L.G. Balakrishnan & Bros Ltd. (LGB)
L.G. Balakrishnan & Bros Ltd. (LGB) runs a stamping and precision components unit at Pongalur, near Coimbatore. Machine run time and downtime were being recorded by hand, and none of it reached SAP — so production planning and shop-floor reality were two separate accounts of the same shift.
M-Connect HMI gateways were installed on the stamping machines to capture machine state, output and downtime reasons directly, with a downtime interlock so a stoppage has to be given a reason before the machine resumes. That data now synchronises with SAP, and energy consumption is tracked per machine, shift and work order. The platform side is our production monitoring software and MES software; the hardware is our M-Connect gateways.
A leading manufacturer in Coimbatore has grown from a transport operator into a technology-driven manufacturing organization with 19 manufacturing plants in India and one facility in the United States, generating an annual turnover exceeding USD 200 million.
They manufacture:
- Automotive Timing & Drive Chains
- Sprockets, Auto Tensioners & Guides
- Fine Blanked Components
- Precision Machined Parts
- Belts & Rubber Products
The Pongalur Unit in Coimbatore focuses on the production of stamping and precision automotive components. As production complexity increased, the facility faced several operational challenges in managing stamping machine performance and shop-floor visibility.
BEFORE M-CONNECT: STAMPING FACILITY OPERATED WITH ZERO DIGITAL SHOP-FLOOR VISIBILITY
What the Pongalur unit needed to see
The problem: run time and downtime on paper
Production visibility and traceability gaps at their stamping facility
What was installed
To address these challenges, Maestro Technology Services Pvt. Ltd. deployed the M-Connect Industrial IoT Platform across the stamping production environment. The deployment introduced machine-level monitoring, production traceability, downtime management, and energy tracking, all integrated with the organization's existing enterprise systems. This enabled seamless digital synchronization between ERP-based production planning and real-time shop-floor execution.
REAL-TIME DATA FLOWS FROM STAMPING MACHINES THROUGH M-CONNECT DIRECTLY INTO SAP ERP
Technology
The deployed system established a connected manufacturing environment where machine signals, operator activity, and production information were captured and analyzed in real time.
Real-Time Machine & Operator Monitoring
The M-Connect dashboard provided complete visibility into machine operations and operator activity. The system captured:
- Operator login details
- Assigned work orders
- Shift schedules
- Real-time machine states such as Running, Idle, and OFF
This enabled full operational traceability, identifying who operated which machine, on which job, and for how long.
Downtime Monitoring & Interlock Logic
To ensure accurate downtime reporting, an interlock-based downtime management mechanism was implemented. Whenever a machine stoppage occurred, operators were required to select a standardized downtime reason code before restarting the machine. Examples included:
The system allowed machine operation to resume only after a reason code was entered, ensuring structured and auditable downtime records.
Production & Machine Utilization Reporting
M-Connect automatically generated detailed reports on machine performance including:
- Running time
- Idle time
- OFF time
Reports were available in shift-wise, daily, and monthly formats, enabling production teams to analyze machine utilization trends and improve operational efficiency.
Machine-Level Energy Monitoring
Energy monitoring modules were deployed to capture real-time power consumption for each stamping machine. Energy usage was recorded:
- Machine-wise
- Shift-wise
- Work order-wise
This enabled the organization to analyze energy consumption against specific production jobs, supporting cost optimization and energy efficiency initiatives.
Results and Outcomes
What changed on the stamping line
The deployment of M-Connect enabled their Unit to establish a fully connected stamping production environment. Machine states, operator activity, energy consumption, and production information are now captured and analyzed in real time, aligned with SAP ERP operations.
The interlock is the part worth copying. If a machine can be restarted without a reason being selected, the downtime data will be 60% “other” within a month, and nobody will trust the report. Forcing the reason at the machine is what makes the rest of it work.
"This enabled seamless digital synchronization between ERP-based production planning and real-time shop-floor execution."