Building a good packaging machine simply isn't enough anymore, excellent output and functionality are basic requirements in today's market. So, once a company has created a superlative piece of machinery, what's next? MMC believes the key to improving machinery is through information. Information allows a company to measure and improve, to observe and prevent, and to test and optimize. These actions are the primary reasons behind MMC's development of the Icon, the intelligent console designed to increase throughput and maximize uptime.

By using the Icon, technicians have access to a dashboard with key points of information clearly displayed. A central menu leads to every function required to configure, run, optimize, and troubleshoot production equipment. Each operation taken is logged into the system without fail, ensuring reports can be generated and learning made easier.  Alarms are centralized and root causes leading to down time are stored with relative actions.  Understanding the reasons behind every stop helps MMC and clients figure out corrective actions and procedures to optimize performance.

Changeover is rendered lightning fast by storing recipes in a central location where they can be removed, added, or modified to improve efficiency. To avoid unproductive down time, the Icon offers full remote access to parameters and log files as well as two-way Internet audio, allowing support staff to guide the technician every step of the way should there be an issue. Taking care of day to day chores are just as simple, with an array of sensors feeding key information to the system that can be tweaked in real time to eliminate inefficiency and ensure the best production values are set without having to make manual corrections or involve engineers.

The system even has an area to upload content for training new staff or for reminding existing staff of certain procedures. Anything from videos to step by step instructions and checklists can be stored, ensuring technicians always have the latest information available. Users of the line can easily be added and removed, and further, each can be assigned specific credentials for security and performance tracking purposes.

Having already created machines that are the best in their respective categories, MMC has now created a control and monitoring system that can provide a level of interaction in line with the quality of its machines. The Icon, available today, nonetheless represents the future of packaging lines.