West Pharmaceutical Services scheduled to optimise lead times

Paul Dunn, plant manager at Bodmin, explains that this factory, which is responsible for producing moulds and tools for West's other manufacturing sites, depends on accurate production planning and scheduling for the smooth running of the entire group. "A new planning and costing system has been driven by customer demand for shorter lead times and more accurate delivery forecasts," states Dunn. "This is a challenging combination in an environment of one-off and small batch production, involving complex and variable process routes," he explains – adding that the firm's existing system was no longer up to the job. The Seiki solution implemented comprises the assembly level Seiki Scheduler with work queues, shopfloor data collection and touch screen PCs, together providing real-time production updates for tooling. Dunn explains that it also provides detailed time analysis by job, which integrates with West's SAP ERP system for job costing. "When fully implemented, we anticipate having the ability to reduce lead times, by optimising the utilisation of our existing resources, and to be able to provide more accurate delivery times including 'what if' scenarios, together with real-time data for cost collection and analysis," states Dunn.