SECUREFLOW is an advanced complete supervisory system to allow you - the customer – to maintain complete control over the production flow and relevant databases in your plant.

Each and every machine in the plant is linked by a hyper-ring networking system to allow a complete interface between the machines and production flow (customer information).

PA has a team of specialized software experts with a widespread long-term professional experience in the field of developing  software solutions for the aluminium industry.

SECUREFLOW allows you to:

- verify the operating efficiency in your plant at a glance, automatically highlighting or signalling any problems within the production flow (e.g. machines stopped or working below a predetermined efficiency level)

- use a “wildcard” system to trace for example any given customer order number, die number, type of profile or skip number in your plant and know at any given moment exactly where it lies in the productive process (e.g. press, aging ovens, packing, despatch, etc.)

- automatically signal machines which require preventive maintenance as this arises see the operating efficiency of any given machine at any given time and read off downtimes over any given period, thus singling out machines which may be faulty or require additional maintenance

- apply a flexible productive management system which will allow you to eliminate dead times and carry out  quick order changeovers

- eliminate repetitive and mundane tasks like completing worksheets and therefore reduce the number of staff in your factory

- control quality and trouble-shoot for reasons why quality has not been assured

- personalize the system so that it focuses on your requirements add on changes and improvements as you require – SECUREFLOW is an “open-ended” system.

SECUREFLOW can be integrated with new or existing data management systems, when these are present, with which it can exchange information regarding the status of orders.  It can also be applied to existing systems applied on the machines themselves.

Its development environment consists of all the main types of database (MSSQLServer, Oracle, MySql, etc.), the main makers of PLC (Allen Bradley, Siemens, Telemecanique, Omron, etc.) the main Scada (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) software systems (RSView, WinCC, Movicon). Support systems include Touch Screens, Stationary barcode readers, handheld wireless barcode readers, radar systems, thermal printers for adhesive labels, etc..

The way SECUREFLOW is applied to an operating system depends very much on personal requirements.

It can be applied to track order or a product as it moves through a production process or can be applied to assign a priority or “fastlane” to a given order for example. It must be remembered that “the more automated a plant is, the less chance there is of human error”.

Production schedules can follow various systems or policies such as:
* FIFO (first in first out)
* LIFO (last in first out)
* Assigning an order as a priority (flagging an order for fastlane treatment)

In any of these cases however, the operator can override any of these parameters and assign a different order as desired.

SECUREFLOW collates the data within the system which is collected for example from the barcode labels containing all the information relative to a bundle or pack. It can even be used to manage material stocked in a warehouse or calculate the amount of scrap generated.

PHOTO: A practical example of how barcode readers can be integrated into a modern packing line to control the direction a customer order takes within the production flow.