Blog : How to boost OEE using cutting-edge software
How to boost OEE with i4.0
The fast-moving consumer goods industry is enjoying a transformation driven by the principles of Industry 4.0.
For production line managers, this transformation offers tangible benefits.
If you've ever wondered how to enhance your operational efficiency, ensure high-quality standards and maintain agility in response to market demands, here are a few case studies to demonstrate how advanced digital technologies can transform your operations and give you a competitive advantage.
Central to any digital transformation is the concept of Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), a comprehensive metric that evaluates the efficiency and productivity of manufacturing equipment.
Understanding OEE and its importance
OEE is a critical measure for FMCG manufacturers, encapsulating three key components: equipment availability, performance, and product quality.
A high OEE score indicates that a manufacturing process is running efficiently, with minimal downtime, optimal performance speeds, and a low rate of defects.
Improving OEE is therefore crucial for manufacturers aiming to maximise productivity and maintain competitiveness in a fast-paced market.
You can read more about OEE here
Industry 4.0: The catalyst for OEE improvement
Industry 4.0 brings together a suite of technologies, including the Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics and advanced automation.
These technologies facilitate the creation of smart factories, where interconnected systems and intelligent automation drive decision-making and process optimisation.
Real-time data collection and analysis
One of the most significant advancements brought by Industry 4.0 is the ability to collect and analyse data in real-time.
Sensors embedded in manufacturing equipment capture data on various parameters, such as machine performance, temperature and pressure.
This data is then analysed to identify patterns, predict potential issues and make informed decisions that enhance equipment availability and performance.
Enhanced visibility and traceability
With digital technologies, manufacturers can achieve unprecedented visibility into their production processes.
Detailed insights into each stage of manufacturing enable better traceability of materials and products, ensuring compliance with regulations and bolstering quality control.
This transparency helps in identifying inefficiencies and implementing corrective measures promptly.
Automation and efficiency
Automation is a cornerstone of Industry 4.0, reducing the reliance on manual labour and minimising human error.
Automated systems can perform repetitive tasks with high precision, ensuring consistent product quality and optimal equipment performance.
Automation also allows for better synchronisation of operations, reducing bottlenecks and enhancing overall efficiency.
Predictive maintenance
Traditional maintenance strategies often result in either excessive downtime due to over- or under-maintenance or unexpected breakdowns.
Predictive maintenance leverages data analytics to forecast equipment failures before they occur.
By addressing potential issues proactively, manufacturers can reduce unplanned downtime and extend the lifespan of their machinery, contributing to higher OEE.
Here’s how some of our industry’s biggest players are reaping the benefits of OEE.
Pernod Ricard Wines
Rowland Flats, South Australia
Pernod Ricard has a worldwide focus on technology innovation to enhance speed, safety, sustainability and efficiency in its facilities.
PRW Australia is a Centre of Excellence that often pioneers technology before it is rolled out overseas. PRW’s new combination glass and canning line in the Barossa Valley was a challenging project.
The aim was to package a combination of can and bottle sizes, diameters and closure ranges on one line, which had never been done before anywhere, globally.
Now complete and running at speeds of up to 24,000 containers per hour, the bespoke line handles around 140 products: still wine, sparking wine and Ready-To-Drink (RTDs) in three different can diameters and glass bottle sizes ranging from 187ml to 750ml.
Foodmach line control software handles a broad product matrix: still or sparkling liquids in cans or glass in multiple formats with a range of closures and runs multiple SKUs concurrently.
The line features ‘best of breed’ equipment for all categories, including Foodmach palletising and depalletising, Petek tunnel pasteurising, can and bottle drying, an extensive range of inspection equipment, Markem-Imaje laser and inkjet coding and print and apply labelling with compliance software, bottle labelling, multi packing, case packing, and Robopac stretch wrapping, with all Foodmach conveying, infrastructure, and safety systems. Central to it all is a Vipoll ALL IN ONE filler.
Software (Line MES and FM Link) provides advanced line control, comprehensive OEE and advanced recipe management. All pre-start quality checks required by PRW are built in. Most of these are compliance related, some are lab sampling tests, but all are recorded and stored in the system. Production cannot begin until compliance is complete.
Multi-SKU capability is a huge advantage for lines with frequent product changes and enhances OEE availability.
For example, while the filler is being changed over, which takes 15-30 minutes, other SKUs will enter PRW’s line to reduce downtime. It is possible to have three SKUs in production at the same time, one between the depalletiser and the filler, another between the filler and labeller and a third running from the labeller to the stretch wrapper. This is a considerable gain over some line control systems, which cannot start releasing a new container from the depalletiser until the last case of the previous run is palletised.
Fast changeovers that require minimal effort mean that new products can easily be tested on the line.
The software has provided PRW with the capacity to satisfy ever-changing market trends and stay ahead of the competition.
PRW is, without a doubt, our most flexible packaging line to date and is only made possible by Line MES and FM Link.
The PRW project showcases OEE at its finest and provides a classic demonstration of how the right software can integrate third party equipment via a range of different controls protocols and PLC hardware.
“Foodmach has designed a system that is accurate, data-driven and completely intuitive. It allows us to control every machine in a fully integrated interface. We’ll enjoy the full benefits of Industry 4.0 with all the data needed at our fingertips and complete accuracy around OEE.”
Lee Docherty, Packaging Operations Manager, PRW
Sukin Factory
Dandenong, Victoria
The $33M Sukin greenfield facility in Dandenong, Victoria, uses Foodmach software’s Advanced Recipe module to completely automate changeovers and bring a new level of product traceability to their operation.
With four filling lines managing 75 recipes and producing hundreds of SKUs, advanced software is the only way to achieve this level of automation.
Sukin products are packaged in bottles, jars and tubes with a range of different closures, including screw tops, pumps, sprays and droppers. Some products appear on the shelf in outer packs, and some do not, but all are required to be fully traceable across the entire supply chain, from ingredients through to labels, cartons, cases and pallets.
On this line, a new SKU selection triggers new settings for all the downstream ancillary equipment on the line, from filling to check weighing, to printing and coding.
The production manager can queue up the products that need to run that day via the ERP. The line operator selects the product they want to run next. Information is sent to the line for automatic set it up (physical components still require operator involvement). All details of individual products including quality control data (weights, inspection photos, barcodes etc) are captured and retrievable at the click of a button.
The software's benefits for quality control, supply chain, and traceability are a considerable contributor to Sukin’s entire greenfield operation's ROI, even before factoring in the lean manufacturing savings it generates.
The addition of handheld barcode scanners can ensure that the right dry goods are used for the arriving SKU. For example, the operator can be required to scan the label on the box of closures before adding them to the filler. This eliminates costly mistakes, such as having to dump a product because it’s been filled in the wrong container or had the wrong label applied.
"The ability of Foodmach technicians to combine OEM equipment from around the world into a factory that delivers Industry 4.0 connectivity and information is unequalled in this country. Sukin now has truly paperless manufacturing, a fully digitalised system that ensures our quality control is immaculate and we waste almost nothing.
"We pride ourselves on sustainable manufacturing principles, and it’s been my personal achievement to have overseen the delivery of a batch plant that delivers on that ethos.’
Duncan Munro, Group Operations Director, BXW
‘Our new Operations Facility has an expected payback of four years. [It has provided] marked improvements to productivity and efficiency (supported by four high-speed production lines), reduction in per unit costs and reduction in material waste by ~10%, helping to support enhanced sustainability goals.’
BWX Annual Report 2021
Customers such as Dulux Group and Treasury Wine Estates have also enjoyed the benefits of advanced software in their operations.
TWE used our software to self-commission almost 130 SKUs when COVID restrictions prevented Foodmach engineers from accessing their site.
Dulux Group’s Merrifield factory is referred to as the most advanced batch plant in the Southern Hemisphere.
In an era where speed, accuracy, and adaptability are paramount, leveraging advanced software solutions like those offered by Foodmach is essential for FMCG manufacturers to thrive.
If you think your operations could do with a bit of OEE improvement,
This article first appeared in PKN Packaging News.
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