Customer

Packaging manufacturer

Industry

Food and cosmetics

Implementation time

18 months

Year

2021 - 2022

Purpose

Speeding Lead Time

The client during the implementation was one of Poland’s leading manufacturers of PET packaging for household chemicals, cosmetics, food products, pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements, increases operational flexibility and boosts productivity by 40% during a pandemic.

Challenges

  • Very non-standard products (lack of standards, repeatability, very small batches)
  • More than 70 machines, making production planning challenging
  • Sales waiting for planning information to confirm customer order.
  • Large production delay of 4-6 weeks.
  • Large finished goods (FG) inventory of 20 days.
  • Mainly sub-order production with customer pickup.
  • Long waiting times associated with changeovers, producing large batches and avoiding changeovers.
  • Lack of space in the warehouse.

Solutions

  • Create flow by reducing changeover time
  • Reducing changeover time
  • Increase the number of changeovers and reduce batch sizes.
  • Reduce production delays
  • Implementing a Visual Management system and daily meetings
  • Improve communication and collaboration
  • Implementing 5S and other visual management practices.
  • Defining work standards for key operations.
  • Reducing lead times on orders.

Results

Reduced set-up times and increased changeovers, as well as reduced production lot sizes, contributed to a 40% increase in productivity. The implementation of the Daily Management System and visual management practices has enabled better communication flow and effectively accelerated customer lead times.