Plastics Business Looks at Statistical Process Control
Released on: June 9, 2008, 5:59 am
Press Release Author: Thomas R. Cutler
Industry: Software
Press Release Summary: Plastics Business Looks at Statistical Process Control
Press Release Body: Ken Welchman is the director of quality for Golf Ball Operations at the Acushnet Company (makers of Titleist golf balls.) Welchman believes that Titleist is like many other plastics manufacturing organizations: "I think the main challenge of any high-volume industry is to reduce variation of the products and to monitor your process real-time to ensure that any variation is minimized and corrected as quickly as possible. There also is a lot of competition for business from overseas manufacturers." In searching for an SPC solution, Titleist had specific challenges they were looking to meet. According to Welchman, "We were growing very quickly and our data collection system was not able to give us real-time data. The system that we had could only run overnight and only one associate knew how to access the data. We also were experiencing data entry errors. We needed a system that was operator/user friendly and that could interact between multiple facilities." In the current issue of Plastics Business manufacturing journalist Thomas R. Cutler, contributed an important feature article titled, "Real-time Data Drives a Hole-in-one."
According to Cutler, "Plastics manufacturers are facing unprecedented increases in Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) because of the increases in the cost of oil - the building block of plastic resin. Real-time production knowledge helps manufacturers control these costs in several ways."
Evan Miller, CEO of Hertzler Systems and maker of GainSeeker, contributed "By using real-time statistical process control (SPC), plastics manufacturers can immediately know when a process shifts and when they need to make adjustments. This real-time knowledge can reduce or even eliminate the amount of scrap that is produced - which reduces the total COGS."
By reducing the amount of scrap, manufacturers can reduce the 'overages' scheduled to compensate for the anticipated scrap levels, again reducing the COGS. Another benefit of reduced scrap is that equipment is freed to do productive work. A shop with a 5 percent scrap rate and 20 molding machines has one machine dedicated to making scrap. Using real-time production data to eliminate scrap is the equivalent of buying a new machine.
Hertzler Systems (www.hertzler.com) provides seamless, accurate data acquisition solutions that drive business transformation. The company provides the leading real-time data acquisition and analytics software, the GainSeeker Suite. This powerful and flexible system is best used by lean and progressive companies. Gainseeker Suite allows companies to connect with devices and other information systems, collecting data and alarming key personnel when problems arise; this technology allows organizations to analyze data for root cause problems, converting data into knowledge.
Hertzler Systems Inc. www.hertzler.com Adrienne DePew Communications Manager info@hertzler.com 800.958.2709
Web Site: http://www.hertzler.com
Contact Details: Hertzler Systems 2312 Eisenhower Dr. N. Goshen, IN 46526 800-958-2709