One of the nation’s largest food manufacturers reported that it used WinSPC to reduce downtime and increase yields, attaining its ROI in three months.
Background
As a division of one of the nation’s largest food manufacturers (with over 30 billion in annual sales), this particular grocery division supplies restaurants, foodservice customers and branded food products for grocery stores. They chose WinSPC to control quality and costs on a snack pudding line.
Challenge
The grocery products division makes and packages multiple flavors and styles of pudding. In order to ensure high quality and consistency, it needed to tightly control several processes such as flavor, color, viscosity, pH, and unit weight.
The division especially wanted to improve control over individual cup weights. Since it produces several million pudding cups per year, light weight inaccuracies over time can be prohibitively costly.
Underfilled cups are scrapped and over-filled units give away product.
In addition to the identification of cup weight problems, any shutdown of a line for corrective action also adds several hours of down time for mandatory cleaning and sterilization before the line can be restarted. The Quality team, therefore, wanted to prevent cup weight problems and poinpoint their root cause so they could reduce costly downtime.
Implementation
The company chose WinSPC for the following reasons:
- WinSPC automatically accepts real-time data through a variety of input devices
- WinSPC enables the manipulation and correlation of data to produce key decision-making reports
- WinSPC has a customizable operator interface that can be easily modified to support corporate initiatives
- WInSPC solution delivery has been instrumental in our success
Results
WinSPC continues to allow the Division Quality team to maintain consistent unit weight, therefore, greatly reducing costly product overfills, scrap and downtime. By closely monitoring the filling process through WinSPC, the team was also able to revise machine maintenance schedules to support optimum performance.
Benefits
The Division cited the following benefits after implementing WinSPC:
- Solved fill weight problems in one-third the time by being able to predict problems through trending analysis
- Reduced downtime and increased yields
- Attained ROI in three months
- Reduced unnecessary machinery cycles
- Enabled the staff to run very lean sure to automated data collection
About DataNet Quality Systems
DataNet Quality Systems empowers manufacturers to improve products, processes, and profitability through real-time statistical software solutions. The company’s vision is to deliver trusted and capable technology solutions that allow manufacturers to create the highest quality product for the lowest possible cost. DataNet’s flagship product, WinSPC, provides statistical decision-making at the point of production and delivers real-time, actionable information to where it is needed most. With over 2500 customers worldwide and distributors across the globe, DataNet is dedicated to delivering a high level of customer service and support, shop-floor experties, and training in the areas of Continuous Improvement, Six Sigma, and Lean Manufacturing services.