AMS (Architectural & Metal Systems), a manufacturer of aluminium extrusion and façade systems, has achieved a 19% improvement in machine utilisation and identified annual efficiency and sustainability improvements worth more than €30,000 within three months of installing machine monitoring technology from FourJaw Manufacturing Analytics.

AMS, which employs more than 300 people at its 400,000 sq ft facility in Cork, introduced FourJaw’s plug-and-play machine monitoring system in December 2023 to measure machine utilisation and support its move to shift-based working patterns. AMS wanted to provide site managers with an objective view of production visibility during lights-out manufacturing and improve its ability to deliver products to customers within short lead times.

FourJaw’s platform, which AMS installed initially on several CNC machines, immediately provided reliable real-time data on machine utilisation, enhancing resource planning and enabling the manufacturer to identify areas for process improvements and cost reductions. Enhanced communication between managers and machine operators, and interventions inspired by analysis of downtime data, are enabling AMS to reduce time lost on each monitored machine by an average of 20 minutes per shift.

AMS is also improving machine utilisation levels, which ran at an average of 39.8% at the time of installing FourJaw, to 52.9% within three months. AMS calculates that these initial efficiency improvements are worth between €19,000 and €28,000 a year.

Analysis of energy consumption data recorded by FourJaw is also identifying opportunities to reduce energy use by as much as €8000 a year on some machines, as well as further savings worth €12,000 per annum by reducing energy wasted on machines that were not isolated correctly.

Chris Ryan, continuous improvement manager at AMS, says: “FourJaw was an easy investment to make and a giant leap forward in our digitisation journey.”

For more information www.fourjaw.com

PTC has established a strategic supplier relationship with Volkswagen Group. The arrangement focuses on the adoption of PTC’s Codebeamer application lifecycle management (ALM) solution to support the software development for the next generation of electric vehicles (EVs) from the Volkswagen Group and its brands. Codebeamer will enable greater efficiencies in Volkswagen Group’s engineering practices for software requirements management, test management and release management as part of new EV development.

“Our close collaboration with Volkswagen Group will advance PTC’s efforts to make Codebeamer the leading ALM solution for the automotive industry,” says Jim Heppelmann, chairman and CEO, PTC. “We look forward to working with Volkswagen Group on the successful adoption of Codebeamer to enable more efficient EV engineering practices.”

An ALM solution like Codebeamer is an important tool for enabling the efficient development of software and to help ensure the planning, testing and releasing of software components. PTC will work collaboratively with Volkswagen Group on the transition to Codebeamer from pre-existing ALM tools and on the definition and implementation of software best practices for the automotive industry. Volkswagen Group’s use of Codebeamer will inform future Codebeamer roadmap priorities and requirements to enable PTC to gain ALM market share in the automotive industry.

“Software and electrification represent the future of the automotive industry, and Volkswagen Group is harnessing the two together to meet the expectations of customers and provide a superior driving experience,” says Klaus Blüm, head of Volkswagen Group IT products andarchitecture. “Volkswagen Group views PTC as a strategic supplier for our group-wide product development strategy, and we look forward to our work together to make Codebeamer a successful tool for our software development and vehicle engineering teams.”
For further information www.ptc.com

Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division has released HxGN Production Machining, a new suite of software that empowers machine shops to achieve operational excellence in the manufacturing of discrete parts, tools and components with machine tools at any scale, from one-off prototypes to volume production.

Capabilities of the suite include: CAD for manufacturing and design review; CAM for CNC machine tool programming; process simulation and G-code verification and optimisation; shop-floor production intelligence; and automation and collaboration powered by Nexus, Hexagon’s digital-reality platform. The suite includes significant automation and technologies that help manufacturers achieve efficient utilisation of material, cutting tools and CNC equipment, and capture and consistently apply a machine shop’s best practices.

The HxGN Production Machining suite will integrate common workflows to help teams reduce error and eliminate redundant tasks at every stage, from job quotation and design review through production, quality assurance and product delivery. By offering a suite of connected products from the Hexagon ecosystem, manufacturers benefit from simplified procurement, implementation and support.

“Our HxGN Production Machining suite helps shops of all sizes run their businesses more productively by providing a robust software tool set within a connected and intelligent digital workflow that helps teams get it first-time right,” says Chuck Mathews, general manager – production software at Hexagon.“Using the principles of model-based manufacturing and the automation benefits of AI, we’re helping our customers achieve greater operational excellence.

“Innovations within the suite include our new CAM system, Esprit Edge, which combines the DNA of Hexagon’s Edgecam and Esprit software with powerful digital twin and AI technology.”

Parth Joshi, chief product & technology officer at Hexagon, adds: “Through our suites we refocus innovation on what matters most to customers, be that in single product or leveraging data across workflows.”

For further information www.hexagonmi.com