Manufacturer Reduced Time-to-Resolution by 60% in 3 months
Shop Floor Management Platform Helps Identify Problem Areas in Real Time, Increase Dispatch Speed and Human Efficiency
Super Products is a leading manufacturer of vacuum trucks that are engineered for a wide variety of applications and designed with an operator-centric mindset. Since 1972, their trucks have been recognized for their innovative features, high quality, durability, and ease of operation.
CHALLENGE
Before implementing Shop Floor IQ’s platform, the three assembly supervisors communicated with each other and the shop floor by paging and walking the floor to check on stations. Growing to a 171,000 square foot facility, the team found it was too vast an area to run back and forth from station to station. They had no real visibility into the shop floor operations, so they began to look for solutions. Unfortunately, many systems had too many features that were unnecessary, costly, and not configurable to their needs.
SOLUTION
Andon Lights
Production Pace Timers
Dispatch Queues
Messaging
Analytics
Assembly Manager Brian Hoagland found just what they needed in a shop floor management system with Shop Floor IQ, including Andon lights, production pace timers, dispatch queues, messaging and analytics. Takt timers help ensure the right amount of product is made just-in-time, and Andon lights allow workers to alert the appropriate people before a part is needed, reducing downtime. If one supervisor is tied up, the dispatch queues alert and dispatch another supervisor so that issues may be addressed more quickly. Messaging allows clear and instant communication on the shop floor, all the way up to the top floor, and analytics provide insights for supervisors to identify problem areas and implement solutions for continuous improvement.
“Shop Floor IQ has allowed us all to speak the same language and convey it on a screen or a light. It allows us to keep the pulse of the company every minute of the day.”
– Brian Hoagland, Assembly Manager
RESULTS
Downtime as a result of waiting on a supervisor or part has been significantly reduced. Time-to-resolution of an issue was one hour. Within three months of using Shop Floor IQ’s system, time-to-resolution was 24 minutes. And within the next six months, Super Products aims to have it down to 15 minutes. Brian believes that this year, he will be spending more time on growing the business instead of maintaining the status quo thanks in part to Shop Floor IQ.
If like Super Products, you want to reduce your time-to-resolution and get real-time, actionable insights to improve your labor productivity, contact us to talk shop or get a free trial.