Activplant Corporation

CA

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Activplant Performance Management Solution Case Study Cadbury Adams USA

Activplant and Quantum Design provide improved technology and process visibility to Cadbury Adams USA

Cadbury Adams USA LLC is a $1.9 billion international business focusing on sugar confectionary and chewing gum. The U. S. subsidiary of British candy and soft drink giant Cadbury Schweppes, Adams products sell in 70 countries with 75% of sales in North and South America. Their flagship brands include Halls, Trident, Dentyne, Bubbaloo, Bubblicious, Certs, Chiclets and Clorets.

Challenge

Cadbury Adams was ready to purchase new equipment for their Rockford, Illinois facility. Along with the new machinery, they wanted to expand their data collection system throughout the plant to incorporate all facets of the gum making process. They needed a comprehensive system with more flexibility than the OEM equipment supplier could provide.

Cadbury Adams requirements for an ideal solution included:

• it should collect real time process data from their coating pans and packaging lines, including analog values (temperatures, pressures, weights, speeds and flows), digital data (machine I/O and faults) and string data (recipe names)
• the process data should be available via web-based screens to managers, team leaders, planners, maintenance personnel and machine operators whether in the plant or offsite
• the new system needed to be put into place quickly and cost effectively

Solution

Cadbury Adams turned to Quantum Design, Inc., an Activplant Associate Business Partner located in nearby Loves Park, Illinois. Quantum Design recommended the Activplant Performance Management Solution (APMS) because their experience with Activplant ensured that their solution would meet or exceed Cadbury Adams expectations.

The Activplant APMS system collects data from all of Cadbury Adams line sources on the factory floor and integrates it with business logic, reporting capabilities, analysis and intelligent discovery via alerts. This provides the different levels of insight needed by all ranks of Cadbury Adams personnel to make informed, accurate and rapid decisions to drive increased production and reduce costs.

And, since it is a pre-configured software solution, Activplant APMS was implemented within the time frame and budget parameters that Cadbury Adams specified.

For the first machine, Activplant was installed and collecting data in a matter of hours without any changes to the equipment controller, said Steve Johnson, Controls Application Engineer at Quantum Design. We designed general screens for Cadbury Adams, but the flexibility of Activplant allows users to create their own screens based on what data they want to see.

Results

Buck Cowen, Senior Electrical Engineer at Cadbury Adams, said, We picked Activplant because of its web-based design and user flexibility, and the fact that we could put it into service cost effectively. I have always tried to keep this plant at the top of technology. Activplant does that by giving us the tools we need to collect process data, to display that data, and to use that data to improve the day to day operations of the plant.

One of the great strengths of the new system is the web-based design that allows plant management greater process visibility even when they are offsite. For example, a Cadbury Adams project manager was across the country at a business meeting and needed to know the current status of the coating pans in a particular area of the plant. During the meeting, he logged onto his laptop, called up Activplant and monitored the real time status of the production line in Rockford.

Activplant APMS is delivering outstanding return on investment (ROI) as well as lower total cost of ownership (TCO) through dramatic, verifiable increases in production along with improved product quality and on-time delivery. Future performance management plans include the ability to compare multiple production shifts and lines over several days to identify areas for improvement. Cadbury Adams also expects to implement data display boards that will allow plant personnel to be more proactive, and the manufacturer expects that Activplant will be instrumental in maximizing efficiency for new product launches.

With Activplant we are able to meet the requirements of each department, from Stamping through Assembly, without multiple customized solutions. This will provide us with a single, integrated enterprise system for gathering and analyzing production information.

Greg Wilder Assistant General Manager, Information Systems Toyota North America

Activplant provides real-time information to manufacturing teams and team leaders making them instantly aware of process quality and throughput performance with data. As a result, operators have eyes through which they can see opportunities for continuous improvement. This tool increases the potential for operators to solve problems within the part to part cycle time, improving productivity.

Frederick J. Goedtel VP Transmission Manufacturing DaimlerChrysler

Activplant allowed us to analyze cycle times and workflow performance at each assembly station, uncover constraints and remove bottlenecks. This had a major impact on our throughput. Overall the Activplant system has helped us get the line up and running, debugged, and provides ongoing performance improvement. The impact on our business has been dramatic.

Gerard Gonos Business Unit Manager Tower Automotive

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