Business case
- Large retailer has a number of fruit and vegetable packing facilities that receive product in bulk from producers and re-packages it into retail packs and trays.
- The site has 21 bagging and tray-packing lines
- After inspection, sorting, and weighing, the product is seal packed and readied for final shipment
- The final packs are packed into plastic trays for distribution to the depots
Initial Condition
- Minimum of 5 changeovers per shift
- Changeovers and set-up average 31 minutes each
Target Condition
- Reduce number of changeovers and stoppages per shift
- Reduce changeovers and set-up times by at least 50%
Planned Activities / Intervention
- During 10-day workshop the team observed and measured 24 separate changeovers on the lines
- Identified what was limiting the current changeover cycles
- Team began to trial potential improvement ideas. After measurement, trials were then analyzed to determine impact on activity and non-activity periods for the various parts of the changeover cycles.
- Optimal changeover teams (based upon trial performance) were assembled, and additional training given to other operators (based upon skills gap)
- A skills matrix was produced to aid in knowledge transfer, to establish and maintain standards for future changeover teams
Achieved Metrics
- Consistent changeover time of 12 minutes achieved
- Annualized savings of $108,0000 for initial site
- Additional savings of $248,000 achieved by other manufacturing sites using the same changeover process
