Wake Up and Smell the CoffeeBosch Helps Lavazza Optimize Packaging Line Efficiency

1 http://www.bepress.com/ijfe/Special-Issue_Call-for-papers.pdf

2 http://www.marketresearchworld.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3043&Itemid=77

In the global food and beverage market, which is finding its feet after the effects of recession, brands are taking every opportunity to increase the efficiency of their manufacturing processes. With increasing demand comes increased competition, and brands will strive to protect their profit margins. According to the journal Food Manufacturing Effi-ciency, the importance of process opti-mization to the food industry is multi-dimensional. Maximum profits need to be delivered at minimum cost which, in turn, demands minimum loss, waste and energy.1

The European coffee market is a good example of an area in which

demand is expected to increase rapidly over the coming years. Indeed, the market is expected to grow by 25% from 2009 to 2014 in the UK alone.2

Lavazza is Italy’s favorite coffee pro-ducer, with a 48% share of the domestic market. It draws on more than 100 years of experience to create products of the very highest quality. Even with business across the globe, Lavazza is a company that refuses to rest on its reputation, always seeking new ways to evolve ma-nufacturing processes and productivity. In an effort to greatly improve efficiency and increase performance in its plants, Lavazza turned to Bosch Packaging Technology for ongoing support as well

as to measure the success of process improvements.

Getting started To increase productivity on its coffee packaging lines, Lavazza embarked on a project with Bosch. Ongoing, Bosch gives daily service and support to Lavazza including preventive mainte-nance activities, modernization and overhaul ideas and maintenance team

training. Lavazza is also guaranteed the permanent presence of Bosch’s embed-ded engineer and OEE (Overall Equip-ment Effectiveness) consultant onsite – where they are really needed. This en-sures that issues can be addressed as they arise, minimizing downtime. Bosch is also able to provide continuous advice on line improvements to ensure efficiency in the future.

The project has yielded improve-ments from the outset with enhanced process efficiency and has fostered a deeper, more effective partnership between the two companies. To amplify this success, Lavazza recently sought to optimize production further still. Specifically, detailed measurement and production analysis was required in order to accurately understand the true extent of line improvements, and hence guide future strategy.

Total production overview – imple-menting OEE measuringThe need for real-time monitoring of line performance had become evident, and after detailed consultation both parties agreed upon OEE as the key performance indicator. In order to retrieve and display all machine and production data from the packaging line, a measurement instrument was required. Bosch handled the selection of an appropriate system based on Lavazza’s key needs: real-time informa-tion collection capability, compatibility, an intuitive and accessible interface and easy implementation. After much consultation, Machine Relationship

Management (MRM) was selected as an independent partner to provide the technology for OEE measuring.

Lavazza’s OEE measurement system provides a complete picture of line performance, including product quality (comparing good units vs total units produced), machine speed (actual speed vs nominal speed) and time losses (actual machine running time vs total production time). These data provide the starting point for improvement-oriented discussions and are used to gauge the success of any process improvements. For Lavazza, it offers the most efficient and compre-hensive indicator of how efficiently its line is working.

As Fulvio Godio, Lavazza Manufac-turing Director, has noted: “General overviews give management the oppor-tunity to evaluate general performance losses. Quality, performance and time productivity are measured separately, so areas for improvement can be easily identified and actioned.”

Continuous refinement – working together to increase efficiencyOEE consulting allows Bosch to measure the identified performance areas, such as machine availability, performance and quality. The custo-mized OEE measuring system records data from both Bosch and non-Bosch equipment, ensuring overall production flow is considered. The locally based Bosch Service Team engineers and OEE specialists monitor this data to measure production efficiency. They

carry out detailed analysis of the data using a structured roadmap, which includes various tools and templates. Statistical analysis is used, allowing the cause of the problem to be detected. Working together as a team, Bosch and Lavazza can use this information to formulate customized solutions to refine manufacturing performance in terms of the key improvement goals. This information provides a firm basis for improvements, and allows the construction of performance-based compensation models to boost effici-ency to a previously impossible degree.New processes are implemented to ensure unplanned downtime is elimi-nated and higher output is achieved, and Bosch embedded engineers and OEE specialists conduct training for Lavazza’s operators and mechanics to ensure a smooth transition process.

The system also provides an inde-pendent measurement of performance and gives important feedback on each improvement action implemented on the line. Every activity, including people training, machine overhauling or revi-sion and production process change, can be proofed and tested using OEE as a validation tool. The improvements are continually tracked and reviewed by Bosch to ensure they continue to yield results for Lavazza in the future.

Monitoring the Performance – Managing the ProcessWith the help of Bosch, Lavazza is now using the system as a strategic tool to provide a link between improvements

CPU

Alarms and Data

MRM Server ManagementMRM Client

PlanningMRM Client

ControllingMRM Client

TechniqueMRM Client

A B C D E

ERP

Packaging Line Layout A Packaging machine B Transport conveyors C First multipack machineD Second multipack machine E Palletizing robot

ideation, implementation and valida-tion. Real-time reports and live-view pages containing statistics, graphics and trends are generated. The reports and performance data are accessible from every PC connected to the Lavazza network, ensuring the system’s full and easy integration in the business. Specific reports can be created for dif-ferent user groups, such as plant man-agement, production and maintenance management, floor personnel and the boardroom. Providing information that is clearly defined for all users ensures that all individual departments and per-sonnel are pulling in the same direc-tion. Also, thanks to a user-friendly Web browser interface and simple graphics, the system is easy-to-use and has been quickly accepted by all em-ployees.

Filippo Bertoglio, Plant Maintenance Manager, added: “With a simple glance at a monitor, live-view reports enable production managers to check

and verify the real-time status and performance of all the lines on the production floor. Control of production scheduling becomes extremely precise and proactive, and problems can be detected before they actually happen.”

The importance of customer supportSince its introduction at Lavazza plants, the system has registered improve-ments in OEE values and increases in throughput and equipment reliability. With daily support from Bosch’s dedicated maintenance staff, ever-more tailored ways to increase efficiency have been formulated, minimizing OEE losses. Breakdowns, waste and change-over times have been reduced through tailored, on-the-job training and mainte-nance documentation.

By working as partners, Bosch and Lavazza are showing what can be achieved when quality, reliability and overall efficiency are put first. Drawing on both parties’ respective skills, the

project combines accessible technology with a ‚human touch‘. Lavazza’s dedi-cated staff and Bosch’s experts bring their respective knowledge and expe-rience to the table – learning from each other to formulate the most effective plant improvements. Thanks to Bosch’s know-how about packaging lines and vast experience on performance analy-sis, Lavazza is obtaining a high-level of consulting and the results prove that performance is improving.

For more information, please visit

www.boschpackagingservices.com

or contact our OEE Consultant

Roland Pichler.

E-mail: Roland.Pichler@bosch.com

Tel.: +41 52 674 6357

Sample of a real real-time report showing the actual performance data of a line.