (Object Linking and
Embedding for Process Control). "OPC is the standard computer protocol for
communicating with machinery and process controllers," noted Byron Shetler, Chief
Technology Officer for Hertzler. "Supporting OPC creates great new opportunities for
collecting data from production equipment in real time, performing statistical
analysis on the data and then feeding information back to operators, engineers or to
the equipment itself."


Following this initial efficiency effort the company began to evaluate software that
enabled them to talk directly to PLCs ("Programmable Logic Controllers", process
controllers common in factory automation.) Meanwhile, Dave Cappucci, Director of
Total Quality Management at Pollak-APD, was searching for shopfloor software for
tracking product quality. He had used Hertzler's GainSeeker SPC at a prior
professional position and knew it was a powerful and reliable system for product
data. When he made his decision to purchase GainSeeker, Cappucci was aware of
Foley's desire to capture process data from PLCs. Together they reasoned that they
could find or write a middleware product to move process data from OPC to Hertzler's
database, thus realizing Foleys' vision of truly integrated SPC on the factory
floor.


Hertzler Systems (www.hertzler.com) provides seamless, accurate data acquisition
solutions that drive business transformation. The company provides the leading
real-time data acquisition and analytics software, the GainSeeker Suite. This
powerful and flexible system is best used by lean and progressive companies.
Gainseeker Suite allows companies to connect with devices and other information
systems, collecting data and alarming key personnel when problems arise; this
technology allows organizations to analyze data for root cause problems, converting
data into knowledge.


Hertzler Systems Inc.
www.hertzler.com
Adrienne DePew
Communications Manager
info@hertzler.com
800.958.2709



Web Site: http://www.hertzler.com

Contact Details: Hertzler Systems
2312 Eisenhower Dr. N.
Goshen, IN 46526
800-958-2709