See more, change less

MANUFACTURERS CAN add production visibility, predictive maintenance and AI-powered inspection to existing lines without rewriting PLC code, according to OMRON Industrial Automation Europe. OMRON is encouraging factories to modernise around the machines they already have rather than replace them.

The idea is simple. Leave the machine and its controller doing what they already do well, and add a layer of intelligence alongside them. As OMRON's new whitepaper, How accessible industrial AI can unlock productivity in SME manufacturing, explains, that can now be as straightforward as fitting a sensor, connecting a camera or installing a standalone data collection unit, often for a few thousand pounds and without in-house engineering expertise.

Manufacturers are being asked to produce more with the same number of skilled people, or fewer. Shortages in skilled workers are becoming more acute , experienced staff are retiring and not enough young people are joining the industry.

Unplanned downtime adds to the strain. On average, plants lose over £5000 for every hour of downtime, and maintenance teams spend up to 20 hours a week dealing with unplanned work (Industry in Motion report, 2023). Even small improvements in how early problems are spotted can make a real difference.

However, traditional digitalisation projects tend to require the very engineering resource that is already scarce. Vision systems need programming skills and, in many cases, a system integrator. Getting data out of a machine can often mean custom software and connection of different devices, protocols and systems. Older machines often hold useful information, but there has been no easy way to get at it.

Modernise the information layer, not the machine

OMRON's answer is to add an accessible information layer around existing equipment. At its centre is DX1, an edge data platform that connects into existing automation over Ethernet to read controller data. Where that data isn't enough, IO-Link sensors can be added through OMRON's GD IO-Link Master, which runs largely independently of the PLC. Production control stays exactly as it was, with no reprogramming required.

DX1 then collects the data, visualises it, raises alerts and helps people make faster decisions. Instead of writing code, users build graphical data flows by connecting processing blocks, which puts machine data within reach of a much wider group of people. Python and C support is there for advanced users who want to go further. Ready-made packages for OEE, quality and condition monitoring shorten the gap between connecting a machine and seeing something useful.

“Most machines aren't short of data. The problem is getting it out and doing something with it,” said Alice Martin, OMRON Industrial Automation Europe. “Often the control system isn't the issue at all. What's missing is a simple way to see what the machine is doing. We'd rather help customers add that around a machine that already works than ask them to redesign it. You see more, and you change very little.”

Two examples in practice

Giving an old machine an OEE voice. Many older machines make good product but say very little about how efficiently they do it. By adding IO-Link sensors through the GD IO-Link Master and feeding the signals into DX1, OMRON creates an information path that runs alongside the existing PLC. The same machine can then report OEE, cycle time, stop time, utilisation and production quantities, along with alarms and diagnostics. The machine itself hasn't changed; the difference is the information it now provides.

Turning condition data into maintenance decisions. Production data shows what a machine is doing; condition data shows what might happen to it next. OMRON's K6CM range monitors motors in three ways: current waveform for overload and mechanical problems across the driveline, vibration and temperature for bearing wear, and insulation resistance for issues such as dust or fluid getting into a pump. The current-monitoring option is the least intrusive of all: the clamp and controller sit in the control panel, with nothing fitted to the motor. DX1 picks up the readings, manages thresholds and alerts, and shows everything on one dashboard.

The result is a move from fixing things when they fail, or servicing them on a fixed calendar, to stepping in when the evidence says it's needed. Maintenance teams can choose when to intervene, rather than the machine choosing for them.

The same thinking applies to inspection. Machine vision has long been seen as one of the most specialist areas of automation, but flowchart-based set-up and auto-teach have changed that. OMRON's FHV7-AI smart camera can often be trained on a handful of good and faulty parts and configured in minutes, making label checks, defect detection and assembly verification far quicker to put in place. The VHV5 code reader adapts to changing conditions and reads difficult or poorly printed codes, helping manufacturers make sure the right product goes in the right pack.

For machine builders, this changes the  economics. Many have left vision, data collection and smart sensing off their machines unless a customer specifically asked, because they added cost without guaranteeing a sale. Now they are simpler and cheaper to fit, they can be offered as built-in value rather than optional extras.

“Machine builders have been in a tricky spot,” added Alice Martin. “Customers saw vision and data as nice-to-haves, so machine builders left them off. With the cost and complexity coming down, those features become a real way to stand out and show measurable value from day one.”

Start small, prove the value, scale up

OMRON is clear that none of this needs to be a big-bang project. Manufacturers can start with one machine or one problem, see whether the data pays its way, then add more machines, more data and, if they want, cloud integration. That keeps both the initial investment and the disruption to production low.

“Use what you already have, add intelligence where it matters, and scale once you've seen the value,” said Alice Martin. “That's a much easier conversation for a smaller manufacturer than replacing a line, and it means they can finally get the productivity benefits that smart manufacturing has been promising for years.”

OMRON's paper, How accessible industrial AI can unlock productivity in SME manufacturing, is available at:

industrial.omron.co.uk