James Boag & Son Brewing Co.

Boag's project team

Line Changeover

Project Objectives

  • Minimise the time that neither line is producing and maximise the time that one or the other line is producing

  • Visual management of filler stopping on one line to filler starting on the other line

  • Minimise the time the line gets to rated speed

Project Team

Alex Warren
J Boag & Son

Monty Clark
J Boag & Son

Chris Whitfield

Chris Whitfield
J Boag & Son

Diane Roberts
Tasmanian Bakeries

Rayne McCreadie
Direct Edge Manufacturing

Facilitators

Bob Cother
The Action Learning Institute

Les Souster
Just Lean Associates

Key measurables

  • Overall Equipment Effectiveness of Line 1 & 2

Companies involved

  • James Boag & Son Brewery (host)

  • Tasmanian Bakeries

  • Direct Edge Manufacturing

Approach taken

  • Defined current process state

  • Expectation of project, line capabilities, OEE target, impact on customers presented by senior managment

  • Team toured operation (Line Separation caused complexities and communication barriers)

  • Current Line 1 and 2 processes mapped

  • Story board of initial impressions

  • Stakeholder interviews

  • Data collected and analysed to find ‘black hole’ in changeover time

  • DMAIC and Cause/Effect used to determine root cause

  • Key issues identified and action plans addressing each issue created

  • Gantt chart used to plan implementation

  • Regular meetings with Project Champion to monitor progress

Summary of outcomes

  • Line change over average time reduced from 4 hours to 2 hours

  • Better planning resulted in changeover consistency

  • Ten hours of extra production time in the week

  • Better standard work task completion on changeover – now tracked at Tier 1 level

  • OEE improved by approx. 20% and sustained over next three months, currently running just under 80%

  • Plan is now to set a two hour window for changeover