I know that Step Analysis (STA) is generally suitable for use in industries such as automotive manufacturing. However, in some of our ongoing projects, customers are requesting to apply the same STA approach to different types of machines that also operate on a sequence-based logic. To address this, we are converting the Sequences defined in GRAPH into Steps, making the system compatible with these new use cases.
The application was originally designed to track the operations of a single product within a specific workstation, such as monitoring the sequence of welding operation on a car body. In such cases, the structure works efficiently, as each process step follows a clear and linear order.
The Step Analysis (STA) structure can also be adapted with certain modifications for stations where multiple parts are processed simultaneously or for small production line groups consisting of several stations. This allows the system to meaningfully track processes in areas where parallel operations are performed or where multiple interconnected stations work in sync.
In summary, while STA provides valuable insights for detailed monitoring at the workstation level, adopting a more flexible, asynchronous, and product flow–aware data model is advisable when implementing it across an entire line. We also have customers who are interested in such adapted approaches.
Thanks a lot Atakan for the valuable insights into your projects!
I added the relevant information to our requirement "Step time analysis for parallel sequences". Till now there is no clear prioritization or plan for implementation, but maybe this will be pushed now.
Thank you for your attention to this topic. Actually, this situation is not limited to a single customer. we encounter it with almost all customers with whom we discuss Edge projects. For instance, we are currently running five different Edge projects at BSH Turkey, and all of them using both the STA and OEE Dashboard applications with PI. Additionally, this is a complete project concept ;meaning that all phases, including development, installation, and commissioning of the applications with OT-related hardworking, are fully carried out by us as Siemens Turkey. In this case, that would be enough to add me or my other project colleagues;
(@me) - Atakan Ozel (Digitalization Team Head, Siemens) (atakan.ozel@siemens.com)
- Mustafa Ozyilmaz (Project Manager, Siemens) (mustafa.ozyilmaz@siemens.com)
- Cagatay Tuncay (Lead Engineer, Siemens) (cagatay.tuncay@siemens.com)
- Tacettin Fistikcioglu (Lead Engineer, Siemens) (tacettin.fistikcioglu@siemens.com)
- Fatih Cetin (Sales Specialist, Siemens) (fatih.cetin@siemens.com)
However, on the STA side, we managed to create a draft concept that allows us to find common ground with the customer - BSH. Therefore, while this development is not of the highest priority, it is still an important point our customers engineers frequently raise ; they often say things like, “It would be great if we could also track parallel sequences instead of having to create a separate STA page for every single station.”
Since we are in daily contact with the customer till next Q3,2026 , we will provide them with background information directly on our side.
Hello Atakan,
thanks for sharing your ideas regarding further improvement of Step Time Analysis. Yes, you are right - parallel sequences are currently not supported by STA. There is already a corresponding demand for exactly this requirement. May I ask for you customer names to add them to the demand and increase prioritization?