Baking&Snack - March 2013 - 32

Q&A: EFFICIENCY

“The baker has to establish clear expectations
for installation, training and performance on a
new production line.
”
Jim Kline, The EnSol Group
run a single dough, then make the
adjustments you need before you
run another. After a day or two, the
line should be ready for a sustainable run. Within 10 days, the line
should be well above 75% efficient
and on its way to a successful startup. One of the worst things you
can do is plan for too much volume too early. That often forces too
many quick fixes and, in the end,
protracts the time that’s needed to
reach standard efficiency.

How do you evaluate a startup in terms of reliability,
throughput and yield?
Criteria needs to be established for
this purpose. This should be in the
functional specifications submitted
in the equipment’s purchase documents. With specifications in hand,
the task is simple: Document performance and compare what is actually occurring against specifications.

What is often missed when
planning for a startup?
Planning, training and interfacing
of equipment with other systems.
Far too often, these issues are left to
the equipment supplier to handle,
and the baker does not get involved.
Perhaps that worked in the past, but
today’s equipment is different. It’s
more like the thoroughbred than the
plow horse. It takes different handling
to get it to perform. The baker must
establish clear expectations for installation, training and performance of a
new production line.
Training is typically provided by
the equipment supplier’s technical
experts. Although they know how to

run the systems, they may lack the necessary training skills. Don’t assume they
are effective trainers or, for that matter,
that your supervisors are either. Have
those who will be training take a “Train
the Trainers” program.
AIB International has an effective
program that they conduct at your facility in two to three days, depending
on the content you want covered. Add
into your functional specifications the
requirement for the supplier’s trainer to
attend the program, along with the languages you want the training materials
to be provided in.

What’s the best way to
troubleshoot issues during
a startup?

What types of training are
critical during the startup
phase?

What areas are most likely
to cause the biggest challenge when starting up a
production line?

The big three are operations,
maintenance and sanitation.
Safety needs to be No. 1 in consideration, and the equipment
needs to be designed with that
in mind. The training manuals should be developed before
conducting the actual training separately for each group.
Each trainee must get a copy of
the materials they will need for
reference. Operating instructions should be clear, simple and
well-defined.

How are startups today
different than in the past?
Taking six to nine months to
bring a line up to speed is no longer acceptable or necessary. With
proper planning and involvement
of everyone in operations and
project engineering with the supplier from the first day, a startup can be timely and efficient.

Properly train the personnel who
will run and maintain the equipment
and provide them with the tools they
will need to perform their job.

What is the weakest link
that causes delays in getting
a line up and running?
Often, it’s the lack of sufficiently
trained personnel, running out of
supplies and overscheduling production — in essence, poor planning.

The
communication
between
suppliers’ equipment pieces and programming glitches often cause the biggest issues. Even with simulation and
modeling, they seem to always arise.
That is why a good commissioning
process prior to startup is so important.
You need to run the program through
its paces and simulate faults to catch
most of the errors prior to a startup.

What is the single biggest
lesson learned from your
experience in getting a new
line operating efficiently?
Involve suppliers in planning the
startup. Ask them what will be
required to have their equipment
running to standard in five days,
and take note of their answers.
Then, repeat the process in house,
and listen to those answers. Finally,
plan accordingly, and hold people
accountable to the results.

•

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/ Baking & Snack / March 2013

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Baking&Snack - March 2013

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