Logistics processes in safe hands

Obligations and challenges

At the central warehouse of this automotive manufacturer, the focus is firmly on delivering a reliable global supply of spare parts and accessories. The correct spare part must always be available at the right time and in the right place, while the coordination of large numbers of spare parts, storage spaces, truck movements and thousands of delivery note items also poses a huge logistical challenge.

Such a huge logistical challenge requires a high degree of automation and therefore a large number of automation devices such as controllers, robots and transport systems. All of these controllers and their programs can be monitored, traced and archived using the manufacturer-independent data management system versiondog.

In a production facility, changes are often made to the software and project data of controllers and automation devices/systems. These changes are carried out by various people at different times, with the ultimate aim of optimising work processes and maximising reliability. In the long run, however, this aim can only be achieved if changes are clearly documented and recorded at a central source and saved on the server as the most recent version that can be accessed at any time. It is possible to manually archive data, but there are many good reasons why data management processes should be automated. If they are not, it is almost impossible to avoid the risk of serious problems being caused by incomplete documentation and scattered data storage. It is far safer and more effective to organise the management of control program project data using an automated system that stores versions centrally, detects changes down to the last detail and guarantees full documentation. This is precisely where the data management system versiondog comes in.

Automatic change detection and backup jobs

versiondog is a data management system, also referred to as a version control and backup system. Based on a client-server structure, versiondog regularly carries out pre-defined backup jobs on controllers and automation devices with the following aims:
 

• Cyclical verification of whether or not the latest project version in a control system is the same as the most recent version or whether any changes have been made
• Storage of the most recent version for every automation device, readily available in a consistent format regardless of device manufacturer or device type
• Automatic creation of a report as soon as differences between the active project version and the previous backup version have been identified, including a detailed presentation of the detected differences
• Automatic creation and maintenance of a central data storage location
• Automatic storage of all project data from the developmental stages of a production facility, particularly if subcontractors are involved
   

versiondog by AUVESY GmbH, an ISO 9001 certified company in Landau, Germany, can run on both mobile and stationary servers. Highly-automated logistics and production systems in particular require all units to be precisely coordinated with one another. This applies both during commissioning and, later, during active operation. To react to changes to output targets such as quality, product versions or productivity, it is always necessary to make improvements and modifications to the production process. versiondog helps the user react to these changes immediately and without error. By fully documenting all changes, versiondog also provides the user with a reliable foundation for audit trails and ISO 900x, GAMP, GMP, FDA21 CFR 11 or VDA 6.x certification standards.

Logistics processes in safe hands

Scheduled, automated backup jobs are not only used to ensure data availability. They are also used for comparisons between the version running on the server and the version running on the device. Handling non-versioned or unnoticed changes to project data is a task often complicated by factors such as shift work, the distribution of maintenance responsibilities and the integration of outside companies. Thanks to versiondog, these problems are a thing of the past.

This is because the centralised versiondog server installed at the main location/warehouse can also be connected to other company locations via a VPN interface. The administrator is therefore automatically notified of any changes made at the other locations, thus enabling high-level quality control across multiple locations!

The data management system automatically provides a daily update of supply logistics or other underlying functions. This means the user can immediately react to changes and discrepancies at the start of operations, before they can have an impact on the logistics process. versiondog therefore represents an important safeguard for control systems, allowing goods to be constantly supplied around the world using high quality logistics processes. A similar manual procedure cannot provide the same level of reliability, even with large numbers of personnel and high financial outlay.