Improvements in Batch Cycle Times in Liquid Paint

• Company making liquid paint in Batch Reactors and Mixers for Automotive and Industrial customers.
• Wide variety of products – greater than 3000 parent products with more numerous SKU’s.
• OEE – Upper 60% / Lower 70% / OTIF – 75-80%
• Plant overall reactive / Reliability programs just beginning
• Production Planning with frequent changes to the schedule
• Relatively low demand and high cost to produce
• OTIF performance poor
• Additional Hidden capacity could mean less efficient plants could be consolidated resulting in higher utilizations at more efficient plants – Key Improve Cycle time, rationalize plants across the network and lower production costs.

• Caravel developed a cloud-based Process Engineering Tool to evaluate cycle times by product, by work cycle, product family, sku, etc.
• Tool was equipped with algorithm to mine data and actively look for opportunities.
• Cycles times for key steps in the process were analyzed.
• Work cells cycle time variability ranged typically based on number of products and type of technology
• Product portfolio analysis also indicated a need to improve actual costing vs the current standard costing models
• Large number of small volume products that were causing higher cycle times – robbing capacity from more frequently made products
• Entire network was financially modelled to identify plants to consolidate.

• Key Product Portfolio initiatives were started with the business to reduce number of products and reduce complexity as well as improve margin
• Improved view of operations – Top Most Difficult products to make
• Improved Reliability Program increased Uptime by 5% and is still on-going
• Key roles in the organization added to optimize production scheduling – ensure best asset and minimum changeover losses
• Cloud Based Tool rolled out to actively / automatically analyze cycle times.

TOTAL IMPACT: $6-15 MILLION / YR

Site still in process of implementing