GreyconMill 30 Released

Customer Projects First

Up to version 26

customer projects were the

main driver of the

GreyconMill development

effort This had two natural

consequences

Each customer using a

different version

A series of customer-

specific features which

did not look into general

benefit for other

customers

Upgrades Next

In versions 27 28 and 29

our main focus was on

three aspects

Zero bugs - As per

Greyconrsquos standards

always releasing with a

target of less than 20

unresolved bugs

General usability -

Gradually making the

key screens more

and more user

friendly and also

configurable to suit

the widest range of

customer-specific

needs

Upgrades -

improving our

upgrade process and

tools so that existing

installations get the

benefit of all the features

and bug fixes we have

added since

The 30 Milestone

This GM30 release marks

the end of that phase and

the start of a new one

where we are going to

review the deepest aspects

of the GreyconMill

architecture aiming to

solve the most difficult

problems it currently has

Some achievements

between 26 and 30

Upgrades - 40 of our

existing installations are

using the 29 release

Zero bugs - A new record

of only two unresolved

defects by the 30 release

4times (302 increase) in the

number of our manual

GREYCON

September 2015

miniGreyLetter

Inside this issue

GreyconMill Diagnostics 2

GreyconMill Label

Printing

2

GreyconMill Performance

Improvements in 30

3

GreyconMill Production

History

3

GreyconMill Import only

New Settings

3

GreyconMill Notes and

Configurable Registration

4

GreyconMill Track Item

Usability and Quality

Report

4

opt-Studio Performance

Evolution

5

X-TrimmdashScore

Separation

5

regression tests covering

80 of the customer use

cases

42 increase of our

automated regression

tests which run every

night with wide

coverage

19 increase in number

of unit tests executed

before every commit

Highlights in GM30

New standard and user-

extensible diagnostics

Better production history

chart with zoom

Configurable registration

Speed the 30 release is a

lot faster than the 29

release The performance

index on identical

hardware and data

improved from 15 to 25

Known issues at release

The previous

issue of the

newsletter can

be found online

here

Page 2 miniGreyLetter

GreyconMill Diagnostics

The question of

automated diagnostics for

a system designed for 7 times

24 operation is of

paramount importance

The 30 release of

GreyconMill implements a

user-extensible system of

diagnostics borrowing the

concepts already in use in

our separate Heartbeat

Monitor (HBM) If you are

not aware of this HBM

runs as a separate process

(ideally on separate

hardware) and

periodically conducts

database sanity checks

(for example whether an

incoming message failed)

When HBM detects an

abnormal situation it

issues an alert by email

with the relevant details

In this release

GreyconMill introduces a

standard set of such sanity

checks the screen for this

is shown below The

bottom section of the

screen shows an entry for

each of the checks that

returned any result when

executed together with

the number of results it

would detect

If you need to add your

own custom checks it is

very easy to do so You

can create a database view

and then define the

scenarios around that

view The process literally

takes a few minutes

Windows 10

Windows 10 is now

officially released and

Greycon is proud to

confirm that all

Greycon software is

compatible with it

New Projects

Since the previous

newsletter Greycon is

happy to announce

new projects with

Ilim of Russia at the

Koryazhma mill

Amcor Flexibles for

the plant of

Venturina in Italy

Jian Paper Anhui

Shanying Paper of

China with 9 Paper

Machines in scope

In a separate

development our

software is currently

on trial at a tissue mill

Up till now tissue

mills have not been a

fertile market for our

systems due to the

reduced product

complexity in tissue

GreyconMill Label Printing

Historically the

information that

GreyconMill could

include in the printed

item labels was hardndash

coded

Hence every time a

customer needed a new

field we had to develop a

new feature to add it

We reduced that problem

when we made all user-

defined item (and order)

properties accessible to

the printing functionality

However that did not

cover all possible

scenarios and still

required code changes

case by case

In 30 we introduced a

customisable database

function for defining

which item-related values

will be printed This

includes values calculated

through complex

formulas or through

linking the item with any

related table

September 2015 Page 3

GreyconMill Performance Improvement in 30

For this release we

investigated the impact of

the size of the database in

the performance The

original intention was to

extend and improve the

purge functionality That

investigation spotted a

few places where the

sensitivity to database

size could be improved

upon Quite surprisingly

once we addressed those

the correlation between

the database size and the

observed performance

was eliminated

Since the introduction of

the performance index in

27 which allows for

consistent measurements

of five common

GreyconMill tasks

Greyconrsquos Quality

Assurance department

(QA) has been

monitoring each release

We also used this index

to measure the impact of

the code improvements

on a copy of Elocoatrsquos

production database

(with over 30000 orders

and 1000000 items)

Running on consistent

hardware the

performance index

showed a remarkable

improvement from 15 to

25 For example finding

items in the inventory

screen by creation

machine went down from

46 to 09 seconds

Improved messages

traceability

In the 86 Greycon Suite

release we will deliver a

new function that allows

the user to open an opt-

Studio entity (order task

stock item etc) and

ldquoTrace messagesrdquo This

will bring a list of all the

Integration Manager

messages that modified

(directly or indirectly)

that entity This

enhancement will speed-

up the analysis of issues

that occur in the

interface of opt-Studio

and other systems

GreyconMill 30 is

already including more

details in the messages it

writes for Integration

Manager to read

The production

history has a more

modern chart with

zoom capability

allowing an overview

and a closer look at

the same time to spot

instantly deviations

from normal

production

GreyconMill Production HistorymdashNew Chart with Zoom

GreyconMill Import only New Settings

The options to import user

settings include now the

ability to import only the

new settings defined in the

settings file while keeping

the existing ones This is

very useful when a

customer starts using a

new screen allowing him

to define his custom layout

for that screen and add it

automatically to all his

users

Page 4 miniGreyLetter

Track Item amp Quality

The quality report of an

item and its genealogy

or production tracking

are two fundamental

features in GreyconMill

In 30 we have

combined them in the

Track item screen

which we also fine-

tuned by

Making the details

section configurable

and allowing to hide

it entirely in one click

Polishing the

drawing of the

tracking graph for

both the horizontal

and vertical displays

Making the quality

report available on

any item one right-

click away

The primary machine and

winder registration

screens are now

configurable they also

include a multi-line notes

field

GreyconMill Notes and Configurable Registration

The notes at the winder

can then inherit from the

corresponding notes of

the input item(s) and even

save different notes for

each production lane The

system can also append

general notes to many

lanes at the same time

even if those lanes have

different notes each

GreyconMill Track Item Usability and Quality Report

You can now come by riverboat

to our office in London

September 2015 Page 5

opt-Studio Performance Evolution

GM Release 30

The 30 Release Notes

can be found in the wiki

(registration required)

Comment on the Score

Separation Algorithm by

Mr B Schelling

ldquoThe paper shows very

clearly that trim-

optimization is a truly

difficult matter that is

underestimated by 99 of

the employees in the

industry and probably by

150 of our customers

Instead of complaining

about it they should be

thankful that in our

industry we optimize and

achieve economic and

ecological benefits for

them Just imagine how

expensive corrugated

board would be if there

was no trim-optimization

So what do we do about it

We rather buy different

paper widths run a lot of

side trim Doing so we

lose a lot of productivity

and as a result packaging

prices must go up Vicious

cycle

But we should optimize

the sheet sizes so that

they fit on the corrugator

This has to be done in

sample department where

not only good ideas come

from but much more

important producible and

good value packagingrdquo

Although this mini newsletter is largely devoted to GreyconMill we could not resist

including the following chart showing the evolution (over released versions) of the

time and memory to perform load + schedule + open order book + filter order book

-

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

-

10

20

30

40

50

60

79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86

Nov2013 Feb2014 Apr2014 Jun2014 Sep2014 Jan2015 May2015 Aug2016

ME

MO

RY

(MB

)

TIM

E (

S)

opt-Studio - Initial Load Performance Evolution

X-TrimmdashScore Separation

Back in 2003 whilst

implementing X-Trim at a

most interesting triple-

knife corrugating plant

called SCHELLING AG (in

Switzerland) the owner of

that business Mr Beat

Schelling posed the

minimum separation

problem

This is concerned with re-

arranging the sheets in a

slitting pattern so that the

scoring knives are not

closer than a certain

minimum distance

(typically 70 mm) see

picture on the right This

problem was new to us

and it has quite high

computational

complexity the number of

ways a single pattern with

n distinct sheets can be re-

arranged is frac12 n 2n Even

for 8 sheets there are over

5 million combinations

So in due course

Constantine Goulimis

published a paper in the

prestigious

Journal of

the

Operational

Research

Society

describing

the problem

and inviting

solutions

Nothing much happened

for the next 11 years but a

comprehensive paper on

the topic has now been

published proposing what

look like very promising

algorithms

Aa1

a2Aa

1a2

Aa1

a2 Aa

1a2

Cc1

c2

Cc1

c2

Bb1

b2

Bb1

b2

Aa1

a2 Aa

1a2

Cc1

c2

Bb1

b2

Page 4 miniGreyLetter

Track Item amp Quality

The quality report of an

item and its genealogy

or production tracking

are two fundamental

features in GreyconMill

In 30 we have

combined them in the

Track item screen

which we also fine-

tuned by

Making the details

section configurable

and allowing to hide

it entirely in one click

Polishing the

drawing of the

tracking graph for

both the horizontal

and vertical displays

Making the quality

report available on

any item one right-

click away

The primary machine and

winder registration

screens are now

configurable they also

include a multi-line notes

field

GreyconMill Notes and Configurable Registration

The notes at the winder

can then inherit from the

corresponding notes of

the input item(s) and even

save different notes for

each production lane The

system can also append

general notes to many

lanes at the same time

even if those lanes have

different notes each

GreyconMill Track Item Usability and Quality Report

You can now come by riverboat

to our office in London

September 2015 Page 5

opt-Studio Performance Evolution

GM Release 30

The 30 Release Notes

can be found in the wiki

(registration required)

Comment on the Score

Separation Algorithm by

Mr B Schelling

ldquoThe paper shows very

clearly that trim-

optimization is a truly

difficult matter that is

underestimated by 99 of

the employees in the

industry and probably by

150 of our customers

Instead of complaining

about it they should be

thankful that in our

industry we optimize and

achieve economic and

ecological benefits for

them Just imagine how

expensive corrugated

board would be if there

was no trim-optimization

So what do we do about it

We rather buy different

paper widths run a lot of

side trim Doing so we

lose a lot of productivity

and as a result packaging

prices must go up Vicious

cycle

But we should optimize

the sheet sizes so that

they fit on the corrugator

This has to be done in

sample department where

not only good ideas come

from but much more

important producible and

good value packagingrdquo

Although this mini newsletter is largely devoted to GreyconMill we could not resist

including the following chart showing the evolution (over released versions) of the

time and memory to perform load + schedule + open order book + filter order book

-

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

-

10

20

30

40

50

60

79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86

Nov2013 Feb2014 Apr2014 Jun2014 Sep2014 Jan2015 May2015 Aug2016

ME

MO

RY

(MB

)

TIM

E (

S)

opt-Studio - Initial Load Performance Evolution

X-TrimmdashScore Separation

Back in 2003 whilst

implementing X-Trim at a

most interesting triple-

knife corrugating plant

called SCHELLING AG (in

Switzerland) the owner of

that business Mr Beat

Schelling posed the

minimum separation

problem

This is concerned with re-

arranging the sheets in a

slitting pattern so that the

scoring knives are not

closer than a certain

minimum distance

(typically 70 mm) see

picture on the right This

problem was new to us

and it has quite high

computational

complexity the number of

ways a single pattern with

n distinct sheets can be re-

arranged is frac12 n 2n Even

for 8 sheets there are over

5 million combinations

So in due course

Constantine Goulimis

published a paper in the

prestigious

Journal of

the

Operational

Research

Society

describing

the problem

and inviting

solutions

Nothing much happened

for the next 11 years but a

comprehensive paper on

the topic has now been

published proposing what

look like very promising

algorithms

Aa1

a2Aa

1a2

Aa1

a2 Aa

1a2

Cc1

c2

Cc1

c2

Bb1

b2

Bb1

b2

Aa1

a2 Aa

1a2

Cc1

c2

Bb1

b2

September 2015 Page 5

opt-Studio Performance Evolution

GM Release 30

The 30 Release Notes

can be found in the wiki

(registration required)

Comment on the Score

Separation Algorithm by

Mr B Schelling

ldquoThe paper shows very

clearly that trim-

optimization is a truly

difficult matter that is

underestimated by 99 of

the employees in the

industry and probably by

150 of our customers

Instead of complaining

about it they should be

thankful that in our

industry we optimize and

achieve economic and

ecological benefits for

them Just imagine how

expensive corrugated

board would be if there

was no trim-optimization

So what do we do about it

We rather buy different

paper widths run a lot of

side trim Doing so we

lose a lot of productivity

and as a result packaging

prices must go up Vicious

cycle

But we should optimize

the sheet sizes so that

they fit on the corrugator

This has to be done in

sample department where

not only good ideas come

from but much more

important producible and

good value packagingrdquo

Although this mini newsletter is largely devoted to GreyconMill we could not resist

including the following chart showing the evolution (over released versions) of the

time and memory to perform load + schedule + open order book + filter order book

-

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

-

10

20

30

40

50

60

79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86

Nov2013 Feb2014 Apr2014 Jun2014 Sep2014 Jan2015 May2015 Aug2016

ME

MO

RY

(MB

)

TIM

E (

S)

opt-Studio - Initial Load Performance Evolution

X-TrimmdashScore Separation

Back in 2003 whilst

implementing X-Trim at a

most interesting triple-

knife corrugating plant

called SCHELLING AG (in

Switzerland) the owner of

that business Mr Beat

Schelling posed the

minimum separation

problem

This is concerned with re-

arranging the sheets in a

slitting pattern so that the

scoring knives are not

closer than a certain

minimum distance

(typically 70 mm) see

picture on the right This

problem was new to us

and it has quite high

computational

complexity the number of

ways a single pattern with

n distinct sheets can be re-

arranged is frac12 n 2n Even

for 8 sheets there are over

5 million combinations

So in due course

Constantine Goulimis

published a paper in the

prestigious

Journal of

the

Operational

Research

Society

describing

the problem

and inviting

solutions

Nothing much happened

for the next 11 years but a

comprehensive paper on

the topic has now been

published proposing what

look like very promising

algorithms

Aa1

a2Aa

1a2

Aa1

a2 Aa

1a2

Cc1

c2

Cc1

c2

Bb1

b2

Bb1

b2

Aa1

a2 Aa

1a2

Cc1

c2

Bb1

b2

7 Calico House

Plantation Wharf

London SW11 3TN

Phone +44 20 7978 0700

E-mail cnggreyconcom

Message from the CEO

We acquired GreyconMill back in 2008 and so

far we have implemented it in eleven plants

(in nine countries) We have now received the

go-ahead from two further clients one in the

paper industry with five plants in Europe and

another with five plants in the film industry in

the US

This feels fitting for our 30th anniversary

Constantine (who now has a blog)

Greycon at the SAP Forest

Products Paper and

Packaging Forum 2015

Greycon will be participating

in this yearrsquos SAP Forest

Products Paper and

Packaging Forum in

Frankenthal Germany

(October 21-22 2015)We look

forward to catching up with

our joint Greycon-SAP

customers

Click here for more

information

Nikos on the Greek Startupbus

Nikos Sideris is a software engineer

working in the GreyconMill dev team

during the past two years

His restless spirit led him to participate

in a startup competition in 2014 which

took place on ahellip bus

Eight buses drove from Estonia-

Tallinn Poland-Gdansk

Greece-Athens Italy-

Naples Spain-Barcelona

France-Paris Germany-

Berlin and UK-

Manchester to Vienna

carrying talented developers designers

marketers who competed to launch a

startup in 72 hours during this journey

Thirty participants from Greece

boarded the Greek startupBus the first

day at 0630 travelling to Vienna They

had only 72 hours to develop their own

startup project

Nikosrsquo idea was the ldquoGoTruckrdquo project

The idea was to develop a platform that

connects truck drivers or truck

companies with long-distance

travellers Using this platform the

truck driver declares how many spare

seats he has and the route that he will

follow so that a traveller could join him

and share some costs Basically itrsquos the

idea of

hitchhiking in a

more modern

better scheduled

and safer way

exploiting new

technologies to check for seats

timetables routes and reviews of the

drivers and the travellers

During the journey all the teams

of the five selected ideas

developed a business plan a

presentation for the founders

and a prototype of the

application or platform

Many of the founders have shown a

great interest about Nikosrsquo idea

However in the end the winner was

the ldquoZumordquo project also from the

Greek bus This provides on-demand

interactions using modern

technologies like WebRTC which can

be used in the website of a company

for the ldquohelprdquo or ldquoaskrdquo button Clicking

the button would instantly open a

video-chat or a chatroom with

someone from the shop without

having to switch context

The StartUpBus was a great experience

for Nikos who has met a lot of restless

minds from all over Europe