Elimination of downtime at shift change
Real story: An automobile parts manufacturer reduced production capacity waste by 12% due to machine downtime during shift changes.
Customer
Automobile Parts Manufacturer
Problem
Production capacity waste of 12% due to machine downtime at shift change.
Outcome
Enhanced production capacity and savings of Rs. 15,60,000 per month, by reducing this downtime by 98%.
About the Customer
An automobile parts manufacturer faced a significant challenge—persistent downtime during shift changes. The user operates 39 CNC machines, including turning centers, VMCs, and HMCs. These machines run in three work shifts of 8 hours each: 6 AM-2 PM, 2 PM-10 PM, and 10 PM-6 AM. Downtime issues across all shifts were causing reduced production and economic losses.
Before Leanworx
Prior to the implementation of the Leanworx CNC machine monitoring system, production inefficiencies plagued each shift. Late starts and early stops were the norm, with the highest downtimes occurring at the beginning and end of the third shift. On average, downtime per shift amounted to a staggering one hour, reducing production capacity by a factor of 1/8. Late starts and early stops combined led to 3 hours of downtime per day, equating to 14% of available time.
The Leanworx Impact
Within just two days of Leanworx deployment across all machines, downtime decreased by an impressive 25% without any additional interventions. Over the subsequent three weeks, downtime further plummeted to less than 5 minutes per shift, resulting in a remarkable 12% increase in production quantity.
Leanworx’s specialized feature for CNC machine downtime monitoring at shift changes played a pivotal role. Daily reports detailing downtime during shift transitions were promptly emailed to the shop head each morning. After a period of observation, these reports were openly displayed on the shop notice board daily, exposing the shift change downtime for all machines. This transparency had a profound impact on work ethics, prompting positive changes.
An illustrative report from a machine monitored by Leanworx shows significant shift change downtime. Operating in three shifts with meal and tea breaks totaling 50 minutes per shift, the report showed a total downtime of 18 hours over 6 days, translating to 3 hours per day. Notably, 80% of this downtime was concentrated in shifts 2 and 3.
The Leanworx Benefit
Leanworx highlighted the big problem areas, and the organization acted upon the data. The detailed monitoring and corrective actions led to a monthly savings of Rs. 40,000 per machine. Across all 39 machines, this translated to an impressive monthly saving of Rs. 15,60,000.
