Line Design and Line Modeling

Line design philosophy based on:

• Strong emphasis on creation of logical work cells to minimize personnel requirements. Operator task times and reaction times calculated for efficient work cells without assigning excessive tasks to individual operators.
• Component specification based on recovery speed modeling.
• Accumulation design based on estimates of mean down time, mean time between failure and recovery speed for line components and line segments.
• Conveyor construction and design specifications based on product and environment.
• Integrated controls design, specification of control components and establishment of consistent communication protocols.

   

Extensive experience with design and installation of tabletop conveying systems, mass flow conveyor systems, air conveyor systems, bulk conveying systems, case conveying systems, pallet conveyors and automatic guided vehicles (AGV’s).

Extensive experience with line design and line installation for preform conveyance, bottle conveyance, injection systems, blow molding systems, depalletizers, fillers, labelers, orientation systems, box erectors, case packers, shrink packers, palletizers, robot systems, etc.

Modeling of Packaging Lines:

• Modeling of line based on down time tracking, mean down time and mean time between failures.
• Use of statistical process control data and down time tracking data from similar lines and equipment for modeling of new lines.
• Utilization of accumulation and buffer recovery models to determine optimum line design specific to packaging processes and equipment required on the line.
• Line efficiencies are optimized by statistically determining required buffer sizing and eliminating overall line stoppages due to common component stoppages.
• Capital costs are minimized by avoiding installation of excessive and unnecessary accumulation systems.
• Design decisions are based on return on capital investment on recovery speed of line equipment and size of accumulation systems based on Pareto analysis of mean down time and mean time between failures.