Global Vision, Local Action:

Optimizing Factory Performance at Scale with Arch

To drive its digital factory strategy, a global electronics manufacturer deployed the Arch Platform across seven sites to resolve downtime challenges and enable global machine-level visibility. Arch’s analytics helped production teams quickly identify bottlenecks, reduce performance losses, and enable predictive maintenance. Within 90 days, the customer reached 99% downtime investigation and labeling, while ongoing analysis uncovered new improvement opportunities across operations.

optimize-manufacturing-performance-globally

HIGHLIGHTS:

Downtime investigated and labeling within 90 days

Performance improvement opportunity identified via X-ray data

Global sites deployed with Arch

Enabled machine-level visibility across SPI, AOI, Reflow, X-ray, and printers
Supported long-term improvements including predictive maintenance

“Speed was essential in our selection of Arch — both in how rapidly they connected legacy and modern equipment, and in how quickly they continue to tailor analytics to our evolving production needs.”

— Director, Digital Transformation

The Challenge

The customer aimed to accelerate its digital factory vision by improving visibility into downtime and performance bottlenecks across multiple manufacturing locations. Key operational challenges included:

Need for global machine-level visibility to support digital transformation
Persistent downtime and changeover inefficiencies
Limited ability to identify bottlenecks in the Pick and Place process
Lack of standard tools to drive predictive insights across factories

The Arch Approach

To unify machine data and drive actionable insights, the customer deployed the Arch Platform across its global footprint. The Arch Platform deployment featured:

Global connection to printers, SPI, AOI, Reflow, and inline X-ray machines
Centralized analytics for real-time downtime tracking and root cause analysis
Focused deployment across seven manufacturing sites
Rich data connectors for legacy and modern equipment
Scalable architecture for long-term predictive insights

Key Outcomes

Fast Ramp to 99% Downtime Investigation

Arch enabled production teams to resolve critical issues with minimal delay.

● 99% of downtime events investigated and labeled within 90 days
● Production teams empowered to act on root causes in real time
● Elevated responsiveness across engineering and operations

New Efficiency Gains Through X-ray Data Insights

Deeper analytics exposed bottlenecks hidden in X-ray program configurations.

● 7% performance improvement opportunity uncovered
● Specific program delays isolated and addressed
● Created a repeatable model for future bottleneck discovery

Sustained Improvements Across Sites and Processes

The Arch Platform supported continuous improvement and expanded use cases.

● Extended to address panel loading and other inefficiencies
● Laid groundwork for predictive maintenance
● Scaled collaboration across sites for knowledge sharing and support

Strategic Lessons

Global digital factory success depends on scalable infrastructure, actionable insights, and rapid execution. Arch helped this customer accelerate transformation across regions and technologies.

Key takeaways include:

Visibility enables global consistency: Real-time machine data connects teams across sites
Speed drives adoption: Arch reached 99% downtime labeling within weeks
Analytics uncover hidden value: X-ray insights exposed a 7% performance gain
Predictive insights start with historical context: Long-term data enabled proactive planning
Partner agility fuels transformation: Arch adapted quickly to evolving factory needs