Smart Beverage Filling Line: Traceability, SPC & OEE Automation for a Leading Global Manufacturer
Overview
A leading US-based beverage manufacturer wanted to enhance operational efficiency and ensure quality compliance across their production lines. ACL Digital developed a digital solution to capture process capability indices, machine efficiency, and utilization metrics, enabling real-time fill weight traceability, improved productivity, and regulatory adherence.
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Challenges
Lack of real-time visibility into machine performance and process efficiency
Inability to trace fill weight variations across production batches
Manual data collection hindering productivity insights and quality compliance
Solution
- Integrated MachineTalk devices with machine PLCs to acquire real-time filler head data and readings from weighing scales
- Developed a custom application to fetch PO numbers, target fill weights, and tolerance limits from a local database
- Implemented Statistical Process Control (SPC) and deployed Control Charts to monitor fill weight variations
- Enabled end-to-end SAP integration for automatic PO extraction and confirmation
- Calculated Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE) for each filling line with real-time data inputs
- Designed an Operator Console allowing operators to log downtime reasons from a pre-configured list
- Automated generation of key performance reports, including OEE, Utilization, MTTR, and MTBF
Outcomes
- Achieved 98% ingredient traceability and improved process stability with a CPK greater than 1.33, ensuring consistent quality and compliance with regulatory standards
- Delivered a double-digit improvement in Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) by enabling real-time performance monitoring and automated downtime tracking across filling lines
