SAP And Controls in Computer Integrated Manufacturing or Is This Autonomation?

by

Thomas Heaton Spitters August 2011

INTRODUCTION.

Computer facilitated product design and manufacturing became a hot button item many years ago with the introduction of complex

computer systems and imaging, and the application of these and other technology tools to production processes everywhere. computer systems were centralized and have been Originally, developed to

emphasise networking and distributed systems and computing / data processing. Due to the difficulties and other issues proposed by

batch processing technologies, there has been an emphasis, again, on developing real time systems of software and hardware to resolve specific business issues. In all events, with the recent emphasis on

quality programs, cost and system efficiencies including real time computing, the overall production processes of many manufacturers have not improved very much above the days of batch processing and other, older techniques. The reader will find in this paper a brief

illustration of flexible manufacturing implementation and controls at least in part, and a word or two about SAP applications and these issues. This paper should serve again, at least in part, as a review

in view of the recent innovative trends on additive manufacturing technologies.

Computer integrated manufacturing is comprised itself of integrated processes and technologies, and other technologically suffused points of a company's product design and manufacturing processes.
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SAP has

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scalable

solutions

for

blueprinting,

planning,

implementing,

operating, maintaining, controlling and reporting for these business activities in many industrial domains. Some of the applications in

SAP that work particularly well with said industries, and that are in the SAP Solution Map include Logistics (Information Systems,) Sales and Distribution, Production Planning, Financial and Cost Accounting and others.

The applications available through SAP are a coherent and effective solution to issues of business interrelatedness, industrial groups, large business - layered computer applications, and requirements for a glue for far flung business activities that need integration or an efficient computerized vehicle to enable proper the execution of proper business rules and regulations, processes, activities, and other varietal but related processes requiring considerable computer power and technology. These activities in SAP include ease of

use applications and modules, and simple vocabulary for business end users; easy programming and understandable software code, multi platform software capabilities including those to enhance and

leverage the enterprise database.

The SAP enterprise DUET and HANA

configurations and implementations have shown that more parts of a business are served better using these integrated solutions versus dependence upon legacy and departmental or divisional systems. Said

implementations have considerable efficiencies developed, built in and bolted on for many industries from banking to mining, from
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entertainment to automobile manufacturing and on the implementation level from paper and workflow to machine and automation tools and controls. would be An illustration of the benefits of autonomation with SAP impossible without an understandable link between the

manufacturing and information systems properties of modern companies. For a basic review of this, see my book, MYSAP FI Fieldbook (2005.) Examples of systems that have benefited more recently from SAP

implementations, see the SAP Developer Web site; or, for example an overall view on ERP, the Journal of Information Systems; or, again, any basic guide to enterprise software or enterprise resource

planning. more

As computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) becomes even based and even more real for end users,

technology

investors, consumers and the like, business computing will become less complex and more integrated, with an emphasis upon manufacturing customization manufactured and products communications, along the lines including of user's more or tailored consumer's

perceptions, information and data capture and processing including multi processing, and more advanced product design and production. This has been the overall purpose of implementation of packaged

composite applications for some time.

Many aspects of the enterprise information system, including those related to accounting and reporting through objects will respond rapidly and to more

manufacturing computerization

directives of business

cost such

accounting as bills of

materials,

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routings,

purchase

orders,

pricing

policies

and

documentation,

billing and invoicing, and labour and asset, and other management reporting further criteria. the Management financial of companies of the future and will other

integrate

reporting

requirement

compliance with internal accounting functionality and its application and view to financial and other performance indicators. of applications from any source, including SAP as This group -

transaction

driven, will make the corporation more forward looking as more reliable forecasts will be available in more departments and

divisions through enterprise management systems, including through SAP Strategic Enterprise Management. The relevant applications will

be ideal in addressing future economic and political issues in view of regional and territorial economic and financial factors and

changes, and will allow re planning and the generation of numbers for varying degrees of related sensitivities to give an accurate snapshot of business health and economic and financial climates. The

real time character of this functionality will reach more people within the enterprise as well from data input through the various technology areas to final controlling, reporting, or fabrication, and with views from the data level to high level summaries; and using optimized and efficient controls, multiple business methods,

artificial intelligence, and, again autonomation.

Implementation of applications will be necessary as preceded by cost benefit matrices analysis and tracking on facility and corporation
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 wide bases concerning proposed improvements and programs, related identification and analyses including productivity analysis; analyses of items such as productivity improvements, improvement

potentialities (and SWOT,) and the role of corporate and regional and territorial economics and risks, again on a facility and corporate wide basis. Some simple guidelines a. for the blueprinting and

implementation process include: financial / costs baselines; b. with

Definition of stakeholders and

Structure cost benefits analyses

manufacturing function, modernisation, and executive criteria, facility and corporate consolidated what ifs; c.

including

Perform thorough implementation analyses of manufacturing facilities (as is) in view of implementation; d. Develop performance Develop

benchmarks for facilities based on results in c.; e.

matrices for cost benefit / opportunity costs, and priorities of implementation and improvements; f. Evaluate technological For or

alternatives for improving facilities and industrial groups; g. each capital and corporate improvement, determine a future

projected cost benefit matrix or pattern for each facility and the entire business and same for alternatives; h. economic, their social, political, human and societal, to Analyse financial, intangibles they can and be

etc.,

risks,

including

factors

the

degree

quantified for each business facility, business area, and the entire company.

Remember that inflation differs in different countries and different

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regions, and that a time based cost - benefit matrix / analysis of future improvements and efficiencies needs to show this. Any cost

benefit analysis or study should roughly include the following for review: a. Product assessment and feasibility study, b. analysis Q

of investment development or license study and product launch, c.

& A implementation in development and Q & A computing environment for testing, customization, to and development; d. Transition including and from Q & A

implementation communication

full awareness

implementation of new

increasing commerical /

business

corporate computing and manufacturing landscape.

Cost benefit analysis should capture actual costs and performance indicators that have been identified as CSF's by management. Cost

benefit measures, indicators, success factors and other indicators should conform with all internal and external reporting rules (this means U.S. GAAP and management accounting standards, for example.) Information provided and by the cost should cost benefit be studies, matrices, valid to and

determinations verifiable, and

reporting to

standardized, tracking

subject

benefit

invite

sufficient time and energy to determine the feasibility of future savings, investment returns, and efficiencies.

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MANUFACTURING PROCESS CONTROL.

Process control is a unique part of industry that deals with the control of variables that influence materials and equipment during the development and fabrication of a product. from the very simple to the very complex. primary functions of a manufacturing These processes vary Control is one of the especially flexible

system,

manufacturing.

With respect to this, control has to do with those by

parameters that maintain a desired system functioning and output

altering energy flow from the energy source to the load medium or device. Control ranges from a full control environment, on and / or

off operations, to a number of or partial processes or changes that are implemented using sophisticated technological equipment.

In

manufacturing,

control

might or

be any

implemented combination end

using of

human

interaction, interaction interactions

computing or

power,

human of

technological be a

tools. an

The

product state or

such

might

product,

operation

level,

workflow, product flow through a distribution system, and so on.

Manufacturing,

again,

itself

is

the

process

of

transforming

raw

materials into finished goods using a development or implementation process. A process is an activity or function performed on material

resources or materials that changes them into a finished product. Processes are manufacturing functions performed on products that

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eventually change source and raw materials into finished products. Manufacturing processes depend highly on the nature of raw materials being used and the nature of end products as well, be they for consumers, or capital assets or products overall. Quality and

quantity of products produced are also dependent upon production processes, of which some of the more ordinary are heating, cooling, distilling, manufacturing baking, milling, are coating, grouped into and so forth. and levels All of

processes

areas

operations and analysis that consider temperature, pressure, material flow, resources changes, and analytics and other reporting functions. Manufacturing processes are continuously changing during the

fabrication and finishing of products, and process control is an integral part of the monitoring, reporting, and operations of the manufacturing of any goods.

Control itself in the manufacturing sector, fits into areas such as inventory control, machinery control, numerical control, programmable control, and quality control, among others. This concept, in its

implementation has the primary functioning to determine the final outcome of a manufacturing process, and related materials and

resources are controlled only when the final product or outcome of a process must be changed. that include control There are different registers of control time, response time, control

effectiveness, as determined themselves by the needs of the system and its different criteria cost, quality, economy, and other

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factors.

Manual control systems demand more human interaction for

their proper functioning, and automatic systems are dependent on self regulating processes and equipment that replace human control

operations.

Automatic control functioning can often achieve better The measures of

production results than a human control process.

system control often include measurement, comparison, computation, correction and other key indicators of quality and performance. All

manufacturing measurements are estimates or appraisal of activities or processes subject to certain criteria.

Open loop and forward feed controls are two frequently used methods in industrial processes, and automatic control is equally compelling but has to do with what the process achieves during

manufacturing without human interaction.

In open loop control,

changes to a manufacturing process are based upon and made at any time by human interaction. by a process The open loop system is often path,

characterised

energy

source,

transmission

controller and a final element, called an actuator or final control element. The first part of the process represents the beginning

processes of input variables (time, temperature, speed, pressure, gas or liquid flow, displacement, acceleration, torque, and force, etc.) The transmission path is responsible for transforming the input

variables using an energy source throughout the remainder of the system, and the controller serves as a monitor and indicator, among other things, to govern the functioning of the actuator.
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Human

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interaction here is determined through the attachment of a manual setpoint adjustment to the controller to change the operating range of the controller process. The actuator implements the response of

the controller to the final process element and finished product. The final process element can be any piece of equipment for altering the passage of the energy result through of these the system, and as the output to is the

considered controller.

processes

subject

Examples of controlled processes are water temperature

and pH of an aqueous solution, chemical viscosity, temperature of molten elements or alloys, or the path of a cutting element on a milling machine, and so on. An easy example of an open loop system

is a steam heat system with a temperature measurement unit and a manual steam valve as a setpoint adjustment. similar system would be that of a heated A more complex but water main where any

detected change in water temperature is compared to desired measures by an operator who opens or closes a heated water valve. The

advantages of such systems are their simplicity and low cost, need for manual control for feedback in the manual control and other sub systems.

Closed loop, or self regulating systems have output that is measured and compared with pre determined settings. Feedback is

generated by the output sensing device, equipment, or component is submitted to the controller that regulates output according to

desired values.
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Feedback refers to the direction in which the

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output sensing values are returned to the controller, and in a way the output signal to the controller acts as a signal source for the feedback control element a classic example of a feedback loop. The

closed loop system is similar to the open loop system, and the feedback circuit is the distinguishing feature of this system. The

output signal to the controller is a summing circuit that compares the setpoint input and output feedback signals and the input or process energy source is responsible for establishing the setpoint value of the system process(es.) The setpoint operator is changed or

adjusted according to the feedback comparison process as determined by a sensor, and when and where the feedback value is the same as the setpoint value, the system indicates a balanced state and remains unmodified. If the sensor output is different from the setpoint

value, signals are applied to the controller to indicate the system is out - of balance, and a correction signal is generated by the controller and relayed to the actuator or final control element. correction signal contains directions of the controller to The the

actuator to change the system state, and this part of the process results in a self correcting feature to the system. loop and closed loop systems perform essentially The open the same

functions.

number of

elements are and a number

used to describe closed loop of them are used to evaluate

system system

operations,

performance, including:
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transient response, steady state error,

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stability,

sensitivity.

These

terms

are

used

to

illustrate

the

response of closed loop systems to feedback.

Each condition occurs

before the system reaches a steady state and are represented by different paths through the system process, including over -

damping, and under - damping.

The critically damped response is

a state in which the system has reached a steady state after over or under damping. In other words, the critically damped response

is, or represents a steady state condition of the system without waves or oscillations of output. Some manufacturing processes are

severely affected by feedback oscillations and other damping waves, and some are severely affected as well by the time it takes for feedback to the controller to remediate transient response(s) and this should be taken into account in any system. Steady state

error has to do with how the feedback and controller processes have re attained a steady state after an oscillation, or after a shock, such as a change in input and the resulting output. The error is

computed by comparing the actual system output to the standard system output after the transient response takes place. It is an important

measure in the operation of the controller and always shows an offset between the performance value and standard system value. Stability

is an indicator of the system's ability to re attain a steady state after a change has taken place; an over - damping or under - damping, for example. The sensitivity term refers to a comparison between

system output performance as measured to standard output amounts.

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When a transient response happens, the system takes time, usually, for its process to correct the system state. This is referred to as

a process time lag and is affected by system inertia (the ability of a process to continue despite that a change has occurred.) System

inertia must be addressed successfully before process control can be effective. Capacity of a system is its ability to store energy or a Resistance opposes the transfer of

quantity or measure of something.

energy in the production process, and when resistance and capacity are combined, this results in a time lag. Sometimes, engineers

refer to 'dead time,' or the time the system takes to regain a steady state after a change of input from one value to another.

Any

system

that

is

highly

consistent

with

respect

to

production

levels despite numerous load changes is referred to as a setpoint regulator system where the setpoint of such a system is established and then rarely changed. process changing to and the A setpoint follow up system is a feedback in which are the setpoint as is constantly as possible

controller

controlled

variables

kept

close

despite their change values, to the setpoint, using the setpoint as what is called a reference variable. self balancing setpoint. Such systems are said to have a

Responses of a controller, purely and simply described here as modes of control, are among the following: Pure operational control on

or off scenarios, proportional, integral, derivative, and there are

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more sophisticated feedback schemes such as a composite mode, like proportional plus integral, proportional plus derivative, and / or proportional plus integral plus derivative control. These control

modes are proposed often by looking at control procedures.

The On off control scenario has to do with, for example, home heating systems as controlled by a solenoid gas valve and a setpoint that regulate a thermostat that turns an air conditioning unit on or off. In proportional control, the controller does not simply

determine the on or off status of a switch or valve, but the final control element in the system can be adjusted between fully open and fully closed, the value of which is determined by a ratio of the setpoint input and the actual value of the process. Such

controls can be designed to react to temperature, water flow, airflow and the like. Integral control is a controller regulated system

where the controller output whose signal is proportional to some computed system error serves as feedback to the controller. The

error signal itself is the difference between the system setpoint and the actual system process values. In this scenario, if there is an

error in the system, the controller will continue to correct it and integral control as a process is continuous and rapid.

Proportional plus integral control includes control instrumentation that combines the feedback principles between the integral and

proportional control types.

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This type of control scenario is a good

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response to long term system errors and is primarily used with proportional control proportional control responds rapidly, but can not reduce the system error to zero, which is the problem with the offset in proportional control. Integral control responds less

rapidly over time, and does not respond to rapid changes, but it can reduce system error to zero. These two principles combined result in The action of

a PI (proportional plus integral) defined system.

the proportional plus integral control scenario is easily computed using ordinary mathematical procedures.

Many controllers have an inertia problem, for example, as in a water system where it takes time for the water to increase in temperature when subject to heat. The nature of this situation is the error will

not cause an immediate difference with the setpoint in the system. When the error is registered, slowly as it is, the system takes at least the same time to respond with corrective action. To overcome

this type of slack, a corrective action is available that allows the system to respond to very minute errors; but if the error continues and remains large, the system then will have a tendency to

overcompensate which might result in oscillations.

One scenario that

cures this is whence a response to an error is large and dampens over time this solution is typically named a derivative controller. Derivative controllers have a circuit that works in proportion to the rate of change of its input as determined by circuit resistance and capacitance and its relationship to a time element and the rate of
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change of the input to the input itself. electronic differentiators, and other

Such systems are found in electric and electronic

measuring devices.

You need to remember the derivative controller

only responds to changes due to variations in applied error signals to the setpoint. Derivative controllers do not respond to steady

state errors, but if there is a tendency for the system to oscillate, the output will seek its own level. Derivative controllers are used

most always in conjunction with other controls.

In order to allow oscillations to have a higher gain setting, a system can use a proportional plus derivative control to reduce the tendency for oscillations. Such a control depends upon a proportion

that involves the change in output as a percentage of the error signal, and differentiates error signal changes and will maintain a system level insofar as the system is subject to constant changes only. The controllers in a PD system (proportional plus derivative

system) are additionally useful in their capability to anticipate elemental system changes, and such controllers are subject to

difficulties with noise and transient elements that cause the output to accumulate or approach its highest level; they are also often used in motor driven systems, or servo - driven systems and in systems characterised by small and quick elemental changes.

Proportional plus integral plus derivative controllers also combine the principles of those three separate controllers in a single

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instrument:

Each separate controller receives the same error signal,

and the three indicators are summed and added through an amplifier. Each element of this controller develops its own output, and the output measures are combined typically into a single expression that determines regulation of the system. determine the functioning of complex This controller is used to and complicated industrial

systems and can be expensive to implement.

ANALYTICS AND INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURING.

Industrial

manufacturing,

again

as

it

is

known

overall,

is

the

process used in describing turning raw materials into other materials that are more valuable, or processing them into their final form. This always involves, in the modern age, elements of manufacturing including quality control, specifications testing, inspections, and other process analytics. Some of the more recent breakthroughs in

manufacturing in these areas include, again, more rapid means of testing through the implementation of new technologies that monitor and analyse everything from raw materials and their related processes to the contribution of the production processes to local environments and process and final production testing as well.

Some of these analytics include electric / electronic / magnetic field instrumentation such as equipment dealing with electric and
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magnetic field reactions, including mass spectrometers,

analysers

measuring electrical conductivity including those with and without nodes and electrodes; thermal / mechanical energy instruments and analysers, gas analysers and gas leak detectors, chromatographs, viscosity rating equipment measuring radiation and density analysers viscometers, and equipment and

instrumentation electromagnetic instruments,

specific nuclear

gravity; radiation detectors,

including and

radiation

detectors

ionization

scintillation counters and X Ray radiation instruments, ultarviolet and infrared analysers, combustion photometric analysers, pH analysers, analysers, these colorimetry and other when

instrumentation; chemical

energy

instrumentation.

All

instruments,

computerised, do include systems, or are comprised themselves of computer capabilities including the basic computing elements found in all computers: and data busses. MPU, Memory, interface adapter, memory, and address This writing has included an introduction into the

various types of manufacturing controls as monitored in ERP systems such as SAP and their related functionality with respect to quality and quantity, costs, customization and other performance indicators.

CONCLUSION.

The emphasis of CIM and its corresponding controls through SAP and related solutions mapped on different business levels and

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environments, including economic environments, is upon information and communications, and monitoring between business and consumer, and between businesses, between colleagues, and end users, between peers, neighbors and managers, board directors and product

developers, programmers and manufacturers, and on and on, in the corporate hierarchy, both horizontally and vertically. All this in

order to accede to the advanced stages of the flexible manufacturing world and into the parallel world of additive production and

industry.

Packaged composite applications will have a role in new

additive manufacturing processes and techniques, where controllers and end users alike will necessarily have access to databases and core application data in order that the business remain effective, efficient and competitive.

A necessary and important part of the computing landscape for these activities will be the wireless network and its related

functionality.

Factories will be able to take advantage of processes

in making more things than just the end products of manufacturing methods and practices, including the confidentiality, availability and integrity of integrated computing power and systems, centralized or distributed. At present, many systems transmit useless and

unusable summary information and data, that is otherwise redundant or does not contribute to system performance or quality improvement. Much of the data as processed by SAP can be distilled into

interpretive and analysable, and mindful knowledge.

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This is the
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result of the application of some cognitive, and heuristic rules to data processing in developing SAP as intended to reduce the

redundancy and uselessness of some forms of data, and to preserve the integrity underlying of applications and other and other technologies, tools, and the including corporate The

databases and

equipment, business

machine traits

knowledgebase,

attributes.

resulting technologies are end - user and customer / vendor driven with an emphasis on the corporate end user. Implementation of SAP

is also customizable according to the diverse needs of the networked and integrated industrial manufacturers and other entities.

Enterprise

Resource

Planning

implementations,

especially

those

involving SAP are a compelling reason behind the efforts of the enterprise to become more economically competitive, if not to survive commercially prevalent in amid the the world business economy chaos today. and distraction that is do

SAP

implementations

increase fixed costs, production capacity, and economies of scale which are desirable for many businesses and business areas and

activities, and can nonetheless reduce product unit variable costs to help a competitor gain market share, or to focus better on a market niche. additional Beware of company management fears of taking on an and insistence upon unreasonable returns,

investment

including insistence on lower market prices, paybacks and hurdle rates: with This represents a kind of eschewing or avoidance syndrome to manufacturing and technology related factors,

respect

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successful or not. as far as their

Disinvestment patterns are difficult to determine actually redeeming criteria and results are Any

concerned and can result in a vicious spiral for the business.

cost benefit and other analyses should include lots of numerical illustrations through charts and foils that actually validate, verify and highlight the increase in fixed costs and resulting economies of scale; the projected price behaviour for various products and impact of pricing policies on the market, including cost reductions and break even, ROI and TCO projections and forecasts along with

results tracking.

References available upon request.

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