Mondelēz Ireland has worked with Bosch Packaging Services to implement an overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) concept at its factory in Dublin, increasing the operational effectiveness of the automated packaging line for its Cadbury Flake bars.
After several months of close collaboration, the Flake project team has embedded a more sustainable and effective production process at the site in Coolock. With a tight production schedule, the site depends on smooth processes and a continuous flow of production, as it makes chocolate products for markets in the UK & Ireland, central Europe, Scandinavia and the Middle East. When the packaging line for its Cadbury Flake bars was not achieving the required output any more, the chocolate manufacturer enlisted the help of Bosch, which explained to Mondelēz how the OEE concept could be used to help work through the issues in the Cadbury Flake bar packaging line.
David Lindsay, production engineering manager at the Coolock site, said: “At that time, performance was not consistent across all machines. We worked on the Bosch packaging line ourselves but productivity was still not meeting our expectations. That’s when we decided to enter into a partnership with the Bosch team to address the issues.”
The project made it possible for Mondelēz to analyse and prioritise the machinery issues, and led to an improvement of equipment effectiveness in terms of reduced machine downtime and increased and consistent performance standards. Mondelēz runs three styles of multipacks on its packaging line and, according to the latest statistics, “performance has improved significantly,” Lindsay said.
He continued: “This success is based on clear data that we collected with Bosch and the shared know-how regarding our machines and production cycles. The stages of the OEE approach were clearly set and well communicated. Our employees were also great in supporting us. After familiarising with the OEE concept, they saw the need for change and we achieved those positive results together. Treating the root causes instead of only the symptoms, together with a reliable and professional partner, supported us in making the most of our plant and people in Coolock.”
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