Schenk’s story: From intuition to data driven decision making
About Schenk
Schenk és Társa is a Hungarian food company founded in 2002, specialized in food products such as jarred fruit and canned vegetables. The company was acquired by the Andros in 2021, a French multinational food industry group. Schenk's factory is in Szigetvár (Southern Hungary) and their products are distributed by large German distributors such as Lidl, Aldi, Rewe.
Challenges and decision making
Schenk faced a significant challenge before implementing Factbird - a lack of dependable data to inform their decision-making processes. The team had grown accustomed to making decisions based on intuition and manual processes.
The potential pitfalls of making decisions without reliable data are well documented, and Schenk recognized the need for a proactive solution. The implementation of Factbird has been a key step towards addressing this issue. The real-time data provided by the devices is providing valuable insights, driving better decision-making across the organization.
The regular reporting of OEE to management is just one example of how the tool is already supporting the team in setting priorities and making informed decisions.
Why Schenk chose Factbird
Schenk chose Factbird based on the software's unique ability to collect and visualize reliable, live production data in the cloud through online line monitoring.
The user-friendly interface and strong customer support were also key factors in their decision-making process. Although they have yet to fully leverage all the tool's features, they are already exploring the potential benefits of using the Andon service to measure the efficiency of their maintenance team.
How Schenk uses Factbird
Schenk has 3 Factbird devices, each with 2 sensors, used for data collection during both in and out of production campaigns. During production campaigns, the devices are implemented on the main production lines. Out of production season, they are used for data collection on the main packaging line.
Factbird has primarily been used to measure OEE and review the primary reasons for maintenance breakdowns. As the team continues to become more comfortable with the tool, they anticipate that it will eventually become an integral part of their daily maintenance activities, driving efficiency across the board.
Implementation phase
The implementation of Factbird was executed smoothly, with the installation process being plug-and-play and requiring minimal effort and disruption to the team's workflow.
However, they realized that they had underestimated the importance of change management in the introduction of the new tool. Even some members of the management team were not fully aware of the criticality of achieving OEE improvement targets. This is attributed to the team's long-standing practice of relying on a more manual and intuition-based approach to their work. To address this, the company has shifted its focus to the shift leaders and line group leaders, empowering them to record the reasons for line stops and receive prompt technical support. These measures are expected to lead to more efficient operations and higher OEE improvement targets. Overall, the team is optimistic about the impact of Factbird on their operations, and they are confident that their efforts will result in significant improvements in the near future.
Performance impact
The implementation of Factbird devices at Schenk has already shown promising results in enhancing their production process, despite the absence of a full-scale campaign. One notable advantage of the devices is their ability to report OEE to management, providing the leadership team with daily reports that aid in prioritizing their activities for the day.
Factbird devices have already proven to be a valuable asset to Schenk, with several enlightening moments arising even before measurable benefits could be realized.
One such moment was the optimization of shift changes, which previously took almost an hour twice a day.
Factbird helped uncover several weak spots in the production line, such as the time-consuming setting of the closing machine, which was previously thought to be working smoothly.
Schenk has set an ambitious goal of achieving a 10% or greater OEE improvement in 2023. Setting this goal would have been challenging without the use of Factbird, as this data-driven approach ensures that advancements are closely monitored and issues are promptly addressed, resulting in increased efficiency and productivity. This highlights the importance of technology in supporting organizations' objectives, and the team is eager to continue learning and improving with Factbird's assistance.
