Michelin has historically invested in modern manufacturing solutions to maintain efficiency, improve quality, reduce waste and optimize operating costs. However, as is the case in many mature companies that have grown organically, investments made over time in different plants have given rise to a great diversity of machines, technologies and services.
All of these machines and technologies operate together within integrated manufacturing plants, but their different protocols, architectures and communication capabilities made them complex to manage as a homogeneous system. In many cases, monitoring depended on multiple HMIs and GUIs that displayed similar information, but in different and difficult-to-unify formats.
“We had the objective of implementing a standardized and centralized visualization solution that would facilitate the supervision of workshops and machines in a simpler and more intuitive way for all internal stakeholders, not just for line engineers,” explains Xavier Hodasava, head of standards and IT/OT engineering at Michelin.
“The existing solutions to monitor machines and processes in the main control room had their own screens and visual designs. There was no platform capable of integrating all this information, contextualizing it and presenting it in a format that would allow the entire workshop, critical machines and processes to be monitored in a much simpler and more intuitive way.
We needed a solution that could consume operational data from multiple sources and transform that data into useful information, delivered in the right format, to the right people, at the right time; not only at the local level, but also at the plant and corporate level. Equally important was that it could communicate seamlessly with our IT solutions, as we are converging IT and OT data to generate value at all levels of the organization, including machine performance.”
Solution to integrate data from multiple sources
To create this single source of truth, Michelin worked closely with Rockwell Automation to design, develop and implement a customized version of the FactoryTalk Optix data acquisition and visualization platform. This multifaceted HMI solution improves visualization, IIoT integration, edge deployment and data management, allowing you to monitor both processes and machines from a common platform.
A key element of the collaboration was a formal co-development and co-innovation agreement. As an early adopter of FactoryTalk Optix, Michelin has actively contributed to defining interoperability aspects and the platform’s development roadmap. Both engineering teams have worked together to standardize user interfaces and develop a platform with a familiar look and feel, capable of being deployed globally to monitor processes and machines under the same standard.
One of the most relevant results of this collaboration was the programming of a native connector for Michelin’s communication system based on Apache Kafka. Given the wide use of Kafka in IT environments, this driver is essential to ensure fluid communication between plant machines and corporate systems.
Integration results
“We set an ambitious work plan,” explains Hodasava, “but thanks to the excellent teamwork of both companies, we have successfully implemented the system in three plants – two in Spain and one in Italy – which can now monitor internally developed workshop equipment and machines connected through Rockwell Automation control platforms.”
Michelin also uses FactoryTalk Optix to monitor OEM solutions, such as conveyors and AGVs, thanks to OPC UA support and its numerous third-party controllers, integrating these machines within the same digital environment.
“We are still in an early phase,” Hodasava continues, “but we are already reacting more quickly to problems that could lead to downtime. We can detect anomalies in machines much earlier and, thanks to greater clarity in information, take corrective action more quickly. This translates into improvements in uptime, a critical indicator in any manufacturing plant.”
Looking ahead, the three pilot factories bring together a wide variety of mixing technologies, processes and control machines, providing a solid foundation for future testing and development.
“Our vision is to deploy FactoryTalk Optix across all Michelin factories, using current developments for mixing systems as the basis for broader global deployment,” adds Hodasava.
Michelin also uses FactoryTalk Optix to monitor OEM solutions, such as conveyors and AGVs
The platform will also be used in tire assembly and manufacturing workshops, where Michelin engineers will be able to adapt it to the specific needs of each process and the different machines, maintaining a standardized appearance.
Michelin’s extensive use of Rockwell Automation solutions has also simplified application development and deployment.
“This was very important to us,” concludes Hodasava, “because global integration was always part of the roadmap. It will allow us to use the same tool and monitoring processes from the local HMI level to the corporate level, reducing training and simplifying deployment. In addition, we can use it as an edge gateway solution, integrated with our corporate platforms to collect machine data using smart objects.”
Regarding the collaboration with Rockwell Automation, Hodasava summarizes: “We were all aligned, with a roadmap and a shared objective. From the first workshops with ASEM to the factory deployment, collaboration has driven the program. Even in this advanced phase we continue to work together on new functionalities and ideas, in periodic workshops where our IT teams also participate.”
