In the past, attempts by the automotive industry to implement various diagnostic systems into its process proved ineffective, costly to maintain and limited in their ability to provide specific information. Today, the industry is combining PC-based control, the DeviceNet network and intelligent field devices, to access diagnostic information that is enabling it to achieve new levels of productivity and cost-savings.
The integration of these three state-of-the-art technologies is delivering improved machine uptime; improved product quality; and reduced machine commissioning time, which translates to getting a product to market faster.
With the implementation of best-in-class intelligent components to provide device and process diagnostics in a PC-based control, open communication network environment, automotive manufacturers have the control solution to monitor status and performance on a real-time basis. This capacity is proving itself as a strategic enabler to proactively improve productivity.
The measurable results, including low-cost production and greater control, that diagnostics provide are illustrated by their application at Ford Cleveland and Chrysler Kokomo. The quantifiable efficiencies and economies give the industry a genuine competitive advantage.