Design and implementation of Web-based diagnosis and management system for an FMS

Given the rise in competition within the global marketplace, the paradigm for manufacturing has changed dramatically. While downstream activities have become the focal point for global competitors, manufacturing remains at the root of a firm’s competitive edge. To remain competitive, firms are progressively shifting their manufacturing operations to overseas markets. Foreign markets offer a host of advantages to manufacturers but one of the obvious key advantages is cheaper labor. Even in industries where the required labor-to-capital input ratio is relatively low within the production process, lower labor costs allow the production of more competitively priced products. The emergence of this paradigm, however, has led to a number of managerial problems. Operating a manufacturing facility overseas creates difficulties for management both in the area of personnel and resource allocation. In this project we developed a Web-based remote control platform using digital cameras, a PLC controller and a PC-based Visual Basic human-machine interface (HMI) to create a flexible manufacturing system (FMS). An FMS can be easily controlled and monitored through an Internet-based PLC-control system using a PC-based HMI platform. From remote locations, this platform enables management to effectively monitor, control and diagnose a manufacturing process via the Internet.