CASE STUDIES

A need for accurate data to identify excess capacity

Daniel Hancox, Business Support Manager at Russell Roof Tiles sought a solution to address specific challenges in their operations. They needed accurate and real-time data to support purchasing decisions and strategic planning related to machines, tooling, and shift patterns. The goal was to identify and utilise excess capacity, improve efficiency, and effectively allocate resources. 

Daniel said “We use the schedule regularly with the live machine status. This gives us quick access to the key figures we need and allows us to quickly see the impact of potential job changes on our production plan, as well as where we might fall behind or have spare capacity to improve. 

A user-friendly interface

Daniel and his team selected Intouch as their MES solution due to its wide range of features that could be tailored to their specific needs, this included cloud hosting, maintenance support, and an extremely user-friendly interface. They recognized the system’s ability to provide real-time data visualization on shop floor visuals, making it a perfect fit for their needs. Seeing the system in action at a partner facility further solidified their decision. 

Daniel said “The monthly fee, cloud hosting and maintenance support were attractive to us. Also the system interface, it’s appearance, usability and the way it displays shop floor visuals were exactly what we were looking for” 

Ability to track planned downtime

By implementing intouch, Russell Roof Tiles gained valuable insights into their production processes. The system allowed them to map out machines, track planned downtime, view their workload, and shift patterns. With this visibility, they could identify areas for improvement, optimise maintenance efforts, and focus on critical spare parts management. The system’s features, such as updating retrospective downtime with comments and providing monthly reports on OEE performance, proved to be particularly useful. 

“Being able to update retrospective downtime and reason codes with comments is particularly helpful when analysing issues at month end or at team meetings. It also helps us focus our maintenance time and critical spare parts components more efficiently.” 

The results

Since the installation of Intouch, Russell Roof Tiles has achieved remarkable results. They were able to delay a costly repair/maintenance job by 5 months through proper workload re-planning based on accurate capacity data. Additionally, they improved OEE from ~70% to over 90% consistently for 9 out of their 12 machines. The solution enabled them to make data-driven decisions, enhance operational efficiency, and achieve their production goals. 

“The monthly reports for OEE performance are great, as well as the dashboards that display live data which we can use to provide targeted improvements to shop floor teams’”

Daniel also commended Intouch for its customer service: “Intouch were brilliant and very accommodating during our free trial phase. Since implementation, we have been in communication with their support team for assistance with user related & data capture questions and their team are extremely knowledgeable and friendly, as well as fast to respond, so we were able to keep using the system to it’s full potential”   

In conclusion, Russell Roof Tiles successfully utilised Intouch to overcome their operational challenges, optimise resource utilisation, and achieve significant improvements in OEE. The implementation of this MES solution empowered them to make informed decisions, improve workflows, and effectively manage their production processes.