Category: Manufacturing

PRAKAB a.s.

Prague, Czech Republic

Prakab a.s. Factory, Prague, Czech Republic

Challenges

  • Modernization needs - Aging production systems required extensive upgrades and new cable production lines to maintain competitiveness.
  • System integration - Multiple production lines (15 total) with diverse equipment needed unified management and control systems.
  • Operational efficiency - High downtime, inconsistent operator interfaces, and limited real-time monitoring affected production quality.

Results

  • Reduced downtime - New GENESIS HMI/SCADA system increased equipment reliability and significantly reduced production interruptions.
  • Faster implementation - Modular software design shortened deployment time and reduced total solution costs across production lines.
  • Improved operations - Unified operator panels reduced training time, while trending/reporting capabilities enhanced quality control and problem analysis.

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About PRAKAB a.s.

PRAKAB a.s. is one of the largest producers of wires and cables in the Czech Republic, manufacturing power and communication cables as well as building wiring. An extensive investment program was recently launched to modernize the plant and increase production.

Over the last few years, PRAKAB has put new cable production lines into operation, in cooperation with systems integrator, ADAX, Ltd. This was in addition to the reconstruction and maintenance of management systems for existing production lines. ADAX staff was also involved in machine assembly and management systems supply.

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Main Control Screen at PRAKAB a.s. Main Control Screen at PRAKAB a.s.

Software Deployed

ADAX, with extensive experience in Mitsubishi Electric Iconics Digital Solutions products, recommended the GENESIS Web-enabled, OPC-integrated HMI/SCADA suite to manage PRAKAB’s production lines.

The deployment includes:

  • GENESIS – tied to each production line for centralized monitoring.
  • GraphWorX™ – displayed on PRAKAB’s application screens, providing facility-wide status and details on individual machines.
  • AlarmWorX™ – delivers early warnings when process parameters are exceeded and helps operators identify root causes in the event of process failures.
  • TrendWorX™ – supports analysis of production quality.
  • DataWorX™ – provides OPC data aggregation, bridging, redundancy, and tunneling.

In addition, GENESIS offers recipe capabilities integrated with VBA for flexible process management and reporting tools that store results in Microsoft Excel files and SQL databases.

Main Control Screen at PRAKAB a.s. Main Control Screen at PRAKAB a.s.
ADAX A Cable Line Extruder ADAX A Cable Line Extruder

Project Summary

PRAKAB’s manufacturing processes involve multiple machines, including:

  • Extruders
  • Decoilers/unwinders<
  • Rewinders
  • Heating and cooling devices
  • PVC granulate dosers

An average of 300 I/O points are incorporated into each of PRAKAB’s 15 cable and wire manufacturing lines.

The company primarily uses Siemens S7-300 PLCs, which provide data to the SCADA system over PROFIBUS and Ethernet networks via OPC communication standards.

In addition to Microsoft Excel, SQL Server, and Access database management applications, PRAKAB also runs multiple Microsoft operating systems throughout its enterprise.

ADAX A Cable Line Extruder ADAX A Cable Line Extruder
A Recipe Display Screen for PRAKAB a.s. in Prague, Czech Republic A Recipe Display Screen for PRAKAB a.s. in Prague, Czech Republic

Benefits of the System

PRAKAB is pleased with the updated system that ADAX provided for the management of its cable production lines. GENESIS HMI/SCADA was selected for its:

  • Modularity
  • Ease of configuration
  • Adaptability to different types of production lines

These characteristics have significantly shortened implementation time and reduced the total cost of the solution.

The new control system has delivered several measurable benefits:

  • Increased reliability of connected equipment
  • Reduced production downtime
  • Unified operator panels across all production lines, reducing staff training time
  • Advanced trending and reporting tools that maintain high product quality and enable quick problem analysis
  • DataWorX™ capability to set individual tag scan/read times, ensuring optimum use of PLC communications and OPC technology
A Recipe Display Screen for PRAKAB a.s. in Prague, Czech Republic A Recipe Display Screen for PRAKAB a.s. in Prague, Czech Republic

Solutions Highlighted

  • GraphWorX - HMI Graphical Display Package
  • AlarmWorX - Multimedia OPC Alarm Management Software
  • TrendWorX - Data Logging, Charting and Reporting Software
  • DataWorX - OPC Data Aggregation, Bridging, Redundancy and Tunneling

Conclusion

ADAX has outfitted 12 of PRAKAB’s 15 cable and wire production lines with its updated management and control system, powered by GENESIS—with additional installations planned. Since ADAX recommends the full range of GENESIS industrial automation software, PRAKAB has also mapped out future system upgrades.

Planned enhancements include:

  • GENESIS WebHMI™ plug-ins to provide HMI/SCADA information company-wide over the web
  • ReportWorX™ (part of Mitsubishi Electric Iconics Digital Solutions’ software suite) for advanced data reporting, charting, and analysis

With these initiatives, PRAKAB is taking steps to integrate data from its upgraded production line management system into a comprehensive corporate information system—driving efficiency, visibility, and long-term scalability.