ANT implemented solution for a one of the most recognizable Polish cosmetics company. The core of its business is a production of luxurious cosmetics, which is located in the central Poland.
The offer of client’s brand is very diverse. Although these products can be boiled down to one common denominator – they are beauty products. These include creams, gels, application ampules, powders, liquids, scrubs and ointments. As a result, there is a risk of large potential manufacturing waste due to the natural production process, and there is a need to reduce waste.
Optimizing production, eliminating potential sources of errors and issues, and increasing efficiency – these were the company’s primary goals after internal analyses and audits revealed the need to streamline production processes.
The following were indicated as key issues:
- low – relative to potential – OEE indicator
- no measurement of actual cycle times
- too many micro-stops
- too long, and too frequent, changeovers
Implementation of changes based on ANT
Based on the gathered data showing the state of production in the factory from an analytical point of view, a pilot ANT system was implemented, initially designed for one production line.
The concept was quickly expanded, and today the ANT system covers all eight production lines in the factory.
The basic step that was the foundation of any changes leading to production optimization was the refinement of the system for communicating with the machines. The changes in the first stage covered the transmission of signals from machines – within PLCs or I/O module – in order to gather all data about production process, such as production execution, waste, states, speed.
Some of the machinery that are used to manufacture packaging and protective materials in the pharma cosmetics industry are:
- tube maker (IMA)
- filler (MLB)
- sealer (Unilogo)
- cellophane wrapper (Sollas)
- packing machine (Logopak)
- labelling machine (Unilogo, PAGO)
The changes in part of the system additionally included the supply of equipment necessary for broadly defined analytics. It should not be viewed solely through the prism of strictly mathematical and logical operations. It was necessary to create a system and solutions that would provide a transparent and clear presentation of the current state and potential solutions – so that production managers would have a comprehensive insight into individual processes. Along with MES analytics and micro-stops diagnosis, ANT provided four large screen TVs and ten operator control panels to increase transparency and support employees during the production process.
Results of implementing an MES in the cosmetics factory
Automation in data collection and production monitoring has become the cornerstone of innovation. This includes gathering date from PLC, sensors, and input data collected by operators
This allowed better control of the following elements and processes:
- production counters
- real manufacturing waste volumes
- condition of machines
- causes of individual breakdowns
An important change in the operation of the factory was the flow of data in case of irregularities and deviations from the set standards. Automation has resulted in decisions being made on the basis of notifications sent – importantly – in real time and not by taking into account a delay. This was yet another step towards production monitoring and optimization. Through the MES, also the individual statuses and progress of the production steps were analyzed in real time.
