When Mr. Liang Guihua, Chairman of Xipai Group Co., Ltd., made this decision in 2019 to invest in the construction of a high-end automated production line for high-precision valve parts that weigh more than several thousand kilograms and have a batch size of at least 10 pieces, almost everyone in the company was criticized. Opposition from senior management and doubts from peers: "Isn't it just grandstanding to automate such a small batch?" "How can automation be realized for various types of valves with different specifications and special materials?" "How to ensure product quality"... …Now, three years later, this flexible production line, which integrates 6 high-end machining centers and is nearly 100 meters in length, is the largest flexible production line in the Asia-Pacific region suitable for multi-variety and small-batch production. It has doubled its production efficiency and increased its production capacity. The outstanding performance of 40% reduction in personnel has shattered all doubts, and it has also become the "fixing needle" for Xipai Intelligent Dream Factory, laying a solid foundation for it to become one of the most complete high-end valve manufacturing companies in China.
"For manufacturing companies, if they want to be better, they must have their own unique advantages. For Xipai, I think it is intelligence." Mr. Liang Guihua said, "Anchoring lights-out factories and digital factories, Xipai is exactly Taking this flexible line as a starting point, we will continue to exert efforts to continuously strengthen the core barriers for future manufacturing challenges."
Aiming at multi-variety and small batches, Asia-Pacific’s largest hybrid flexible production line
Founded in 2009, Xipai is a high-end intelligent enterprise focusing on fluid control solutions. It has been engaged in the R&D and production of special equipment for oil drilling and production, pipeline valves, control valves, and instrumentation. With its high performance and high precision Our products have become first-tier suppliers for leading energy companies such as PetroChina, Sinopec, Kuwait National Oil Company (KOC), Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Algeria SONATRACH, etc., and have high visibility and influence in the industry.
Walking into Xipai's factory in Jinhu, Jiangsu, you will be amazed by its advanced level, whether it is the modern factory building with cutting-edge design, the intelligent and efficient production equipment, automated production lines, or the futuristic data monitoring hall. As a provincial leader said during the visit, "I did not expect Jinhu to have such an advanced enterprise, let alone such an entrepreneur with advanced ideas." Behind all this, it is inseparable from its helmsman, Mr. Liang Guihua. Deep and forward thinking.
"Competition will only become more intense. On the one hand, there are two-way attacks by domestic giants and overseas brands. On the other hand, user needs are changing rapidly. Only by taking the intelligent route can Xipai have a 'differentiated competitive advantage'. A few years ago, we started planning until I met Fastems in 2019." Mr. Liang Guihua said, "Through Fastems' many successful cases around the world, I saw what the flexible production line I imagined would look like; after many in-depth discussions, I truly felt the difference of Fastems. ', they can always put themselves in my perspective and win my trust."
It is worth mentioning that Xipai’s flexible production line not only sets a record in terms of length, but the hybridity and complexity of its production line are also second to none in the industry. The first is the mixing of machine tools of different brands. The Seipai production line integrates six four-axis four-linkage machining centers of different specifications and models from Okuma and Makino brands. This not only requires the production line integrator to have strong brand compatibility capabilities, but also Requires extensive application experience. One difficulty is also a highlight: the mixing of pallets of different sizes and functions. In order to match the two types of machine tools, the 159 machining pallets in the production line have two very different sizes, namely 630*630mm table horizontal adding and 800*800mm table horizontal adding. In addition, there are 118 1200*800mm. Material wooden pallets, the flexible line needs to intelligently identify each pallet and accurately send them to the corresponding material station or machine tool, which is also a big test for the performance of the flexible control software.
Mr. Ding Yongping, general manager of Fenfa Automation Shanghai Co., Ltd., said: "Different brands of machine tools, different pallet sizes, mixed lines and material pallet management have never been the 'patent' of any company, and Fastems can undertake this project and ensure the production line The certainty and confidence of smooth operation all come from our rich experience in the field of automation for more than 40 years. Which brand of machine tools is equipped with what interface, how does the palletizer switch to identify pallets of different sizes, and how does the flexible control software meet the needs of different users? needs, the answers to these questions have been successfully verified countless times in our thousands of cases around the world. Moreover, the installation and commissioning of the Xipai flexible line this time were all completed by our Chinese service team, which has achieved a high degree of customer satisfaction Recognition, this is also a strong proof of Fastems China's positioning of 'global technical standards, local response speed'."
"The longest flexible production line with the fewest people"
When you walk into the workshop and see this flexible line standing in front of your eyes, the shock it brings is indescribable. I saw that the five-story three-dimensional warehouse with a length of nearly 100 meters and a height of nearly 8 meters was neatly arranged. A stacker was integrated in the warehouse, which efficiently and orderly loaded all kinds of pallets and pallets at a super-fast speed of 210 meters per minute. The blanks, work-in-progress, etc. are transported to 6 machine tools and 3 loading stations in the production line. All processes are completed by only two technicians, operating the control panel and clamping parts.
"When Mr. Liang first asked me to take charge of the flexible line project, I was skeptical. I even directly told Mr. Liang that 'the company's products are not suitable for automation lines.'" Xipai Group Equipment Department Manager, Flexible Production Line Technology Mr. Chen Hui, the person in charge, recalled, “In my initial understanding, automated lines are generally only suitable for large-volume products, because to switch products, large-scale adjustments to the production line are required, and the steps are extremely cumbersome. And our valve parts are the largest The batch size is only a few hundred pieces, with so many types and specifications. Multi-pallet production requires extremely high precision on the fixtures. How can we automate production? It wasn’t until I saw so many successful applications of Fastems that I truly understood the difference between flexible automation and conventional automation. . Based on the software, it can produce different orders at the same time, automatically feeding the products to be processed into the machine tools that need to be processed, and product switching is accurate and flexible. The Fastmes flexible line uses a pallet interaction form, and the parts, fixtures and pallets are integrated online as a whole Mobile, thus enabling rapid switching of processing of different parts on the production line. In addition, when a part is debugging, clamping, and testing, the flexible line can automatically switch to other parts for processing, which greatly improves equipment utilization."
How is this flexible line performing today? Chen Hui introduced very proudly: "Our production line has been running for nearly a year since the commissioning was completed at the end of 2022. Multiple parts of various types of valves (6A, 6D), including valve covers, valve bodies, pipe heads, etc. Various specifications have been produced online. The weight of parts ranges from a few kilograms to thousands of kilograms. The minimum batch size is only 18 pieces. Both processing quality and production efficiency are excellent. Taking gate valve pipe head parts as an example, a single machine produces 8 in a traditional workshop. It can produce 7 pieces per hour, while a single machine on the flexible line can produce 13 pieces, almost doubling the efficiency. For example, for ball valve body parts, it takes a single machine on a flexible line to produce 32 pieces, while a single machine in a traditional workshop can only process 20 pieces."
Flexible lines also reduce the number of operators and workload. Thanks to the Fastems software, as long as the processed products are put online, if they are repeated in the future, production can be restarted with one click, realizing the inheritance of the process. Fastems software informs operators in advance of all production resources needed to ensure continued production before production begins. Xipai achieved ‘the longest FMS line with the fewest people’!
"80% of Xipai's business is exported overseas, and customers have very strict requirements on delivery time and product quality. Therefore, what I value most is the stability and high efficiency of the flexible line. During this year, Fastems has lived up to its expectations. We expect that while effectively improving processing efficiency, there will be very few failures. Even if there is an occasional alarm, the after-sales support of its technical team is very strong." Mr. Liang Guihua added, "In addition, this flexible line is still very large. It has enhanced our brand influence to a certain extent. Not only has it received attention from the government, a series of awards and honors, and the acquisition of resources, but when customers come to the factory and see this production line, they will be impressed by Xipai's supply capacity and product quality. There’s greater trust.”
Consolidating the foundation of Xipai digital factory
As one of the most important industries driving world production, oil and gas extraction equipment has always been considered a relatively backward area of intelligent construction. On the one hand, the characteristics of the product itself, such as multiple varieties, large volume, long manufacturing process, and high degree of customization, make the data in the production process prone to fragmentation and require very high automation and digital technology solutions. On the other hand, due to the high investment in oil and gas equipment and the difficulty in integrating resources, it is more difficult to achieve full-process intelligent production. However, these challenges in the eyes of outsiders have become the driving force for the Xipai Group, which has high goals and dares to make breakthroughs, to move forward.
Starting from scratch in a remote rural area, he made his first pot of gold through trade sales; in 2009, he changed his track and joined the industry, returning to his hometown to build a factory single-handedly; and then in 2020, under the outbreak of the epidemic and the industry downturn, he fought against all opinions and investment suggestions. Flexible production line... Mr. Liang Guihua has grown and transformed step by step with the courage of an innovator, and at the same time, he has also enabled oil and gas valve production to achieve "higher efficiency" upgrades again and again. Today, Xipai's manufacturing excellence will reach a new level, and a blueprint for an intelligent digital dream factory is slowly unfolding around flexible production lines. “Based on flexible manufacturing and automated production, Xipai has built a relatively complete full information platform, integrating multiple digital systems covering production, corporate information, logistics, procurement, user management, etc., which can be used after final completion. Realize the interconnection of all data inside and outside the company, and rely on scientific data analysis to achieve intelligent decision-making at the production management level and the overall intelligent strategic planning of the enterprise." Mr. Liang Guihua said.
"The MMS production control and management software configured in the Fastems flexible line can fully meet the digital needs of Xipai. First of all, it can realize automatic order scheduling and automatic adjustment of orders when encountering urgent orders or equipment failures, plus real-time and detailed order progress. The monitoring system can truly help users achieve uninterrupted production. Secondly, MMS can also be easily connected to the company's data network to achieve real-time collection and monitoring of data on all production factors of the production line, such as machine tools, cutting tools, fixtures, pallets, etc., providing Process optimization, production management, and even enterprise management provide scientific data support." Mr. Ding Yongping added.
The transparency of data allows Xidui to see at a glance the pre-production preparation of production factors, order progress, bottleneck elimination and machine tool OEE. Production and processing no longer only relies on the technical level and application experience of personnel, but a standardized operating process and a programmed process plan. No matter who you are, as long as they follow the data, they can produce the same high-quality products. This advantage can greatly reduce the workload of operators in actual processing. As Mr. Chen Hui said, when the flexible line processes already produced products, there is no need to repeat debugging, and the data can be retrieved directly in the software. In the long run, it brings the possibility of future replication of Xipai’s digital factory on a global scale.
"The flexible line is the turning point of Xipai, and it is also the starting point. We plan to replicate it in other traditional workshops in one or two years, when the production line runs more smoothly and the process and team are more mature, so that the entire factory can' Be smart. Also, we are looking into building factories overseas. As long as we have this production line plan, we can directly copy and transfer it without worrying about personnel and process issues." Mr. Liang Guihua concluded, "With the continuous development of the market and the As users' personalized needs increase, I firmly believe that flexible manufacturing and digital production will become a major trend in the energy equipment industry. We also look forward to continuing to work with world-leading technical forces like Fastems to contribute to the high-quality development of China's energy equipment manufacturing industry. Let’s set sail for China’s energy machinery brands and contribute our own strength.”
