Joseph Robertson, UK - Productivity is the catch of the day
Joseph Robertson, a leading seafood company based in Scotland, has installed an OAL Connected system to protect its packaging lines. The subsequent software upgrade allowed the business to secure a 50% improvement in productivity since installation in 2019 and eliminate paperwork from the factory floor.
As seen in Food Processing Magazine.
Background
Joseph Robertson, a family business committed to sourcing ethically sustainable seafood and supplying the very best quality, best value products possible, has been in business since 1878. Following recent growth, the leadership team was considering ways in which the company could safeguard its retail packaging lines to prevent product recalls.
Initially the company was looking to tighten up its label & date code verification to ensure full security at higher volumes and compliance with retailer codes of practice. This search led them to the OAL Connected system to automate what had previously been a manual process. Following its successful implementation, the OAL Connected system was upgraded to measure the plant’s performance, allowing the company to achieve a 50% improvement in its overall equipment efficiency (OEE) and go paperless.
Challenge
The primary objective of the project was to find a label & date code system that could prevent product recalls and protect the company’s packaging lines. The product quality checks and production data at Joseph Robertson’s 80,000 sq foot, state-of-the-art manufacturing site were largely paper-based, leaving the company open to human error and unable to track performance easily as all of the data was on disparate pieces of paper.
As Joseph Robertson supplies a number of retailers, an automated system was required that was flexible enough to ensure the right product left the facility in the right packaging with the right date code every time to protect consumers, their customers and their bottom line.
Solution
The OAL Connected label & date code verification solution was chosen thanks to its proven ability to prevent product recalls. By applying 2D codes to all packaging and linking the OAL Connected system to the printers, every product is now scanned and compared to the pre-entered job information on the master database to make sure that the right packaging, label and date code are present, automating the process and eliminating human error across all retailer products.
Following the installation of the OAL Connected system, the company decided to invest further to upgrade the system and take advantage of the OEE capabilities to measure plant performance and boost productivity. Due to the fact that the OAL Connected system is in place to check date codes, it provides a much more accurate view of OEE than many other systems as the start and the end of the product run must be entered, capturing the entirety of operational time. Any stoppages must be accounted for, with operators obliged to enter a reason code for each interruption, whether it’s frequent short stops or more significant downtime. This allows stakeholders to see exactly what happened on a particular production run rather than having to sift through mountains of paperwork, trying to ascertain where and why a problem occurred.
Real-time data reports can be accessed from anywhere, allowing key stakeholders to view pressure points in the process and immediately rectify any causes of downtime, solving the problem at the source to improve future performance and transforming productivity levels.
In addition, paperwork has been eliminated as all checks are now carried out digitally, increasing accuracy by removing the element of human error, enhancing traceability, reducing storage costs and making everyone’s life easier, from those having to complete the forms to those trying to gain meaningful insights from them.
Key results
Not only has Joseph Robertson been free of product recalls since installation, the company was also able to achieve payback on the system in under three months thanks to the productivity gains. By making the most of its equipment, the team can now meet deadlines with ease, even at increased capacity with the same footprint, equipment and staff.
“I’ve been very impressed with the OAL Connected system, it’s really been a game-changer for us. What was originally brought in to prevent product recalls has now become an invaluable tool to improve our production efficiency while also eliminating paperwork from the factory floor. By highlighting ‘invisible’ problems, the system has transformed our operations and helped to position us for future growth.”
Using the OEE functionalities, Joseph Robertson has been able to increase its productivity by 50% through a range of activities designed to eliminate short stoppages that quickly add up. And they’re not done yet; the system has given them the confidence to set an even higher OEE target as the team continues to drive further improvements based on the data generated by the system. The next stage in the journey is to roll out the OAL Connected system to other areas of the facility to bring further productivity gains and remove the remaining paperwork.
Want to replicate Joseph Robertson’s success? Contact us today to boost your productivity!
At a glance
Customer since: 2018
Challenge
Risk of label and packaging errors with higher volumes.
Compliance with retailer codes of practice.
Manual downtime recording and reporting.
Solution
OAL Connected installed across 4 packaging lines.
OEE downtime recording and reporting
24/7 support contract with audits to ensure retailer code of practice compliance.
Results
No product recalls since installation.
50% productivity improvement
