Over the last 15 years, KIAP has created and deployed its own customized approach to operational transformation, leading to significant performance improvements in manufacturing organizations. It is now clear that Lean operations ensure the process maturity on the shop floor necessary to implement Industry 4.0 and AI-driven automation solutions.

Complementing Lean with a judicious deployment of Industry 4.0 solutions can help multiply benefits such as improved productivity, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), reduced throughput time, and inventory reduction while enhancing quality and reducing costs. These solutions also enable easier monitoring and tracking of relevant process and performance parameters. Furthermore, they ensure data sanctity for accurate decision-making and error-proof critical areas, thereby avoiding catastrophic process and delivery failures.

KIAP works with select technology partners who have developed robust solutions that complement our Gemba implementation. These solutions can be customized depending on the specific needs of the process, and KIAP experts are on-site to ensure proper fitment. We also help our clients utilize the deployed solutions and realize the full benefit through further process improvement and standardization.

Equipment Performance
  • OEE Monitoring and alerts
  • Predictive maintenance
  • Condition-based monitoring
  • Digital checklists
Process Optimization
  • AI-powered predictive statistical models
  • Parameter monitoring and alerts
  • Error proofing solutions
  • Energy consumption tracking and controls
Production Line
  • Complete Manufacturing Execution System (MES)
  • Line Stop alerts and downtime tracking
  • Product traceability and configuration management
  • E-SOPs and digital logbooks
Work Order Management
  • Digital supermarkets
  • E-kanban and kitting
  • Visual dashboards
  • E-route cards
Warehouse Management
  • E-WMS
  • Pick route optimization
  • Dynamic Storage allocation

Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) Improvement in an SMT Line – A Success Story

Our client, an electronic systems manufacturer, needed to ramp up production to fulfill a large tender. The SMT lines, which assembled over 40 PCB variants used in the system, had become a bottleneck. Expanding capacity was not an option due to the investment required and the time involved.

Manual OEE calculations showed that the line was operating at 60% OEE, largely due to changeovers and short stops. This was despite earlier SMED workshops that had improved the physical changeover activities.

KIAP worked with a technology partner to design and implement an application that helped reduce changeover time, provided alerts, and enabled operators to prepare component reels in advance to minimize stoppages. The system also enabled shift-wise monitoring of OEE.

Within three months, OEE improved from 60% to 72%.