Baking & Snack - April 2019 - 106

MAXIMIZING EFFICIENCY

Left: Real-time data allows
bakeries to monitor quality and
ensure product consistency
throughout the process.
Sosland Publishing Company

Right: Bakeries rely on data
management systems to drive
efficiencies and guide them to the
root cause of production issues.
Focus Works

to 400 lb per shift," Mr. Stiffler noted. "If production employees run 49 lb of waste per hour, they would all be
green. But let's say they ran 100 lb of waste on the last
hour; they'd be green all day except for the last hour, and
unfortunately at that point, they would be over for the
shift. The total number then would be red."
Mr. White cautioned that data can be misinterpreted
and the problem misunderstood. For example, the information may indicate that downtime was caused by
equipment failures when it was really the result of the
cost of unexpected maintenance per piece of equipment.
Or there may be other reasons for underperformance.
"The causes of downtime and waste are not always clearly defined," he said. "The question should be, 'Were the
causes equipment-related or quality-related?' You can't
reduce downtime if you can't get to the root cause."
At Orlando Baking, pre-shift huddles establish awareness about what potential issues might occur and how to
prevent them. "Where we're at right now is driving efficiency against our standards and then making sure that
ownership is there," Mr. Stiffler said. "And every hour,
we're promoting the teams to dig deep, identify root
causes and come up with action plans to make the lines
run better than they were prior to that."
That said, keep in mind that over-analysis can lead
to paralysis, especially if management teams do more
talking than walking. "Many inefficient operations hold
meetings more frequently as things worsen but fail to
truly identify root causes or set strong expectations and
accountability to get problems fixed," Mr. Brixey said.
"Get out on the production floor more, and you might
be surprised what you can discover."

Investing in better performance
Unearthing the root causes of unexpected downtime can
help identify and justify capital investments to enhance
productivity and bolster yield in the long run.
"We find a lot of production teams that consider unplanned downtime to be unavoidable or just a maintenance problem," Mr. Lueger said. "The data is there to
tell you why and how often your plant is down due to

106 Baking & Snack April 2019 / www.bakingandsnack.com

failing or improperly used equipment. If you find the
windows of downtime, you will find either a good opportunity for preventative maintenance or an opportunity to retrofit a piece of your system. Both are lowhanging fruit for increased production."
Orlando Baking is harnessing its data to develop
a potential shopping list for the International Baking
Industry Exposition (IBIE), which will be held Sept.
7-11 in Las Vegas. "OEE tells us about our overall
equipment effectiveness, and where we should expand,"
Mr. Stiffler said. "If we needed to expand production in
our plant, it allows us to focus in on how to do that to
free up more space and time."
For identifying specific investments, Mr. Brixey recommended using a capacity report that pinpoints bottlenecks. First, calculate the maximum run rate on each
piece of major equipment to discover the lowest limiting
factor for each product variety or pan. "The best returns
usually come from focusing on the items with the highest volume," he noted. "Most times you'll find that plants
have slowed down their lines to make running easier
versus fixing troublesome equipment."
Capital projects with significant returns often come from
replacing one piece of equipment or a couple of assets that
drastically limit the line's throughout by performing well
below that of many other machines. "The capacity report
and bottleneck findings can lead you to a strong understanding of whether you need to replace select assets or the
entire line," Mr. Brixey explained. "Having this report completed in advance of IBIE can help you maximize how you
spend your time while in 'the land of plenty.' "
Mr. White cautioned bakers against purchasing new
equipment by price comparison alone. "Also consider
the cost of ownership," he suggested. "They should network with other bakers to find out not only the reliability of the equipment but also the ease of maintenance and
repairs and cost/availability of spare parts. Purchasers
should also consider the availability of local service."
Taking everything into consideration is how to
maximize efficiency and attain peak performance
over the long run.

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Baking & Snack - April 2019

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