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IET, Inc.
3539 Glendale Ave
Toledo, Ohio 43614
1.419.385.1233
www.ieteng.com

Case Study 3-10834

Plant consolidation in a seasonal environment.


IET provided the data and analysis to prove the consolidation could be achieved.


The Customer

A large, high volume pickle manufacturer

"IET spent the time on the shop floor to learn our processes and truly understand what was going on. They worked closely with our team members to develop this consolidation proposal for presentation to top management."

- Plant Manager


The Challenge

Consolidate two plants into one while maintaining capacity in a seasonal environment.

The Solution

Our client had two plants producing pickles. In peak season, the plants are running at full capacity. In the off season, the plants run under capacity. IET measured changeover, productivity and sanitation losses in the plant to get a picture of true current capacity and how much improvement could be gained. With this data, capacity models were built using historical product mixes and future product mixes. The true capacity of each line was calculated. The goal was to consolidate the smaller plant into the larger plant without adding extensive capital improvements.

To accomplish this, alternative crewing schedules during peak season were created. The alternative crewing schedules relied on 24 hours per day, seven days per week operation while minimizing overtime. Another large factor of the consolidation was creatively sourcing produce to extend the peak season. Logistics was also a challenge. Dock and trailer storage capacity was a constraint. Creative solutions were developed to store empty and full trailers at on site and off site locations.



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