Tips on minimizing unplanned downtime

Decreasing unplanned downtime is a key strategic initiative at the Weiterstadt plant in Germany where von Olshausen is based. One initiative receiving considerable emphasis centers around growing the machine operator's ability to fully control the packaging equipment for which he or she is responsible. Training and technology implementation are both aimed at turning "reactive users" into "progressive operators."

And rather than accepting a plant environment where "run to failure" is the accepted norm, P&G seeks out ways of controlling machine performance throughout its lifetime so that whenever machine failure-which is, of course, inevitable at some point-does begin to rear its ugly head, it doesn't do so in an unplanned way that will diminish P&G's ability to send cases of top quality product out the door.

The Packaging Automation Forum is sponsored by Summit Publishing's Packaging World and Automation World magazines. Held for the first time last May, the event quickly sold out. Click here for more information, including on-line registration.
--Pat Reynolds, Editor, Packaging World