IBIE - 2019 Special Edition & Show Preview - 56

OPERATIONS ROUNDTABLE

gets put in a drawer. And if you want to know what's in
it, you have to figure out what drawer it's in. We're trying to log all our data - what happens in production,
what happens in maintenance - into our computer systems. That way, it's organized, and it's easier to find and
go back through.
Our maintenance personnel have iPads, and their
procedures are loaded onto them. They record what
they're doing when they're out there doing it, rather than
going back and filling out a paper report.

"Collecting data is one thing,
but measuring, analyzing it
and using it is really the key
to making decisions."
Jeff Dearduff, Gold Standard Baking
When you gather data, how are you communicating it
with the employees?
Mr. Heiser: We use iPads, and we have TV screens in
the plant that display the real-time data.
If you think about your phone or your Apple Watch,
it gives you an idea of how well you did today with your
steps or fitness. That's what we've got to do with data; we
need to make it more available and in real time so we
can have a yardstick throughout the day rather than the
end of the day.
For years, we would have our supervisor sit down at
the end of the shift and fill out this report. The problem is that it's left to the memory about what did happen and what didn't really happen. We tend to forget
Jeff Dearduff (left) and Brandon some of the bad things, and we forget some of the good
Heiser discuss how labor issues things, too. I think it's a cultural mindset of making
impact capital spending decisions. sure the people who make things happen are involved

and feel it's relevant. One of the biggest sins is when
people fill out information and don't think it's valuable.
Therefore, it's not actionable.
Mr. Dearduff: You might call that 'visual management,'
and we do the same thing. We've got monitors three different places in the bakery that display the at-the-moment
Redzone information, which is line efficiency, OEE and
all those other measures you're looking for. That's where
supervisor huddles happen; our supervisors are carrying
the iPad, and you'll see them walking through a packaging line and meeting with employees who might even be
packaging at the moment. It's all about visual; it's all about
having something immediately available to you so you
can make a game-time change. Technology is playing a
big role in how we communicate to employees.

In our recent Equipment Trends Survey, 28% of
respondents indicated a significant increase in
spending for 2018 (it was just 8% in 2015). Where are
you targeting investments today?
Mr. Heiser: I can tell you that we need to spend more
money than we have in the past to improve our operations, reduce labor, make jobs easier and make them
simpler. The labor issue is not going away.
Mr. Dearduff: That's certainly a consideration today. Looking ahead, it's going to be not so much about
eliminating jobs but eliminating the need for labor.
For instance, we have packaging systems that are very
hands-on. We need to find ways to take that hands-on
need away, whether it's robotics or some kind of sorting and selecting and laning systems. Take that manual
hand-packing need onto an automated system, and immediately you're looking at people assuming it's going
to eliminate the need for six workers. That's on a shift,
times three, that's 18. Multiply that times a 6-day week,
you've got day-off people, now it's 24 people you'll need
to find.
It's critical that we know the labor situation is not going to get better; it will potentially get worse over time.
It's bad enough as it is. So, our capital expenditures are
probably going to be looking at that.
Mr. Mulloy: Everything Jeff said is on point. Our plant
is new enough that we haven't had to make any major
changes. But going into IBIE, we're looking at getting the
equipment without the people there. Now, it's not about
just the return on investment from saving hours and saving people; it's about, 'What did we lose today because
we couldn't produce it?' The lights are still on; the useful
equipment is sitting there; we're ready to go. But there's
nobody there to run it, and you need to start shutting

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IBIE - 2019 Special Edition & Show Preview

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