Kors Engineering Company, Inc.

PleXML system replaces custom built, plant-specific software.

Kors Engineering announces the successful integration of Programmable Logic Controls (PLCs) with machine presses at Batesville Tool & Die through its proprietary tool, PleXML. The machine presses are now exchanging XML information with Plex Online, a software as a service (SaaS) enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution for manufacturers from Plex Systems, Inc.

Plex Online replaces custom software that was written specifically for Batesville’s Indiana location but was not appropriate when attempting to expand to additional facilities. In addition to the consistent interface for operators, the integration with PLCs enables a more efficient manufacturing process by automating many functions, including label printing when containers are full.

“The most challenging systems to replace are the customized systems that were built in-house,” said Mike Arnott, Senior Integration Engineer with Kors Engineering. “Transitioning the presses to the Plex Online system and leveraging the benefits of PLCs enables Batesville to have a higher degree of automation, more efficient manufacturing, and promotes more effective communication between its plant in Indiana and its facility in Mexico.”

Batesville Tool & Die is an acknowledged leader in manufacturing, particularly in highly engineered stampings and robotic welding supporting the automotive and appliance industries. With production facilities in the United States and Mexico and more than 50 presses that range in capacity from 50 to 1200 tons, they were an ideal company to standardize with a common ERP system leveraging the automation of PLC equipped machine presses.

“It’s difficult to quantify how much more efficient we are now after integrating PLCs with our machine presses,” said Batesville Tool & Die IT Manager Sam Wintz. “There are many variables to consider such as container capacity and size of the job. However, it wouldn’t surprise me to find we are running significantly better on small lot jobs because of the automated labeling versus the manual recording of production and printing of labels and requiring less interaction from the operator on the shop floor. The PLC integration offers a significant production improvement and the additional benefit of implementing Plex Online allows our IT staff to tackle other higher value added tasks, not writing custom code.”

Kors Engineering and Plex Systems, Inc. have combined their efforts at multiple facilities to improve manufacturing efficiency, reduce waste and maximize energy resources.