Above is what each of several production process lines look like before implementing automation & LEAN processes.
Does your look the same?
Hand labeling is a waste of labor and is prone to errors. The Label Gator® System has helped reduce container inventory, cut costs in production & labor, improve accuracy, and more!
One of the industry’s largest growers recognized the need to research all of their Production Processes. As a result, they created a new position and filled it with an experienced Lean Manufacturing Manager.
Now an entire team is working on implementing Lean throughout the organization. Value Stream Mapping looks at the flow of information and materials used to deliver products to the market.
An aerial image was used for the Processing Department. This area includes a trailer of containers a the beginning of the “line,” staff members unloading onto a conveyor, more staff handling the containers, applying labels, tags, bagging, inspecting, and loading them.
Once each step of the process is identified, a cycle time can be determined. After you determine this information, a number of results can be achieved, including:
- You can identify “bottlenecks” and solve them. Usually, you can focus on the longest cycle time section of the “line.”
- You can “load level” the steps on the “line” to the line rate with minimal people needed. An example is if one process is 2 seconds, and another is 3 with a line rate of 5 seconds, you can have one person accomplish 2 steps.
- Once the “load level” is achieved, you can identify opportunities for automation, including Conveyors and Print & Apply Label Systems.
Does yours look like this? It’s time to evaluate & identify each step in the process and switch to automation, such as the use of a Label Gator® System!
