Most of the enterprise software providers are silent on process information management system or PIMS for a manufacturing facility since most of them do not possess the requisite expertise. Enterprises should know that ERP is not sufficient to know the factory level production data. PIMS is a critical component in a manufacturing enterprise’s application architecture for creating a common repository of factory information that can be effectively leveraged in enterprise and supply chain management applications.

eMpulse has developed a proprietary software tool PIMS–a technology enabled process management tool which is driven by the process and designed for the process. PIMS will enable visibility of real-time data in the factory.

How is PIMS designed?

PIMS is a data visualization tool designed with factory driving KPIs in a structured manner with Output and Input categories.

Output categories could be production, utility cost, maintenance, raw material and inventory, etc. Input categories could be OEE, mechanical downtime, setup and adjustments, idling and minor stops, process defects, yield, safety, planning, charts, etc. All these categories are categorized according to differing time-frames – Daily, Weekly, Monthly and Hourly.

Daily PIMS are designed on the foundation of YTT (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow), which helps the team to observe what has happened yesterday, what is happening today and what needs to be done for tomorrow. PIMS enables the team to understand what is happening on the floor through process enabled technology and drive the process more efficiently.

How to Use PIMS?

PIMS has a capability to retrieve data for historical performance and has the capability to forecast what needs to be done in the future based on planning and recommendation with data filter capability. Data is refined to such details where the team can view the data and make a decision or analyze what is happening and what needs to be done.

What is Production PIMS?

Production PIMS gives information to the production team as to what happened yesterday, what is happening today and what needs to be done tomorrow. On the other hand, Planning PIMS will provide information for teams to know the planning attainments on previous day backlogs, production loss, average run capacity on each line etc.

By using a single set of values, PIMS can be configured for different levels of decision makers according to their needs. The head of the organization can see his factory output in real-time on his mobile phone using PIMS. An important point is that data cannot be manipulated in PIMS because PIMS collects data directly from the machines using IoT technology.