State-of-the-art SPC System Drives Financial Results

A leading producer of high-quality food products has used Statistical Process Control (SPC) to monitor package weights for more than 25 years. The company operates a state-of-the-art facility that produces more than 435,000 pounds of finished product every day on 22 packaging lines. Despite their advanced production capabilities, the methods they used to control their processes were not always sophisticated. The company faced challenges in maintaining timely and accurate process control data, which led to inefficiencies and potential product holds. The clean room environment at their plants also posed unique challenges for implementing new technology solutions. The company sought to improve their SPC system to gain financial benefits and enhance their process control capabilities.

In one facility, the company produces more than 435,000 pounds of finished product every day on 22 packaging lines. While the plant is a sparkling clean state-of-the-art facility, the methods they used to control their processes haven’t always been as sophisticated. As recently as two years ago, the SPC system used for weight control was a paper-based X-Bar and R chart. With clipboard and pencil in hand, quality technicians would measure the package weights of small samples periodically from each package line. They would then compute the average weight of the sample and the range and record the information, along with some process data, on a standard form. The information was then submitted to a quality analyst at the end of each shift. The next morning, the analyst reviewed the data for missing information or errors, corrected any mistakes, and then passed it along to a key-punch operator to be keyed into a computer-based SPC package. Two days after the process data was collected, X-Bar and R charts were printed out along with Process Capability information for review by quality engineers and production managers. With only this rear view mirror perspective, managers and engineers were caught in a daily routine of trying to understand what happened at least two days before. And if process changes were not detected when they happened, product holds and costly sorting and repackaging would result. The need for timely information pointed to the need for a technology improvement, but the clean room environment at the company’s plants creates a unique challenge for technology solutions. Any hardware installed on the manufacturing floor has to tolerate hose-downs with a disinfecting solution. Traditional technology solutions – hardened computers or putting computers in sealed enclosures – were prohibitively expensive and never made it to the shop floor. That changed with the advent of low-cost wireless networks and portable handheld devices.

The company decided to implement a new SPC system using Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) and Hertzler Systems’ GainSeeker Suite. The PDA-based system allowed quality technicians to access product and process documentation, record audit findings, and perform package weight SPC directly from the shop floor. This eliminated the need for paper-based records and reduced errors caused by redundant keying of process measures. The GainSeeker Suite enabled real-time data collection and analysis, providing immediate feedback to operators and management. The system was deployed on a central server, simplifying deployment, support, data backup, and software updates. It also integrated with the company's ERP system for giveaway reporting, providing timely and accurate business metrics. The project team found that GainSeeker could do even more than expected, including customizable alarms for out-of-control conditions and real-time reporting of key performance metrics. The system's ease of use and flexibility made it suitable for a wide range of applications across multiple plants.

• The GainSeeker system provided both the quality and operations departments with critical process information in an easy-to-use format.
• The weekly and monthly reporting cycles for the corporate quality group were simplified, reducing the time spent on compiling quality reports.
• The system's real-time data capabilities allowed for immediate detection and resolution of out-of-control conditions, preventing disruptions in production schedules.
• The system's ability to report quality data in the form of 'desktops' enabled plant management to review key performance metrics and take corrective actions promptly.
• The ease of system implementation allowed even new processing plants with no prior SPC experience to quickly adopt and benefit from the automated weight control system.

• The corporation realized a savings of $225,000 at just one plant in only nine months.
• In the first half of the year, they saved approximately $3.4 Million across all implemented plants.
• The company projects that scale of savings to continue as they deploy GainSeeker Suite to other business units through the coming years.