Challenge
Amphenol CIT (formerly Carlisle Interconnect Technologies), headquartered in St. Augustine, FL, designs and manufactures one of the most comprehensive catalogs of wire and cable, connectors and contacts, assemblies, and systems in the aerospace, military, space, test and measurement, medical technology and industrial markets. Chris Khol, now Plant Manager at Amphenol CIT's St. Augustine, FL location, did not have real-time and accurate data for her team of Continuous Improvement Engineers to execute lean projects and deliver process improvement controls.
The St. Augustine factory manufactures lightweight wire and cable—ultra-reliable and the preferred choice for airframe manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus. However, without actionable metrics like machine OEE by shift, it was impossible to know where to begin improvements. The lack of simple, understandable, real-time productivity metrics made progress difficult to measure. Additionally, the Nogales, Mexico location—a large plant with 800 employees—relied on outdated technology to meet AS9100 quality standards, which involved costly manual processes for compliance and data management.
Solution
Harold Tarter, the plant manager at the time, envisioned an Operator interface that would electronically dispatch the next job and provide all essential details: what materials to use, how to setup and monitor the process. With SAP as their ERP system, they initially considered SAP's MES module. However, CAI ShopVue was ultimately chosen because its out-of-box functionality more closely met their needs and could be implemented in approximately a quarter of the time—just months.
CAI ShopVue's Direct Machine Interface (DMI) monitors machine state and output. If a machine stops for any reason, the event is immediately recorded and operators indicate the downtime reason. Managers are alerted via smartphones. Online Inspection Plans enable operators to report results at the source rather than through manual tests reviewed later. Bar code labels are automatically produced at several stages, allowing for complete traceability.
A critical feature was the Add Component functionality, which accomplishes three important functions: (1) preventing the wrong components from being used, (2) capturing material variance, and (3) providing as-built traceability. Because of CAI ShopVue, customers like Boeing can request and receive the complete genealogy of all components used, each worker and machine involved with every operation, and documentation of dozens or hundreds of tests completed.
Results
- Streamlined all manufacturing processes across three global locations
- Real-time production metrics and efficiency data displayed at operator stations
- Labor standards integration with SAP for real-time worker performance benchmarking
- Improved quality through online inspections with reduced rework and increased throughput
- Complete traceability for aerospace customers (Boeing, Airbus)
- Saved over $3 million per year in labor costs at the first facility
The Impact
"With CAI ShopVue, we've completely transformed how we manage production and quality. The real-time data gives our continuous improvement team the visibility they need to drive meaningful change. We've gone from struggling with manual processes to having a world-class MES that our customers trust for traceability and compliance. The savings speak for themselves—over $3 million per year—but the real benefit is the capabilities we've unlocked for growth."
Key Features Used
- Direct Machine Interface (DMI) for real-time machine monitoring
- Online Inspection Plans for at-source quality reporting
- Add Component functionality for material tracking and traceability
- Machine Stock transactions for inventory variance capture
- Real-time productivity reporting and labor metrics
- SAP integration for labor standard benchmarking
- Automated barcode label generation
