Kemper Group

Kemper Group needs to acquire the operating data of a machine in real-time and remotely to monitor it, integrate the data with the company management software, and automate data collection and production history.

Integration in 4.0 perspective of a Siemens S7 PLC controlled palletizer with a custom solution

The challenge

With more than 60 years of presence on the market, through the acquisition of competing companies and the gradual development of new branches of activity, the Kemper group is today a market leader in the production and sale of products for gas and electrical welding, for outdoor applications, for the home, for the HO.RE.CA sector (modular screen system, gazebo, electric and gas heating).

Kemper's need is to integrate a new generation palletizer into the company's management system, with a 4.0 perspective.

The palletizer is able to sort boxes containing gas cartridges, of two types, on two different pallets.

The palletizer is controlled by a Siemens PLC and is installed in a separate plant from the headquarters where the data visualization is wanted in real-time.

Kemper, therefore, needs to monitor the palletizing data in real-time, so that production progress, batch management, and line performance can be tracked.

The solution

To meet Kemper's requirements, TOOLS for SMART MINDS has developed a tailor-made software solution.

The software application remotely reads the Siemens S7 PLC and collects the data, allowing it to be displayed in real-time in the separate offices and making it available to the management, ensuring the required interconnection and monitoring.

The data requested and acquired are the following:

• Date and time of start and end of processing of each pallet
• Number of boxes processed
• Number of pallets processed
• Processed article code

From the management software, instead, the product codes are sent.

Diagram: integration of a Siemens S7 PLC controlled palletizer with a dedicated solution in 4.0 perspective

Benefits and Results

All the goals set have been achieved, thus enabling Kemper to achieve significant benefits:

• Corporate Interconnection in a 4.0 perspective: Interconnection enables modern production management, thus improving performance.
• Data available in real-time in the offices: thanks to the interconnection it is possible to see data in real-time from the offices.
• Traceability: availability of production history and traceability for every single packaged product.
• Digitization: the process of data collection and transfer is automatic, saving time, and reducing human errors.
• Determination of times and costs per production batch: the collection of objective data allows a better organization of the work of the logistics department.

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"I found in T4SM professionality and competence, realizing this project in full compliance with the objectives set and on time.

Fundamental was then the coordination and support activity of the T4SM project manager, both in the collection of information from the interlocutors and in the proposal of further functionalities aimed at optimizing the data flow." 

Ratti Nicola
Planning Manager 
Kemper Group 

 

Goals

• Interconnection of a Siemens S7 PLC controlled palletizer with the company management system software
• Automation of data collection and production history
• Real-time monitoring of data produced by a palletizer

 

Solution

Software solution tailored to the customer's needs that acquires the operating data of the machine in real-time and remotely.

 

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