Work-flow optimization in a production company using smart sensors and Cloud

Problem

A leading production company within high-quality food-based items sought to reduce inefficiencies and confusion in their production line. The manual and ad-hoc tracking of ingredients, recipes, and production schedules led to errors, delays, and waste, which impacted their profitability and reputation. To address these challenges, the company decided to partner with Nubis, because of their deep knowledge of smart solutions and production workflow experience.

Solution

Nubis conducted a thorough analysis of the production line and identified several areas for improvement. One of the key issues was the lack of real-time data and visibility into the production process. It was soon obvious that without these accurate and timely information, it would be impossible to make informed decisions and optimize operations.

The first phase was to insert Nubis engineers on the production line, time each part of the work, interview the workers and hear their opinions, which was used to create a model for the current process.

The solution involved a software resource planning system in the Cloud, with automated task scheduling so each operator knew exactly their tasks at any given time on a large screen in the facility. This was complemented by installing smart sensors, such as cameras and weight cells, at critical points in the production line, as well as QR codes that could be scanned to inform the planning system about different states in the process.

Nubis also created a web platform where operators could visualize how to carry out different tasks and alert other stakeholders on any issues or deviations from the process.

Conclusion

The results of the smart manufacturing solution were significant reduction in errors, delays, and waste, resulting in improved production efficiency, quality and cost savings in this low-margin business. Training cost went down as well because the system lowered the need for highly trained operators where each operator’s task was listed out clearly in a timely and easy to understand manner.

The company also gained real-time visibility into their operations, by monitoring the input and output on a dashboard in the Cloud, thereby creating a base for further optimization of their production in collaboration with the operators.