Case study · Frozen food · Scarborough, Ontario

From 61% to 78% OEE in twelve weeks.

A family-run dumpling plant was working overtime every Friday and still missing orders. We made the losses visible, fixed the three biggest, and automated the reporting so the gains stuck.

Illustrative case built from issues common in GTA food plants. The plant is a composite; figures show the method and typical results.

OEE

61 → 78%

Changeover

55 → 22 min

Giveaway

4.2 → 1.1%

Rejects

1.8 → 0.7%

Overtime

−70%

Payback

~5 mo

OEE

61 → 78%

Changeover

55 → 22 min

Giveaway

4.2 → 1.1%

Rejects

1.8 → 0.7%

Overtime

−70%

Payback

~5 mo

The problem

The whiteboard said running. The data said otherwise.

Two dumpling forming lines feed one spiral freezer and one bagger packing 454 g bags. About 60 staff on two shifts.

Area	What the owner saw	What the data showed
Production	Output swinging ±25%	55-minute changeovers, never timed. Freezer half-empty while forming caught up.
Productivity	Overtime every Friday	Short stops under 5 min added up to 38 min a shift, never recorded.
Quality	Underweight complaints	Filler set high to be safe: 4.2% giveaway, and 1.8% still rejected.

How we work

Diagnose. Decide. Deliver.

Diagnose

Where is the time going?

Changeover time studies
Stop log for 10 shifts
Loss tree to good bags

Make it visible

Can the floor see it live?

PLC counters and checkweigher connected
Shift dashboard on a TV at the line
Stop reasons on a tablet

Decide and fix

Which three losses matter most?

SMED with a spare forming head
Filler control from checkweigher data
Freezer loading at forming rate

Deliver and hand over

Will it hold without us?

6:00 AM daily report by email
Alarm rules to the supervisor
SOPs and operator training

Live demo

The dashboard the plant runs on.

Switch between Before and After to see every screen change.

Line 1 · Pork & Chive 454 g · Day shift · 14:20

Output by hour bags, target 600/h

Machine status this shift

RunningChangeoverStoppedWaiting

Downtime by reason min per shift

What changed

Reason	Before	After

Bag weight distribution g, label 454 g

Hourly mean weight SPC ±3σ

Changeover steps min, Pork & Chive to Har Gow

Daily report sent 6:00 AM

Alarm rules

Bag weight drifts over 3σ for 10 min: text the supervisor.
Line stopped over 5 min with no reason: prompt the operator tablet.
Freezer load under 70% for 15 min: flag forming as bottleneck.
Metal detector reject: stop bagger, log for HACCP.
Changeover 10 min over standard: notify maintenance lead.

Source	Data	Before
Forming PLCs	Counts, run/stop	Not read
Checkweigher	Every bag weight	Display only
Freezer controller	Belt load, temp	Paper chart
Operator tablet	Stop reasons, CCPs	Clipboard

Your plant

What would ten OEE points be worth to you?

Estimated extra contribution per year

Tell us about your line ↗