PostedSeptember 10, 2021

Consolidating and upgrading six lines from three different factories into a single facility was a challenging task for a food manufacturer that was recently acquired by an international brand. The newly constructed facility was to be converted into a plant capable of reliable production. To satisfy the parent company investors and maintain delivery of product to customers, the project needed to be as time efficient as possible. The automated system was professionally designed for equipment reliability, efficiency, and consistency. The design was standard across all packaging lines in the facility, so operators recognize the interface regardless of the line or their position. Polytron followed best practices for expedited and precise design, implementation, and startup. The system and new lines are highly productive and
have low downtime achieving the parent company’s goals.

PostedSeptember 10, 2021

Inefficient bottling lines and aging line assets seemed to be creating excessive downtime and waste resulting in pressure to meet the growing market demand without increasing expenses. With operation performance unknown, forecasting the ability to meet increased market demand is ineffective. Building another plant seemed unavoidable, but the task would be time-consuming and costly. To meet the increasing market demand, solution phases guided the manufacturer to their goal and a manufacturing operations management (MOM) solution was designed. Upgraded digital data capturing allowed for real-time, accurate production data to support decision clarity. In just
three months, the performance covered the cost of the project, delaying the need for new plant construction and successfully exceeding the company’s goals. Increased output enabled construction of 2nd factory to be postponed by 18 months.

PostedSeptember 10, 2021

An automated track and trace solution was implemented to provide real-time visibility throughout the facility and
automate data extraction from the existing batch system. Supply chain visibility with RFID traceability automated data
transfers with improved accuracy. To manage the recipes and track material information from ingredient supplier to
finished product, a batch tracking software was implemented eliminating product losses and ensuring compliance with FDA regulations. Results: Supply chain visibility with RFID traceability including: Data entry labor savings equivalent to one full-time position; Automated data transfers with improved accuracy; Facility-wide dashboards and reporting; Compliance with FDA regulations.

PostedSeptember 10, 2021

Excessive production losses, inferior financials, low yield, poor quality, and unplanned downtime were all created by the problematic batch
control system with 12 mixing stations and ingredient delivery systems. The existing code was inaccessible and “locked-down” as a precaution of the proprietary software. It seemed that there were only two options: First, do nothing and continue to suffer the ills of
the aging system, poor production, inefficiency “tax,” and lack of flexibility to upgrade. Or the second option: shut down each of the 12 mixing stations one-by-one over a long and drawn-out transition period, replacing and testing code in each of the 14 individual PACs. And hope, after several months of change, that production for the entire plant would improve.
Solution: Write new code, use emulation to test in a digital twin and then plan shutdown and startup dates.

PostedSeptember 10, 2021

Some machine hazards are easily identified, while others may not be
as obvious. Key indicators that your machine may be unsafe:
- History of accidents or near misses
- No lockable isolators for all energy sources
- Missing guarding, so hazards are accessible
- No modern safety control system
- No risk assessment on file for the machine
- Operators or maintenance resources do not feel safe performing certain tasks

Who is responsible for Machine Safety?
Leading manufacturers recognize the importance of a safe working environment for their employees. This is especially true for the operations and maintenance resources that are interacting with production machines daily. Whether these machines are older or brand new, it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to ensure their safe operation. Polytron’s complimentary Machine Safety checklist will help you begin this essential process.

PostedSeptember 10, 2021

With rising threats of cyber-attacks and security breaches, there is an urgency within companies to protect their virtual borders by updating Information Technology (IT) and Operation Technology (OT) systems. With a cohesive IT/OT team approach, OT managers gained confidence seeing that downtime would be minimized by personalizing communication to each plant involved to ease concerns about downtime, scheduling updates to work within planned maintenance windows, and gaining an overarching knowledge of OT systems to prevent upgrades from negatively effecting line equipment.
Polytron was able to accommodate plant schedules, servicing 68 plant sites across North America – and adding virtually no downtime.