Case study REF#38
THE CHALLENGE
Increase customer service support and lower costs
A Custom Plastic Sheet & Roll Stock manufacturer with global operations faced low levels of customer service and high costs, driven partly by poor Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
OUR FINDINGS
Identified nine items for improvement
- Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) was calculated at 54%
- Safety behaviors and adherence to PPE requirements were poor
- Changeovers were poorly managed and took much longer than necessary (gauge, width, color, and material)
- Rate losses (lbs/hr) due to material inconsistencies (wide spec, carbon, other impurities)
- Rate losses and quality issues due to improper manual adjustments of speeds shift-to-shift
- Lack of Process Management for critical process set points
- Equipment failures leading to many production schedule changes and missed customer shipments
- Poor On-Time Delivery history stemming from inconsistent production & quality performance
- Front line supervision was not driving performance and failing to provide adequate support to operators & mechanics
IMPLEMENTATION
We focused on 4 areas of impact
Established a basic EHS management system to drive safety behaviors
Implemented processes and systems to track and manage safety observations/actions
Improved safety programs to drive employee participation
Increased equipment availability and rate efficiency by reducing durations for all changeover types through SMED techniques
Implemented a production wheel for scheduling
Implemented standard work and process checks for operators
Trained operators in extrusion and plastics principles
Installed short interval controls on key set points to ensure each shift operated the same
Implemented 6S across the plant
Implemented autonomous maintenance PMs for operators
Implemented improved planning and scheduling processes to drive efficiency
Completed equipment RCAs (Root Cause Analysis) and FMEAs (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) to improve the reliability of bad actors and critical equipment
Trained employees on quality defects
Implemented range samples for surface and visual defects
Improved in-process inspection methods and frequencies
Implemented Statistical Process Controls for CTQs (Critical to Quality)
RESULTS
All delivered with a 2.75:1 Return on Investment
This program has allowed us to hit higher production numbers consistently which has improved overall customer service level, and my team has more pride in their work and safety.
VP Operations
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