Getting a better handle on root cause analysis could bring remarkable gains in Overall Equipment Effectiveness.
That was the gist of a February 16 presentation by Barry Lynch, Platform Global Marketing Director of GE Intelligent Platforms at the Innovation Stage at PACK EXPO East. Joining Lynch was Christopher Carlins, Senior Applications Engineer for GE distributor AutomaTech in Plymouth, MA.
While the concept of OEE—measuring equipment availability, performance, and quality to come up with a number reflecting a line or plant’s overall efficiency—has been around for a few years, packaging line OEE hovers around the 40-50% range, according to Lynch. World-class OEE can be in the high 80% range.
Many packaging operations are still relying on manually collected data, which is not only prone to operator error, it is also much harder to connect disparate pieces of information to get a clear picture of the root cause of problems.
AutomaTech’s Carlins told the Innovation Stage audience that only by automating the data collection will an organization gain the visibility needed to boost production efficiency, but you have to start small—with one piece of equipment or one line.
A great deal of thought has to go into converting data collection to a fully automated system. Some machines will have everything necessary already built in and it’s only a case of extracting the data through software. Other machines may not be as sophisticated, but an interface can be added where operators can select a choice of reason codes for stoppage, delays or waste, capturing real-time events.
Once you succeed in automating data collection you have the ability to view charts and graphs and further analyze where your operation needs improvement. After a small success with a machine or line, it is far easier to enlist the entire organization into your OEE efforts. Other operators or shifts will want to join in to improve their efficiency. Also, much of the up front work can be carried over to other machines and lines without the same lengthy meetings initially held to get started.
GE’s Lynch was responsible for one of the first-ever OEE installations in the U.K. back in 2002, and he shared some historical metrics from GE’s Proficy Efficiency software package. Companies utilizing automated OEE can potentially see:
• 39% reduction in downtime
• 35% plant improvement
• 5% increase in production yields
• 30% faster new product launches
Employing OEE though GE’s Proficy Efficiency analyzes equipment effectiveness “based on reasons and details to identify root causes and summarize and analyze data in the context of production events such as by equipment, by product or by personnel (hour, shift, and day) for improvement,” said Lynch at PXE.
The ultimate goal is a system where you have reports and dashboards available to make real-time production decisions driving maximum efficiency in your packaging operation.
One audience member, from a major pharmaceutical manufacturer, expressed concern about revealing his OEE to upper management. “If world-class OEE is in the high 80s and we come out at 40%, how is that going to look?” he asked.
Lynch cautioned that OEE is all relative—only a temperature taken at any given time, and a number in the 40s would mean there is potentially a lot of low-hanging fruit where success can come a little faster and easier.
“It would be much harder to go from 86% to 87%,“ said Lynch, “where you have already squeezed out that low-hanging fruit.”
PACK EXPO East’s premier event was held Feb. 16-18 in Philadelphia, and produced by PMMI—The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.
Sustainability becomes trendy in pharmaceuticals
Michelle Maskaly, Healthcare Packaging Editorial Director
Sustainability and pharmaceutical packaging are not words you usually hear in the same sentence.
But that is starting to change, as experts say buzzwords like this—as well as recyclability, renewal, biodegradable—are coming up much more frequently during client meetings.
“We have unique requirements and a lot of them buck the trend of green packaging,” explained Keith Bailey, Regional Sales Manager at Dividella during an International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering session at PACK EXPO East in Philadelphia. Green says pharma trends include smaller packaging, yet more billboard space is needed because of regulations for more warnings, and information. “We may have a small vial, but need a big package for the billboard space.”
For companies wanting to jump on the green bandwagon, Bailey suggests looking at alternate ways of becoming more ecofriendly, instead of just concentrating on the actual package.
“Solutions require serious compromise and trade-offs,” he said. “There is no easy answer. You need to do it in a logical fashion.”
One way to do this is to look at material selection, packaging design, packaging density, and logistics efficiency, which he helps clients do.
“If you are in the pharma industry you think it’s about your package,” he said. “It’s about your raw materials as well.”
Another thing he said he looks at when helping clients evaluate this is the energy consumption of secondary packaging machines, as well as the manufacturing of raw materials like PVC, paperboard fibers, and aluminum.
“If it’s going to cost a fortune to do green packaging people are not going to be willing to do it, at least right now,” he said. “If it will save money and be good for the environment, they will be all over it. Now what you are looking for is that combination of saving money and being better for the environment.”
