Process management and informatization of rubber enterprises

In today's rapidly changing business environment, rubber enterprises are confronted with unprecedented challenges and opportunities. With the increasingly personalized demands of customers, the intensification of market competition and the rapid development of information technology, how rubber enterprises can enhance their own competitiveness through the informatization of process management has become the focus of attention both inside and outside the industry.

I. Technological Characteristics of Rubber Enterprises

As a special process industry within the chemical industry, the rubber industry has a complex production process, which encompasses both the compounding production mode of the chemical industry and the process flow production mode of the manufacturing industry. The technological characteristics of rubber enterprises mainly include:

1. Fixed process: The allocation of work centers strictly follows the process route, and the time of each work center is approximately the same.

2. Specialized production: The work center specializes in the production of a limited number of similar products, and the tools and equipment are designed for specific products.

3. Material drive: Materials are driven by machines from one working point to another. They are stored in work-in-progress inventory, and intermediate products have a shelf life.

4. Quality Control: The production process mainly focuses on the quantity, quality of materials and the mastery of process parameters.

5. High requirements for formula management: The rubber formula is the technical foundation, and its quality and cost directly affect the final product. There are strict requirements for the safety and confidentiality of the formula.

6. Batch management: It is necessary to track product quality, from finished products to semi-finished products and suppliers, etc. The requirements for batch management are high.

Ii. The Current Situation and Difficulties of Process Management in China's Rubber Enterprises

For a long time, the product design and process planning of many rubber enterprises in our country have mostly relied on manual completion, and the information transmission is mainly through paper documents. This has led to the inability to directly utilize the process design data from the product design data, and the information sharing among process personnel is not smooth, resulting in resource waste. With the continuous changes in market demand, the original working mode has been difficult to meet the demand for rapid response.

In recent years, with the continuous development of information technology and the gradual improvement of internal networks, some companies have begun to use software such as WORD and EXCEL for the design of process regulations, accumulating a certain data foundation. However, these process files have different formats, are randomly distributed, and mostly exist in the form of text files, making it difficult to effectively manage and utilize the process data. Even though some enterprises have implemented ERP systems, the field of technical process management remains an "isolated island" of informatization.

Formula management is one of the difficulties in the process management of rubber enterprises. Rubber formula directly affects product quality and cost. Issues such as technical leakage, cost calculation, production instructions, and material requirements have long been plaguing enterprises. In addition, with a wide variety of products and complex processes, the feasibility, rationality and execution rate of the processes, as well as the stability of product quality, all need to be further guaranteed.

Iii. Ways to Enhance the Competitiveness of Rubber Enterprises through Informatization

Facing these challenges, rubber enterprises urgently need to utilize information technology to transform the management of product design and manufacturing processes in order to enhance their competitiveness. The following are some effective approaches:

Introduce advanced software systems such as MES (Manufacturing Execution System), SCADA (Monitoring and Data Acquisition System), ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), etc., to achieve the automation and informatization of the production process. These systems can integrate production data, optimize the production process and improve production efficiency.

2. Upgrade of intelligent equipment: Purchase the world's advanced high-end intelligent manufacturing mechanical equipment, and combine new technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data, and cloud computing to achieve intelligent control and remote monitoring of the equipment. For instance, Shandong Yongsheng Rubber Group Co., Ltd. has built an Industrial 4.0 intelligent manufacturing factory by embedding systems such as MES, SCADA, and ERP, achieving unmanned production.

3. Business Process reengineering: Optimize and integrate the information flow among departments and personnel such as production, supply, sales, and technology to ensure smooth information flow. Through business process reengineering, enterprises can respond to market demands more quickly and enhance customer satisfaction.

4. Digital Factory Construction: Build digital factories around all links such as product development, manufacturing, sales, and after-sales service. For instance, Zhongce Rubber has achieved paperless development through the seamless integration of systems such as PLM (Product Lifecycle Management), CAD (Computer-Aided Design), and CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering). At the manufacturing end, through the integration of MES, barcode technology, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and other systems, the intelligence and flexibility of the manufacturing process have been achieved.

5. Full life cycle management: By using technologies such as RFID electronic tags, the full life cycle data of rubber products like tires are recorded and traced to ensure that product quality is controllable and traceable.

Iv. Summary

In the wave of informatization and intelligence, rubber enterprises can only remain invincible in the fierce market competition by keeping pace with The Times and making full use of information technology to transform process management. By introducing advanced software systems, upgrading intelligent equipment, reengineering business processes, building digital factories and implementing full life cycle management and other measures, rubber enterprises can significantly enhance their competitiveness and achieve sustainable development.

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