Philip Morris International Achieves 6% Uptime Boost with Aleph’s Edge AI & OPC UA
Discover how Philip Morris International standardized multi-OEM production lines, reduced downtime, and accelerated its smoke-free future with Aleph’s adaptive AI.
The Challenge: Problem Statement
- Legacy Complexity: Philip Morris International’s production lines mixed machines from multiple OEMs and generations, creating data silos and inefficiencies.
- Manual Speed Control: Operators manually adjusted machine speeds based on buffer levels, leading to downtime from "starving" (no input) or "blocking" (output congestion).
- Leaner production: In recent years, Philip Morris International reduced the size of buffers in its production lines making lines harder to run.
“With smaller buffers, we had to improve equipment speed-control. We needed smarter controls.” PMI
The Solution: Aleph’s AI-Driven Speed Management Controller (SMC)
- Edge-Powered AI: Deployed on small Edge devices, SMC acts like “adaptive cruise control for production lines”:
- Dynamically adjusts machine speeds using real-time OPC UA data.
- Predicts stops/slowdowns by analyzing buffer levels and historical downtime patterns.
- OPC UA Foundation:
- TMC Standard: Aleph authored the Tobacco Machine Communication OPC UA model, unifying data across Philip Morris International’s machines.
- Legacy Integration: FlexServer connected even non-TMC machines, bridging data gaps with custom logic (e.g., estimating buffer levels from production counters).
Results: Metrics
- 6% Uptime Increase: Reduced downtime from material flow issues.
- Global Roll-Out: SMC deployed across Philip Morris International’s factories, from Italy to Indonesia.
“We engaged up with Aleph Digital Industry to create a robust, scalable, and adaptable edge solution to control machines exclusively through OPC UA.” PMI
Technical Deep Dive: How Aleph Delivered
- OPC UA Standardization:
- FlexServer exposed legacy machine data via TMC, creating a unified data layer.
- Selective MQTT publishing minimized cloud costs.
- Trust Building:
- Digital Twin Simulations: Compared operator vs. AI performance to gain buy-in.
- Edge-First Architecture:
- SMC runs on Raspberry Pi-class devices, ensuring low expenditure, latency and no cloud dependency.
- Collaboration:
- Partnered with the OPC Foundation and leading OEMs (Koerber, GD, Focke) to advance the TMC standard.
- Partnered with the OPC Foundation and leading OEMs (Koerber, GD, Focke) to advance the TMC standard.
Why This Matters for Your Industry: Legacy Machines, Moder Results
- Brownfield Ready: Aleph’s solutions work with 90% of PLC-based legacy systems.
- Scalable AI: Start with SMC, expand to predictive maintenance or quality control.
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