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US 10,373,083 B2Granted
System for improving production processes
AssigneeHeidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
InventorsMaik Bittner, Jürgen Marschar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A performance evaluation system has a computer for displaying the production performance of a machine compared with the production performance of other machines. The machines a connected via a network link to a performance comparison computer. The invention is set up such that comparison data from the performance comparison computer are displayed at least to the operator of a machine via the display of the computer for displaying the production performance.
Claims13
A production performance evaluation and production process improvement system, comprising:
- a local production machine at an operator's location running a production process, said local production machine having local machine computer;
- a plurality of production machines provided at competitors' locations each having a respective machine computer;
- a performance comparison computer connected via an Internet link for remote service to each said respective machine computer and to said local production machine computer, said performance comparison computer being set up at a manufacturer of said production machines or at a service partner of the manufacturer, said respective machine computers each gathering production performance in a corresponding production machine of said plurality of production machines, said performance comparison computer acquiring production performance from said respective machine computers of said plurality of machines and from said local machine computer, said performance comparison computer being programmed for automatically carrying out a production performance comparison between a production performance of said local production machine and a production performance of at least one of said plurality of production machines, said performance comparison computer programmed for calculating suggestions or offers for increasing the productivity of said local production machine, for an operator of the one local production machine, on the basis of the production performance comparison between the production performance of said local production machine and the production performance of said at least one of said plurality of said production machines;
- a production performance display computer located at said local production machine and connected via the Internet link to said performance comparison computer, said production performance display computer displaying the production performance comparison;
- the system sending the production performance comparison data and the suggestions or offers for increasing the productivity of the production machine via the Internet link from said performance comparison computer to said production performance display computer for displaying the production performance comparison data and the suggestions or offers for increasing the productivity of the production machine via a display of said production performance display computer to the operator of said local production machine;
- said production performance computer being configured for generating an operator selectable operating element on said production performance display computer for implementing the suggestions or offers and improving the production process on said local production machine;
- upon selection of said operator selectable operating element, said production performance computer implementing the suggestions or offers and modifying the production process on the local production machine in accordance therewith.
4 more elements
A method for evaluating performance between production machines and improving production performance on a local production machine by a performance evaluation and production process improvement system, the method comprising:
- providing a performance comparison computer connected via an Internet link for remote service to a plurality of production machines each having a respective machine computer for obtaining production performance therefrom, at least some of the production machines being provided at competitors' locations, the performance comparison computer being set up at a manufacturer of said production machines or at a service partner of the manufacturer;
- acquiring production performance in the plurality of machines with each respective machine computer with the performance comparison computer;
- automatically carrying out a production performance comparison, on the performance comparison computer, between a production performance of one local production machine and a production performance of at least one other external production machine at a competitor with the production performance obtained from the respective machine computers;
- calculating, on the performance comparison computer, suggestions or offers for increasing the productivity of the one local production machine, for an operator of the production machine, on the basis of the production performance comparison between the production performance of the one local production machine and the production performance of the at least one other external production machine at the competitor;
- providing a production performance display computer located at the one local production machine connected via the Internet link to the performance comparison computer for displaying the production performance comparison;
- the system sending the production performance comparison and the suggestions or offers for increasing the productivity of the production machine from the performance comparison computer to the production performance display computer via Internet;
- and
- displaying the production performance comparison and the suggestions or offers for increasing the productivity of the production machine via a display of the production performance display computer at least to an operator of the one local production machine;
- the production performance computer generating an operator selectable operating element on said production performance display computer for implementing the suggestions or offers;
- implementing the suggestions or offers and improving the production process on the one local production machine upon selection of the operating element by the operator.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.