PINpoint MES

PINpoint

Pros:

Customization, User Interface for the operator and background configuration, rigorous data architecture and schema, and capacity changes are simpler

Cons:

Changing a production schedule like break start and end times, Operator maintenance, if your production floor speaks two languages you have to favor one.

PINpoint enabling aerospace manufacturing execution

Comments: I'd recommend PINpoint to anyone looking to integrate factory floor equipment and tooling into your operations. Great team and excellent software experience!

Pros:

[sensitive content hidden] and the team from PINpoint have been working with us for over 15 years. The product has enabled our manufacturing team to build quality into the product, especially with the integration of Atlas Copco torque tools. Operators and operations leadership can readily understand if we are running ahead or behind plan for each operation of each part being produced. Fantastic system!

Cons:

In the beginning, it did take a bit of time for our manufacturing site to grab hold of the capabilities within PINpoint so that we could leverage the capabilities to full advantage. However, the PINpoint team was always there to support us.

Alternatives Considered: Solumina MES

Reasons for Switching to PINpoint MES: Ease of integration and functionality with the torque tooling.

I have worked with pinpoint for 8 years. Sometimes it difficult to make simple changes.

Pros:

I really like how it works with KEPWARE. I also like how you can configure the hardware. The reports and relationships as well as the user management is very nice. I also like the and on aspect. Being able to send messages and quality alert to each individual station as well as being able to decide who can work where are great features.

Cons:

Not like the difficulty of the building flow and making changes on it. I also wish I could use an ethernet best I/O module like a phoenix connector without having to have a PLC. Using a smart arm does not work very well when everything is server based. Subscribing and unsubscribing to each tool for every individual tightening on a single step Really slows down the entire system. Overall the network traffic is too much which makes everything very slow.

Working with PINpoint now for 13 years... going strong!!

Comments: I've been fortunate enough to get to meet most all of their team, and I can't think of a nicer, more intelligent and helpful group of folks I've ever met anywhere. It doesn't matter if they are here onsite helping a facility with a project they're developing, or if I'm at their facility in Canada getting training. Their willingness to share knowledge and instruct the end users is awesome!!!

Pros:

Id say the new Dashboards available are the thing I like most about PINpoint today. What have I liked most about it over the past 13 years? That would be how easy it is to set up, program, and use to interlock our fastening process here within our facility. I also really like their universal socket trays that are ethernet IP addressable. These trays can be used with every tool that is connected to the work station. If you have an Atlas inline tool on a reaction arm, an Estic handheld digital pulse tool, and a couple of Crane Digital wrenches. They can ALL use the same tray of sockets, wrench end adapters, or whatever you want to insist is picked up to enable the tool. FAR better trays than the various OEM Mfg trays that ONLY work with the tool mfg tool they are assigned to.

Cons:

I dont want to say anything negative about PP because I truly think it's the best MES solution out there today. However, if I had to pick one thing that I'd like to see fixed or altered it would be this.... When ever anyone who has the proper rights makes a change within the SmartBuild portal of the system. Whomever makes that edit or change, has their User ID tagged to the edit. The thing is, there is no way for the end user like myself to find our who made the change without requesting that information from a PINpoint integrator to look it up for me in the database. Id like that user info to become a searchable item just like it were a tool name or a socket position ... it should be simple since each change made already has the info associated with it... but it isn't that easy and I wish it were.

System-wide deployment of MES.

Comments: Quality control, production process control and manufacturing tracking are improving. 3 out of our 5 primary production facilities now utilize it and it has gone relatively smoothly with Pinpoint always there to help.

Pros:

Order tracking and work-process control saw an immediate and drastic improvement. Record keeping, production analytics and the ability to control processes in an easy manner are another added benefit.

Cons:

The product could use more API entries for auxiliary functions, an addition of a web-based client interface and a real-time OPC client embedded in the product could go a long way to easing the integration of the platform to existing systems.