GEIntelligent Platforms

Keeping it Clean

“White Goods” Machine Systems Manufacturer Chooses GE Intelligent Platforms and PROFINET to Meet Customer NeedCorno Marco Italia is a leader in the design and implementation of cold sheet metal forming automation lines. The company’s core business is in the “white goods” manufacturing industry, where they work with world-renowned household appliance makers. They constantly strive to provide a competitive and technical edge to their customers with high-performing products.

The company—headquartered in Molteno, a village approximately 40 minutes north of Milan—is a quality-certified ISO 9001 offering tailor-made solutions along with turnkey equipment. Corno Marco works closely with customers throughout projects to make product feasibility, manufacturing, and quality recommendations.

“Our company does not offer a standard product. Every time and for every customer we study new solutions in co-design,” said Cristian Ferrario, Corno Marco Italia Automation Manager. “This practice generates an active partnership between Corno Marco and our customers so together we can easily adapt to today’s changing market demand.”

Corno Marco has shipped thousands of dies and systems to more than 30 countries on all five continents and has installation teams in place worldwide.

RESULTS

• 20to30%reducedsystemcosttoOEMwith state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing system that can produce 6 washing machines per minute

• 25%reductioninimplementationtimeforOEMwith use of PACSystems* integrated I/O and Ethernet switches

• Newmachinedesignuses15PROFINETand15DC power cables, eliminating thousands of wires

• Metcustomer’srequirementsforamanufacturing system that integrates seamlessly into a multi- vendor environment

Corno Marco Italia Solutions for Manufacturing

SOLUTION SPOTLIGHT:

Manufacturing

08.13 GFT-860

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©2013 GE Intelligent Platforms, Inc. All rights reserved. *Trademark GE Intelligent Platforms, Inc.All other brands or names are property of their respective holders.

Corno Marco Italia Solutions for Manufacturing

PROFINET – The key to faster installationCorno Marco began working with GE Intelligent Platforms four years ago on an assignment that Corno Marco had with its customer GE Appliances in Mexico. On this project, GE Intelligent Platforms controls,includingRX3i,Versamax*withPROFINET,QuickPanel, and PACMotion*, had been specified as key components. With production of appliances moving to the United States from Mexico, the Appliances group implemented a new lean manufacturing system to produce the company’s latest home laundry appliance, a high-efficiency (HE) top-loading washer. The new production lines were installed at GE’s 900-acre Appliance Park in Louisville, Kentucky.

Integrated solution reduces cost and time to marketPROFINETisahigh-speed/high-bandwidthnetworkthatenablesbetter access to current plant floor data and takes the worry out of volume, latency, and frequency of information flow. The PACSystems controlplatformsupportsPROFINETasanopen-standard networking protocol. The two come together in an elegant solution that provides the high-performance and connectivity for the real-time control needed to satisfy the high availability requirements of process applications today. The integrated solution is simple to incorporate into machining systems and its name-based configurationtakesjustminutes.Theresult:10%to30%lesssystemcost for OEMs like Corno Marco.

To meet the customer’s production expectations, Corno Marco also had to factor in implementation time. After training with GE support, theteamatCornoMarcodecidedthatPROFINET’sopenstandardenabled them to meet GE Appliances’ requirements. In fact, OEMs haveexperienceda25%reductioninimplementationtimeswithPACSystems integrated I/O and Ethernet switches.

GE Appliances sources manufacturing equipment from machine builders in many countries, so interoperability of technologies is crucial. PACSystems’ open architecture allows Corno Marco to make sure its customer can use the components it wants to meet its exact needs. Corno Marco and GE Appliances cite the ease of implementation and swift transmission speed as key factors in PACSystems’ selection.

Delivering the edgeFor Corno Marco, remaining competitive is contingent on closely collaborating with customers and embracing technologies that keep upwithtoday’sconnectedworld.PROFINETandthePACSystemscontrols platform were critical success factors in lowering the time to implementation and overall system cost, while meeting the solution compatibility and performance requirements of the customer.

Ultimately, Corno Marco was able to meet the GE Appliances’ specification of six washing machines per minute.

“We worked with very short execution time,” Ferrario said. “GE Intelligent Platforms’ solutions and services enabled us to achieve what GE Appliances needed: to get the new production lines up and running quickly so it could meet its customers’ demand for its new washer.”

Corno Marco’s challenge was to identify a networking protocol that would meet GE Appliances’ performance requirements and enable specific control solutions. Typically, a machine that fabricates the washer apron (the front and sides of the new top-load washer) hasapproximately500input/outputpoints.Withtraditionalwiringpractices,1,500individualwireswouldhavehadtobecut,stripped,numbered,andterminated.Inaddition,500ofthosewireswouldhave had to be disconnected and reconnected when the equipment was shipped from the machine builder to the GE plant.

The OEM investigated Fieldbus and network solutions including PROFINET,ASI,Ethernet,andControlNetforuseasthenetworkingprotocol. With reduced time and cost to install the new lines being a keydecisionpoint,theGE/CornoMarcoteamsspecifiedPROFINETfor their new system. They replaced all of the previous wiring with 15PROFINETand15DCpowercablesinthenewmachinedesign.The result: a simple and easy-to-install system that ensured the new,innovativewasherwouldbeonthemarketforthe2012holidaybuying season.