Replacing or overhauling an entire beverage line is seldom a viable solution. In most cases, the challenge is to optimize the existing line while addressing factors like time, money, space and dated equipment.

Such was the case when plant engineers at a premier beverage brand teamed with Haskell to rebuild an existing line under tight restrictions. The performance of the existing line had been severely compromised due to running it overtime to build inventory for the holiday season. Facing a limited shutdown schedule, the team had to reconfigure a new line that would increase capacity by 30% and significantly ramp up Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).

Working Through Obstacles

The company had already invested millions of dollars in a mono block filler that could increase the line’s throughput capacity. The filler was a proven, high-performance piece of equipment, but it had to integrate with much older equipment on the line. Moreover, the filler took up an enormous amount of space, and workers in certain sections around the existing labeler were already working shoulder-to-shoulder.

The team explored more than a dozen out-of-the-box design options, including raising as much equipment as possible in the air. They knew the right answer was to build an accumulation system on the line, even though it was not in the project budget. Then there was the question of where to put the accumulation system on the line. Ultimately, they decided to test the accumulator in three different locations along the line, with an eye on optimizing value in both design and installation.

The Power of Modeling

The team tested potential locations of the accumulation system using a digital twin, a model that allows testing to be conducted in a simulated environment prior to startup. It works by interacting with the PLC program that controls the line. The PLC reads input from the model and directs the outputs to cause actions in the model, according to the logic. This interaction allows the engineers – as well as the entire team – to verify the logic and confirm the line will operate as intended.

Engineers also connected the HMI to the PLC to verify all the operator controls, alarms and enunciators. Prior to startup, the entire team participated in a control system Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) in the Haskell office. The logic was totally verified, along with the interface for operators and the code for including the additional accumulation. As a result, the team effectively tested the accumulation system in each of the three proposed locations on the line.

The team needed to protect the filler, but from what? Adding accumulation pre- or post-filler was the first consideration to be addressed.

The team found the speed of the depalletizer was enough to make up for any potential hiccups the accumulation system may have in the line, but they determined that adding pre-filler accumulation would not help optimize the line. Then it found that post-filler accumulation would provide the most benefit, given the tight floor space, but adding accumulation between the filler and the over capper was not their preferred option; it proved to be the right answer.

Adding an accumulation system in this location allowed the mono block filler to empty if a stoppage occurred downstream (a quality requirement). It also buffered the filler from over capper downtime events. Adding accumulation after the labeler was beneficial from a statistical perspective. But the need for full operator access around the machine, necessary storage for materials and a rework area all added to the congestion. The team believed that while accumulation would help buffer the outages between the packer and the labeler, the congestion would increase the time the labeler was down because it would be even more difficult to work in that area.

Final Decision, Final Testing

The team ultimately placed a 500-bottle accumulator between the filler and the over capper. This decision resulted in a beverage line that could achieve OEE targets while meeting quality requirements. Additionally, it helped simplify line automation programming, alleviating the need for complicated algorithms that had to account for every circumstance.

After identifying this location, the engineers decided to model each of the three options as an added precaution. They created a simple flowchart simulation for a four-line configuration. The only change between the configurations was the location of 500 bottles worth of accumulation.

Results were dramatic: the availability for the line increased by 3.3 points, more than 2.5 points better for accumulation located between the filler and the over capper than the other two line locations.

The Impact on Start-Up

The digital twin was key in enabling the team to make the right decision and accelerate start-up on the line. Through this technology, it was able to validate controls and test outputs on the line to determine the best location for the accumulation system, all prior to start-up, with no loss in actual production time.

The ability to test the line in this manner greatly diminished the challenge of a short shutdown schedule, which alleviated stress on several levels. In fact, the plant surpassed its OEE targets within four weeks of starting the line, a full six weeks ahead of schedule. The line also set new production records, so much so that the line had to be stopped in order for new materials to arrive.

Ultimately, the team surpassed all its goals, transforming a previously compromised beverage line into a highly profitable manufacturing system.

Contact Haskell’s Manufacturing Solutions experts to maximize OEE, production and profitability.