SACA Smart Factory Data Analytics 2

Question 1

What is 'OEE' (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) and how is it calculated?

Accepted Answer

OEE = Availability × Performance × Quality, expressing the percentage of scheduled production time that is truly productive — a perfect score of 100% means running at maximum speed, producing only good parts, with no downtime

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A financial metric measuring return on investment for automation equipment purchases

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A safety metric measuring the percentage of time equipment operates within specified safety limits

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An energy efficiency metric measuring actual production energy consumption versus theoretical minimum

Question 2

What is 'predictive maintenance' and how does it differ from preventive maintenance?

Accepted Answer

Predictive maintenance uses real-time condition monitoring data (vibration, temperature, oil analysis) to predict when a specific component will fail — scheduling maintenance just before failure. Preventive maintenance replaces components on fixed time/cycle intervals regardless of actual condition

Answer

Predictive maintenance replaces all components on a calendar schedule; preventive maintenance replaces only components that have failed

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Predictive maintenance is performed by autonomous maintenance robots; preventive maintenance requires human technicians

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Predictive maintenance is only applicable to rotating equipment; preventive maintenance covers all asset types

Question 3

What is a 'digital manufacturing execution system' (MES) and what data does it connect between ERP and factory floor systems?

Accepted Answer

A system bridging ERP business systems (orders, materials, quality specs) with factory control systems (PLCs, robots, test equipment) — managing work orders, tracking WIP, collecting production actuals, and enforcing quality procedures in real-time

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Software that generates 3D CAD models from product design specifications and converts them to CNC machine programs

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An augmented reality system showing machine operators digital work instructions overlaid on physical equipment

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A cyber-security gateway controlling data access between OT and IT networks

Question 4

What is 'Statistical Process Control' (SPC) and what does a 'control chart' reveal?

Accepted Answer

A methodology using statistical limits (control limits) on time-series charts of process measurements to distinguish between normal random variation (common cause) and significant process shifts (special cause) requiring investigation

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A software system for managing ISO quality certifications and supplier audits

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A technique for controlling the number of statistical reports generated by a quality management system

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A PLC programming approach that uses statistical algorithms to optimize PID controller tuning in real-time

Question 5

What is 'machine learning anomaly detection' in industrial equipment monitoring and how is it trained?

Accepted Answer

An ML model trained on normal operating data that learns the expected sensor signature patterns — flagging deviations that exceed learned normal variation as anomalies potentially indicating developing faults

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A supervised classification algorithm that learns to identify broken parts from labeled images of defective products

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A rules engine that applies manually programmed threshold alarms to sensor data

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A neural network that learns optimal PID controller tuning parameters from historical production data

Question 6

What is 'value stream mapping' (VSM) in the context of smart factory data analytics?

Accepted Answer

A lean manufacturing visualization technique that maps material and information flows from raw material to customer delivery — used to identify waste, bottlenecks, and improvement opportunities in the production process

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A software tool that automatically maps data flows between SCADA systems, historians, and cloud analytics platforms

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A financial analysis tool mapping revenue streams from different product lines to identify the highest value factory output

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A network topology diagram showing data flow from field sensors through edge, fog, and cloud layers