Reduce confusion around flexibility, adaptability and changeover to maximize impact
The best way to prevent any confusion is to ensure all parties work from a common understanding of these terms.
As improvements in flexibility, adaptability and ease of changeover become critical elements to equipment design, strong communication between original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and CPGs is necessary to align expectations around customer needs. Additionally, a unified understanding of the impact that advances in flexibility and adaptability will have on overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) measurements will set up all parties for success in implementing modular, tool-less and rapid changeover protocols in the short term or further down the road.
These issues led to an important discussion at the most recent Top to Top Meeting hosted by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing. Among the association’s board members and technical professionals from a variety of CPGs, much of the conversation revolved around the fact there is no common agreement on the definition of flexibility, adaptability and changeover. While the design elements are very much linked, manufacturing professionals have unique, context-driven understandings of each of these terms. This inconsistency can create opportunities for a misalignment of expectations between suppliers and end-users.