How Downtime Analysis Unleashed Asset Performance To Reduce Waste for a Transmission Component Supplier

In modern manufacturing, every second of production time is a precious commodity. For suppliers to giants in the automobile and heavy equipment industries, the pressure to meet ever-increasing customer demand isn't just about fulfilling orders; it's about safeguarding profitability, maintaining reputation, and securing future contracts. 

When production lines falter and output falls short, the threat of losing key accounts looms large, creating a critical and immediate challenge that demands a strategic response.

This was the exact predicament faced by a prominent transmission component supplier. Despite their best efforts, which included running one crucial department around the clock, with three shifts working seven days a week, they simply could not keep pace with customer demand. While heroic in its intent, this relentless schedule was unsustainable and, more importantly, ineffective. 

In such high-pressure scenarios, the initial, gut-level reaction pointed towards a seemingly obvious solution: invest heavily in more machinery, expand the facility, and hire additional personnel to operate the new equipment. However, senior leadership at this forward-thinking company wisely recognized this as a high-risk strategy. 

Such a move would entail a substantial capital expense, a dramatic increase in headcount, and no guarantee that the fundamental issues causing the bottleneck would be resolved. It was a path fraught with financial peril and uncertain outcomes.

Optimizing What You Have Before Expanding

Instead of succumbing to the temptation of costly, knee-jerk expansion, these senior leaders had a far more insightful and sustainable vision. They understood that efficiency wasn't necessarily about adding more but optimizing what they already possessed. 

Their primary objective became clear: they first needed to understand their existing machinery's production capability thoroughly. More specifically, they sought to pinpoint the reasons behind the substantial production downtime they were experiencing. 

Their goal was to enhance and improve the utilization of their current assets to their absolute maximum potential before even considering approving massive capital expenditures for new machinery. 

This strategic foresight was a proactive, intelligent step towards reducing waste, enhancing efficiency, and maximizing output within their existing operational footprint. It represented a shift from reactive problem-solving to proactive, data-driven optimization.

Hertzler Systems Delivers the Data-Driven Solution Through A Partnership

This is precisely where Hertzler Systems stepped in, providing the indispensable tools and expertise to transform a chaotic, underperforming situation into a controlled, highly optimized production process. Hertzler Systems offered the means for exceptionally granular and precise downtime analysis, enabling the supplier to track each machine's activity down to the minute. This meticulous tracking accurately recorded every moment spent on machine setup, crucial maintenance events, and, critically, actual productive run time, all contributing to a better understanding of asset performance.

The true transformative power of GainSeeker, Hertzler Systems' flagship software, was central to this operational overhaul. GainSeeker automatically captured and served as the central, unified repository for all this critical machine data. 

It seamlessly integrated information collected directly from the machines with valuable insights manually supplied by the machine operators. This comprehensive, integrated data collection was a game-changer. It allowed the production team to create dynamic, multi-level Pareto charts – a powerful statistical visualization tool. 

Suddenly, they had crystal-clear insights into the amount of time spent on specific, identifiable tasks causing downtime. Whether it was resolving recurring electrical problems, making time-consuming tool changes, or making other subtle adjustments impacting the automobile production process, the data laid it bare. No more guesswork, no more assumptions—just cold, hard facts presented in an easily digestible format.

Armed with this unprecedented and detailed knowledge about process variation and the precise causes of downtime, the machine operators gained an entirely new understanding and empowerment. They now understood the exact circumstances under which they should make specific changes to the process. 

This led to more informed, timely, and infinitely more effective real-time decisions that directly addressed the root causes of inefficiency, significantly reducing waste across the entire production line. This shift from reactive fixes to proactive, data-driven adjustments was pivotal for optimizing asset performance.

Soaring Output, Minimized Waste, and Significant Financial Savings

The impact of this focused and insightful downtime analysis, powered by Hertzler Systems' GainSeeker, was nothing short of extraordinary. In a remarkably short period – just six months – the department achieved a complete and stunning turnaround. The transformation was evident across multiple key performance indicators:

• Output increased by an impressive over 25%. This substantial boost meant the supplier could meet and comfortably exceed customer demand, transforming a potential crisis into a testament to their renewed capability.
• Scrap and defects were dramatically minimized. This direct benefit stemmed from the deep understanding and proactive addressing of process variations identified through the data analysis, leading to higher-quality products and less material waste.
• Perhaps one of the most tangible and immediate financial benefits was the department's ability to reduce its work week to five days. This eliminated the need for costly weekend shifts and the associated overtime pay, directly saving the company nearly $100,000 in a relatively short period. These savings went directly to the bottom line, significantly enhancing their impact on profitability.
• Crucially, the initially considered, expensive, and high-risk strategy of purchasing additional machinery was deemed unnecessary. Once regarded as insufficient, the existing equipment proved capable of handling the demand once its asset performance and utilization were optimized.

This compelling case study powerfully demonstrates that effective production solutions aren't always about simply expanding or investing more capital. More often, they are about intelligently optimizing what you already possess and improving asset performance.

By leveraging Hertzler Systems' advanced capabilities for detailed downtime analysis through the robust GainSeeker software (also available as a cloud-based solution called GS Premier), this transmission component supplier resolved a critical production bottleneck and achieved substantial cost savings, dramatically improved efficiency, and fortified its market position. 

Are you ready to ensure that you unlock the hidden potential within your manufacturing operations and see how effective downtime analysis can redefine your production capability and boost your asset performance? Contact Hertzler today to discuss your needs.