Implementing factory floor software let operators take ownership of performance and make significant improvements.

Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, the second-largest Coca-Cola bottler in the US, has seen an initial 2 percent improvement in overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) within five months of implementing CDC Factory, a manufacturing operations management (MOM) software solution, at its facility in Roanoke, VA.

 Headquartered in Charlotte, NC, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated sells and distributes carbonated and noncarbonated beverages, including soft drinks, water, teas, juices and energy drinks. With the completion of the MOM implementation in Roanoke, the bottler plans to implement the software at its four other production facilities located in Charlotte, NC; Nashville, TN; Mobile, AL; and Bishopville, SC.

The implementation of MOM in the Roanoke plant used CDC Software’s change-management methodology, which has helped Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated raise OEE levels. As Coca-Cola continues to offer a widening product portfolio, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated is faced with increasingly complex manufacturing challenges, such as maintaining numerous stock keeping units (SKUs) and the related changeovers. MOM software has helped to address these challenges, and it improves operating efficiencies across all the bottler’s production lines.

The Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated supply chain team had previous experiences with lengthy design-and-build projects, so it particularly liked the supplier’s packaged software functionality and rapid implementation capabilities. The supplier’s consultants initially performed the Factory Profit Audit, a CDC Factory benchmark study, which provided the Coca-Cola Consolidated team with a clear and focused project scope that was cost-effective and pragmatic. It also identified actionable recommendations.

“We especially liked how CDC Factory drives action on the manufacturing floor where our employees take ownership of performance and improvement,” says Steve Westphal, executive vice president, operations and systems of Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated. “With CDC Factory’s capabilities of real-time plant intelligence, coupled with a change program embedded in the deployment activities, I’m delighted we have delivered a 2 percent efficiency improvement in 5 months.”

The MOM system allows users to make real-time, actionable decisions. It combines shop floor data capture, paperless quality management, packaged metrics like OEE, manufacturing analytics and executive scorecards. Pre-built continuous improvement capabilities, combined with an implementation model focused on business transformation, allows for a quick deployment.

For more information, visit the CDC Factory website.