Multi-plant molder can see machine loading in every division on line and analyze downtime causes.

Problem: An injection molder with multiple divisions incurred poor productivity and delayed orders due to manually scheduling each production facility. Some plants ran with a large backlog, while other facilities ran product for inventory that was not needed.

Solution: ProductionACE with MDT-150 was installed on all machines in each plant. Now headquarters has the ability to view the order backlog at each location and re-schedule products to meet customer demand. This centralized scheduling has also allowed for improved asset management as a result of improved scheduling of preventative maintenance: as PM becomes due, work orders are shifted to other facilities to insure that the preventative maintenance occurs at correct intervals without interrupting production.

Bottom Line Results: Individual divisions now run as a unit due to the improved communication and ability to view production schedule in every plant in real-time. On-time delivery has improved as a result of 1) better understanding each division's work load, and 2) ability to dynamically re-distribute work orders to meet customer demand. An additional benefit: the ability to collect and analyze downtime causes allows managers to focus on manufacturing problems that interfere with meeting productivity goals.