Labor challenges aren’t new to the manufacturing industry, but they’ve become more pronounced in recent years. It’s now 36% harder to fill open positions than it was just several years ago. There are a few reasons for the shift: long-held stigmas about manufacturing jobs can make them seem less appealing to the rising workforce, for one. For another, as manufacturing becomes more technical, roles require more unique skill sets. The baby boomer generation is also retiring, creating a surge of openings in the field. With all these factors combined, it’s possible that more than 2 million jobs could go unfilled by 2030.
Amid these challenges, it’s more important than ever for manufacturers to optimize the value of their existing workforce. Driving labor efficiency is the make-or-break factor that can lead modern manufacturers to not only survive current shortages, but actually come out ahead. To do so requires you to do more with less — a feat that can seem impossible when resources are already strained.
Fortunately, there are solutions available to help you leverage your greatest asset, your employees, so that they become more effective in their roles and are able to get more done without adding to their workload. The answer lies in investing and utilizing tools that enable efficiencies and empower teams to accomplish more than they could with outdated methods.
Leveraging digital solutions to modernize data collection can streamline workflows for frontline workers. When data is captured automatically from sensors and machines, it drastically cuts down on manual labor across the plant floor — not to mention reducing the risk of human error, which prevents extra work later on. Plus, having access to unified data in one central location enables workers to make data-driven decisions quickly, which will ultimately drive throughput and yield without the need for expanding the workforce.
In this download, we’ll explore how four SafetyChain customers implemented our digital plant management solutions to find efficiencies across their quality and production teams.
In this download, we’ll explore how four SafetyChain customers implemented our digital plant management solutions to find efficiencies across their quality and production teams.
- BASF Streamlines Supplier Approval for 63% Gain in Efficiency
- Crosby’s Molasses Gains 25% Efficiency Per Day
- MSI Tightens Production Checks for a 75% Annual Efficiency Gain
- Wholestone Farms Streamlines Sanitation for a 10 hour-Per-Day Efficiency Gain
BASF Streamlines Supplier Approval for 63% Gain in Efficiency Each Month
Supplier trust and approval is a critical process for any manufacturer. Providing a high-quality end product to your customers starts with vetting prospective suppliers to ensure the materials they deliver will meet your standards. For BASF, the world’s largest chemical producer, the raw material qualification process had numerous steps and required significant time. The company needed a way to streamline this labor-intensive approval process without compromising due diligence.
Tedious, Time-Consuming Supplier Approvals
For BASF’s Supplier Management Coordinator, the supplier approval process was arduous. There were numerous tasks to complete, amounting to a staggering 2,022 minutes a month spent on this activity alone (not including maintenance tasks). With other duties to complete, the Supplier Management Coordinator needed to free up some of the time spent on approving new suppliers to focus on other initiatives. At the time, BASF did not have a standard process for executing supplier approvals, leading to delays in the qualification of new suppliers.
Streamlined Vendor Qualification
More than 2,000 minutes amounts a significant portion of any employee’s time. BASF knew that reducing the total time involved for vendor approvals by just 20% would minimize the administrative burden for the Supplier Management Coordinator, enabling greater freedom to focus on other activities. The goal was to reduce the time spent on this activity by 400 minutes.
To start, they performed a thorough mapping of the current vendor approval process, identifying unnecessary steps that could be eliminated. Once the flow was streamlined, they further optimized the process by utilizing SafetyChain to reduce the amount of time spent on steps that didn’t add value. As a result, they were able to eliminate all time spent on non-value activities. SafetyChain’s automated features and ability to capture all critical documentation drastically reduced the Supplier Management Coordinator’s time spent for each vendor approval, taking it from 505 minutes to a 185-minute process.
Business Impact: 63% Time Reduction
The Supplier Management Coordinator now spends 740 minutes per month on approvals instead of the original 2,020 minutes. This 63% reduction in time far surpasses their original goal of 20%. Not only has it helped the company save $24,000, but the Supplier Management Coordinator now has more time to focus on other duties.
Crosby’s Molasses Gains 25% Efficiency Per Day
Crosby’s produces a variety of packaged molasses products and private label products for large customers. Their manufacturing spec packet held all necessary documents, procedures, forms, and specifications for each production run, serving as the backbone for their processes. While the packet was familiar to production and quality teams, managing it was time-consuming for everyone involved.
The Inefficiencies of Routing Paper Through the Plant
Simply put, the lifespan of the manufacturing spec packet was too draining on company resources. First, someone would have to print out and compile the paperwork before the run started, then they’d distribute it to the line operators and lead hands, who would then fill out records manually. At the end of each run, lead hands would gather the paperwork, review it, and sign off. The quality team would perform the final review. All of this paperwork shuffling was inefficient, cumbersome, and provided minimal analytical capabilities for the quality, safety, and production data collected during runs.
Digitizing Data to End the Paperwork Shuffle
The team at Crosby’s understood that while the manufacturing spec packet was comfortable for production and quality, it was time to seek a more efficient solution. With SafetyChain, they could still capture all of the data they needed during runs, with the added benefit of having all compliance and specification parameters at their fingertips. Teams began using tablets and workstations on the production floor, completing all of their production checks digitally.
Now, there’s no longer any time spent distributing or collecting paperwork. And, since specifications are built in, any deviations are identified immediately so assessments or corrections can be made promptly. Since issues are caught early, visibility into production runs has also increased tremendously; leadership teams now have access to customized, auto-generated reports that allow for better trending and analysis.
Business Impact: 2 Hours Saved Per Day
By digitizing their manufacturing spec packet, Crosby’s has reduced the amount of time spent on pre-shipment release and review. As a result, they’ve saved two hours per day. They’ve also seen a time savings of five hours per day by implementing digital Quality Management and SPC modules. Production and quality workers are able to do more with their time, and leveraging technology has minimized the overall strain on their workforce while making them more efficient. These labor savings have added up considerably to a whopping $65,000 per year.
MSI Express Tightens Production Checks for a 75% Annual Efficiency Gain
Manufacturing and packaging company MSI Express offers a range of solutions for food companies, as well as customers who produce supplements and pet food. Their services include blending, packaging, and filling, among others. To ensure production ran smoothly, their quality teams performed frequent checks across all lines, but they were missing out on opportunities to drive efficiencies.
The Strains of Manual Data Collection
At their Batavia, IL facility, each of MSI’s 12 quality technicians was performing manual checks of production activities for FSQA and GSFI compliance at least once per hour, and sometimes every 30 minutes. They’d then enter data using Excel or their company reporting system. By the time reviews were completed, problems like negative trends and failures were already worsening. Not only did this data collection and review method require excessive time and effort to complete, but issues were also more complex and labor-intensive to fix when they were detected later. Moreover, the lack of visibility into production and quality data minimized the ability to drive continuous improvements.
Removing Redundancies and Digitizing Records to Drive the Plant Forward
To see where they could streamline processes, the team listed out all checks, forms, and records being generated for the quality management system. They uncovered redundant checks that could be removed, as well as those that could be performed at less frequent intervals. Leadership removed all unnecessary checks and forms.
Next, SafetyChain went live on the production floor. Data was automatically collected and reported as quality techs performed their routine tasks. All paper records were eliminated, but thanks to timestamps and digital signatures for all records, quality techs remained accountable for their work. Management teams could verify all FSQA checks were being completed as specified. The digitized records with built-in compliance accelerated the records review process, giving hours back to quality supervisors who were performing PCQI review and release.
Business Impact: 70% Increase in Labor Efficiency
By reducing the number of checks for each production run as well as the number of required forms, SafetyChain has significantly reduced work across MSI’s QA department. Using tablets with favorite forms, carryover fields, and the submit and repeat function has also saved time for the team. And, PCQI review for product release now takes a matter of minutes; sign-off can now be done by managing exceptions instead of scrutinizing each paper record.
By implementing SafetyChain, the quality team has realized a 70% increase in labor efficiency during FSQA checks and records review for PCQI. With these efficiencies, MSI has been able to reduce the number of full-time quality technicians from 12 to 7 and has reallocated employees to other areas of the plant, helping to address staffing challenges.
Wholestone Farms Streamlines Sanitation for a 10 Hour-Per-Day Efficiency Gain
Wholestone Farms is a farmer-owned pork processing facility. Their family of more than 200 farms across the Midwest produces high-quality pork provisions, bringing them to tables across the globe. At their Fremont, NE facility, both their FSQA and Sanitation Supervisors were engaging in manual, labor-intensive data collection and review processes. These tedious workflows were taking up time that could be dedicated to higher-value activities.
Manual Paperwork Management Drains Supervisors’ Valuable Time
Wholestone Farms runs two shifts per day, seven days per week, with sanitation taking place at night. They have an FSQA Supervisor during the day and swing shift. When they were running paper-based operations, the FSQA Supervisors had to travel back and forth between the QA office and the plant floor throughout their shifts to conduct audits, perform checks, and engage with the process. When an issue occurred, they’d have to return to the office for forms and paperwork to document and address the issue, then file these documents in the office. They also had to perform pre-shipment reviews and manual sign-offs the next day, potentially delaying shipments when forms went missing or other issues occurred.
Similarly, the Sanitation Supervisor was tasked with gathering and inputting production data into their systems every evening to generate weekly reports. They had to gather, enter, and review data collected from paper records on the floor throughout the day. This took up two hours of their time every night.
Digital Data Collection Saves Time & Reduces Workloads
Now, all food safety and quality checks can be completed in SafetyChain, enabling immediate pre-shipment review and sign-off when production runs are complete. The team also completes all necessary GMP and food safety audits on the floor via tablet. FSQA Supervisors have also been equipped with tablets and can access this information in real time, minimizing wasted movement and travel across the facility.
By deploying SafetyChain, Wholestone Farms was able to automatically gather all relevant data in real time, allowing the team to create customized dashboards and reports for all users. This provides better, quicker insights into performance compared to having to wait for weekly reports. Plus, it’s completely eliminated the need for the Sanitation Supervisor to collect and review paperwork each evening.
By deploying SafetyChain, Wholestone Farms was able to automatically gather all relevant data in real time, allowing the team to create customized dashboards and reports for all users. This provides better, quicker insights into performance compared to having to wait for weekly reports. Plus, it’s completely eliminated the need for the Sanitation Supervisor to collect and review paperwork each evening.
Business Impact: 10 Hours’ Time Savings Each Day
By digitizing all QM and HACCP records, Wholestone Farms has saved FSQA Supervisors four hours of time each day, since the paperwork review process on the cut floor has been significantly streamlined. They’ve eliminated wasted time making trips back and forth between the QA office and the floor, and have dedicated more time to driving meaningful changes on the floor. An additional two hours has been saved by eliminating the Sanitation Supervisor’s task of collecting paperwork and performing data entry. Finally, four more hours have been saved each day since Operations Supervisors now have each shift’s performance data and reports readily available, enabling them to review, approve, and act quickly.
