How we transformed manufacturing plants of a global packaging company into a data-driven Industry 4.0 best practice

TTE was asked to systematically boost productivity of manufacturing plants with big data and Industry 4.0.

Joint process analysis: We interviewed operators at the plant to learn about the E2E process management and find out about processes that work well and processes that need improvement. Once we understood the processes, we conducted a workshop with industry experts to clarify which manufacturing issues can be solved today, and which issues have not been resolved by science yet.

Operationalizing Industry 4.0: To achieve operational excellence, we created a road map using the Industry 4.0 framework: at which stage does the plant currently operate, and what needs to be done to achieve the next stage? We teamed up with implementation partners for several project phases, since the road map included several technical milestones.

Process digitalization: At the end of the project, all processes were digitalized according to the Industry 4.0 framework. We implemented condition-based monitoring and predictive maintenance to push asset utilization. Advanced communication tools now ensure the highest health and safety standards.

The project delivered impacts across a number of areas

1. Big-data approach enabling efficient control of all manufacturing machines
2. Lower unit costs due to efficient maintenance stops (unit cost reduction of 5%)
3. Efficient equipment utilization (OEE increased by 20%)