Driving improvements is all about the data and while manual data collection methods have long been the norm, they come with inherent limitations with their time-consuming processes and potential for inaccuracies. Enter PlantRun, the production monitoring game-changer.
PlantRun goes beyond simple OEE and down time monitoring systems to integrate live machine data with production information. Developed by Tascomp, a Teesside-based industrial automation company, PlantRun is the result of over 45 years of software development.
The secret ingredient to manufacturing excellence using PlantRun is that the data is collected directly from the machines and made available to everyone in the most appropriate way. Whether that is through integration with third party systems or triggered notifications that appear on TV screens or through text messages.
Using this philosophy, PlantRun has tasted success helping numerous companies in the global food and drink industry, from monitoring sparkling wine bottling lines in Turin, to sandwich sealers and flow wrappers in Croydon.
Flipping Quality
A sausage and burger manufacturer implemented PlantRun for their production monitoring and continuous improvement processes. They also requested a number of interesting features, from on-the-fly translations, to foreign body alerts and a banger counter.
Visualisation is an important lean technique for promoting improvements and here it has included making all staff aware of delays in production. With a “Time of First Pack” KPI making it clear as to how long it has been from the start of a shift to when the first product was received in the packing area.
For product quality and mitigating waste, real-time tracking of scrap costs over the course of a shift makes it easier to be proactive about developing issues, with notifications through email and priority messages on TV screens triggering faster responses from key personnel.
Bottling Success
By analysing their captured production process data, a bottling plant are now reaping the benefits of implementing PlantRun on their site. As the plant’s manufacturing manager explained:
“Initially in the early roll out of PlantRun we were unaware of the lost time that issues with line build back, and constant stop starting of the production line were amounting to. PlantRun enabled us to see that short stoppage was the main driver. By analysing and using this data, we found that overall balancing of the line was crucial to minimising short stoppages.”
By looking at optimum run rates identified by the data PlantRun collects, they were able to synchronise the speeds of the filler, labeller and packing machines and reduce downtime significantly. The results were clear to see for the manufacturing manager who added, “immediately we saw improvements in output and short stoppage went from hours lost to minutes per week”.
Going forward they are now extending the functionality to focus on changeovers and ensuring that there is visibility of all of the key elements.
