The success of commissioning is often determined long before an automation system reaches site. Here, Grace Ball, Projects Supervisor UK&I at industrial assembly solutions manufacturer Desoutter Tools and Phil Coleman, Business Development Manager at bespoke automation system specialist adi Lean Manufacturing & Design, explain why early planning, collaboration and process control are essential for successful commissioning.
Manufacturers must increase throughput, minimise downtime and integrate advanced technologies while bringing production lines back online quickly. As automation systems become more complex, successful commissioning increasingly depends on project scoping, stakeholder coordination and system design.
“Customers aren’t just looking for a system that works,” explains Coleman. “They’re looking for a solution that can be integrated, commissioned and brought into production with minimal disruption.”
Laying the groundwork
Modern automation projects combine robotics, vision systems, intelligent tooling and software from multiple vendors. Managing these interfaces requires communication and validation from the initial request for quotation (RFQ) through to Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT).
“The more suppliers, technologies and stakeholders involved in a project, the greater the need for communication and coordination,” says Coleman.
Early subsystem selection, integration testing and collaborative planning help identify potential problems before equipment reaches site. Site readiness, available utilities and competing contractors must also be considered to avoid unnecessary delays.
Understanding how operators actually work is equally important. “Customers may have established standard operating procedures (SOPs), but when you get to the people actually using the equipment, they may have developed their own ways of working or individual operator variations,” explains Coleman. “Understanding those processes early helps prevent unexpected issues during commissioning.”
Removing risk
Although software integration attracts considerable attention, mechanical design and build quality remain equally important. Advanced software cannot compensate for poorly designed equipment or inconsistent assembly processes.
“You can have the best software in the world, but if the machine has been badly designed or poorly built, those issues will still appear during commissioning,” says Coleman. “The objective is to remove as much uncertainty as possible before the system reaches site.”
Addressing these risks during design, assembly and validation gives manufacturers greater confidence before deployment.
Improving consistency
As automation becomes more complex, manufacturers need greater process control, repeatability and traceability. This is particularly important when workforces are flexible and products require different assembly sequences.
“Many manufacturers are operating with increasingly unskilled and flexible workforces while also introducing more complex products and production processes,” says Ball. “In this environment, relying solely on tribal knowledge becomes an impossible approach. Digital process control helps ensure critical information is embedded within the process itself.”
Desoutter’s Pivotware process control system helps guide operators through assembly sequences and verify that required operations are completed. By identifying products and presenting the appropriate workflow, it can reduce reliance on operator memory and improve process consistency.
“We’ve worked with manufacturers where visually identical products require different assembly processes. Without built-in process control, it’s very easy for mistakes to occur,” says Ball. “By using solutions such as Pivotware to identify the product and present the correct workflow, manufacturers can reduce reliance on operator memory while improving first-time quality and process consistency.”
Proving system readiness
“Commissioning should become less about troubleshooting and more about validation,” concludes Coleman. “If everyone involved has worked together from the outset, managed risk effectively and maintained high standards throughout design, assembly and integration, commissioning becomes the final confirmation that the system is ready for production.”
By building quality and process control into a project from the beginning, manufacturers can reduce unexpected issues and bring automation systems into production with greater confidence.
To find out how Desoutter’s assembly solutions help manufacturers build quality, traceability and process control into production, visit the website.
Read other recent UK Manufacturing news: https://uk-manufacturing-online.co.uk/category/news/
