United Biscuits takes step-by-step approach to manufacturing information strategy

Challenges

United Biscuits (now pladis) run several production lines making different products at each of their 14 manufacturing sites. In the context of multi-site operations, the company acknowledged that evaluating performance at line, plant, or group level required the implementation of an integrated manufacturing execution system.

The solution, based on Shopfloor-Online MES software, delivers data using a set of standard KPIs, providing United Biscuits with a reliable platform for Quality Assurance and Compliance.

Shopfloor-Online^TM MOM Software

Number of manufacturing plants installed: 8 plants in Europe, planned roll-out to all plants.

Production Efficiency KPIs, called Overall Line Potential.

The biscuits and snacks manufacturer had 2 distinct processes: baking and frying; some lines in the baking process also include a chocolate coating process. Shopfloor-Online MES system overcame the complexity of several types of manufacturing lines by modelling all of the processes into a standard model.

United Biscuits’ MES system delivers fast and reliable insight into a range of key indicators:

• Waste
• OEE
• Quality
• Performance
• Output

Product Quality Analysis & Traceability

It enables finished product quality checks on:

• Packaging appearance and labelling
• Product freshness, appearance and taste
• Lot Traceability: from the receipt of raw materials through every step of the production process to finished goods

Reporting

Dashboards provide information at 3 levels:  

• Line level (a view across all machines, in the line)
• Factory level (a view across lines in the factory)
• Global (a view across the 7 UK plants)

Key benefits

• Increased efficiency through transparency of information across plants
• Improved visibility on performance for the boardroom
• Enables factory managers to focus on areas of improvement
• Made staff mobility easier between manufacturing sites: one MES model replicated on each site means training time is reduced
• Customer Quality audits take only 2 hours compared to up to 3 days previously

About United Biscuits

The leading manufacturer and marketer of biscuits in the UK and second largest in the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Ireland, UB brands (now pladis) are sold in over 130 countries with seven manufacturing facilities in the UK, one in Belgium, two in France, one in the Netherlands, and one each in Nigeria, India and the Middle East.