FASTech’s UPC Verification System Case Study in Control Engineering Magazine

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FASTechnology Group adds UPC Verification to Bagging Machines in Packaging Industry

Challenge: Supplement existing machines with an efficient, robust system to verify the correct pre-printed packaging is used for the product being packaged, 100% of the time.

Solution: Using the latest in PLC controls, HMI, and machine vision technology, as well as custom software and database development, FASTechnology Group created a system to read, compare and verify the UPC barcode of each and every product made against the plant’s ERP system.

Result: A system that integrates seamlessly with the existing production lines, monitoring the necessary aspects to improve line consistency and make mismatching of product to packaging a thing of the past.

Summary: In the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, a simple mismatch of pre-printed package to product can quickly spiral into a safety concern for consumers, not to mention countless dollars lost on wasted products, recalls, and downtime. For example, a packaging line cannot have peanuts going into a potato chip bag. The risks of only checking the spool of film prior to running the line doesn’t always cut it. When FASTechnology Group was tasked with modifying existing production lines to verify the UPC of each and every bag, the company was able to use the latest in industrial controls across a wide array of technologies to deliver a solution to the customer.

The system combines an industrial logic controller, a machine vision barcode reader, and custom server-side software to cross-reference the physical UPC with the one in the Plant Management Software.  As one of FASTech’s customers states: “Using this system, we are able to limit the pulling of jobs down from the plant management system to only those scheduled for the current shift. This keeps the user interface out on the plant floor clean, simple to use, and efficient.”

Here is a link to the original Case Study…

FASTech_UPC_Verification_CaseStudy

Get Your Overall Equipment Effectiveness to 85% and higher.

The importance of knowing what your OEE is!

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Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) Part 4 of 4 Part Blog

by Dion Volk

Now that you know how to calculate OEE, what do you do with it?  How is it useful?  What is a good number?

Knowing your OEE helps you understand your manufacturing health, know when to take on additional orders, when to make new equipment acquisitions, and when not to.

Once you have started the daily process of calculating and tracking your Overall Equipment Effectiveness, addressing manufacturing problems early becomes straightforward.  Being able to break your OEE calculation back down to its three basic components, Availability, Productivity, and Quality, tells you exactly where the problem is.

When it comes to taking on additional orders, knowing your OEE is critical.  If you have an OEE of 85% or higher, congratulations, unfortunately you are most likely at the capacity of your equipment.  Knowing your OEE in this case should help you justify new equipment and calculate its ROI.  Now, if your OEE is low, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, if a low Availability number is the cause.  If Productivity or Quality are the cause of your low OEE, then maybe unreliable or worn-out equipment should be replaced.

What is a good OEE? The common thought is that world-class OEE is anything above 85%.  If you have an OEE of 85% that is fantastic, congratulations are in order.  Keep in mind you still have a 15% loss.  The benchmark of 85% is just that, a benchmark.  Good OEE is up to the manufacturing facility to determine for itself.

At FASTechnology Group we understand what it takes to get good product out, efficiently.  Together we can erase benchmarks, establishing new ones.  Let our +30 years of packaging experience help you improve your OEE

Here is a Link to Part One “What is OEE and How Can It Be measured?”

Importance of quality trained technicians to run your packaging equipment.

How Proper Operator Training and Maintenance Improve OEE

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Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) Part 3 of 4 Part Blog

by Dion Volk

Now that we understand what OEE is and the contributing factors to its loss; how does operator training and maintenance really improve your numbers?  Again, we look to the equation,   OEE = Availability x Productivity x Quality, then break it down from there.

AVAILABILITY, A correctly trained maintenance team will be able to conduct repairs and perform preventative maintenance in a timely and efficient manner.  As packaging equipment machines speeds increase the complexity of the technology required to control these machines increases as well.  Twenty years ago a typical packaging machine consisted of a couple motors, a small microcontroller, maybe a touch screen, and some other miscellaneous hardware.  Today’s machines have multiple servo motors, advanced PLCs, and complex safety circuits, so training becomes more and more critical when troubleshooting.  An untrained or poorly trained maintenance team will struggle to make repairs, in some cases further damaging the machine.  With the correct training you can prevent a costly emergency repair call from an outside service provider.  When a machine operator has received the proper training he or she will run the machine as designed avoiding practices that are hard on the equipment, eventually causing downtime.

PRODUCTIVITY, Correctly trained operators have an increased confidence in their ability to operate packaging equipment machines smoothly, this contributes to a more positive attitude.  Without training operators struggle, get frustrated, waste film and product, damage equipment, causing a lower output than trained operators.  Trained operators make operating a machine look easy, they are not tied to the machine, allowing them to perform other tasks as the machine runs.

QUALITY, Trained maintenance staff and operators know exactly where to look on a machine when they discover a quality issue with a package.   The result of the confidence and positive attitude that training provides is shown in the pride a skilled operator takes producing the best package possible.

Let FASTechnology’s packaging experts help you discover what your machines are truly capable of producing.  Our +30 years of packaging knowledge will increase your output, bolster your quality, and give your staff confidence that they can handle any issue on their own.

In part four of this Blog we discuss “The importance of knowing what your OEE is.”

Here is a Link to Part One “What is OEE and How Can It Be measured?”

Unique Scannable QR Codes are easy to add to existing production set up

FASTechnology Group Receives U.S. Patent

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FOR PROVIDING INDIVIDUAL, UNIQUE, SCANNABLE QR CODES ON EACH PACKAGE

We are pleased to announce that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has awarded our company patent, (No. US 2015-0102100 A1), for our database systems and methods for consumer packaged goods.

Our patent covers a system for handling product packages for use with a QR code-scanning device and includes a package-handling device and a printer that prints unique, individual, scannable QR codes on each package. This system also includes a database that stores data records of package parameters, linked to one, non-sequential URL; an enabler configured to link to the printer to generate the individual QR codes; a loader configured to link to the enabler and the portals to the database for adding package parameters and accessing package information.

 “Receiving the PACKprint patent is an important milestone for our company and the industry,” says Joe Hattrup, President and CEO of FASTechnology Group. “With PACKprint, the drive for personalized customer engagement is now affordable and accessible to all companies, regardless of size or location.”

The variable PACKprint code on your package lets you share information like product trace ability and recalls, coupons, contests and campaigns with your customers.  This is an added value to our packaging machinery and integration expertise.

Contact Ryan McCord directly at 618.692.9797 ext. 427 or by email  ryan.mccord@fastechgroup.com to learn how easy and affordable it is to bring personalized customer engagement to your organization.

 

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The New Power And Incredible Value Of Variable QR’s OnPackage

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Despite the somewhat sad misuse of, and shallow understanding of QR codes historically in retail and mobile advertising, recent advances in technology have warranted lifting up the hood again to see “what’s up what’s new” and that a paradigm shift has truly occurring.

Variability, serialization and “instantaneous scan” capable mobile apps and powerful mobile devices have been enablers for these scannable codes to truly muscle up and become an effective conduit of package-driven supply chain traceability, instantly changeable/adaptable mobile integrated shopper engagement campaigns, as well as new tools to make the in-store shopping experience faster and more informative and convenient!   …..as long as you learn and download the new tech. and leverage it right.

And we’re not just staying that because our own PACKPrint solution is fundamentally enabled by QRs (as well as other similar coding options, including our emerging DIGIMARC enabled invisible coding scannable technology).   We’re saying it because this tried-and-true platform of package-driven engagement (and originally honed and refined in the Magazine/Catalog Commercial Printing vertical sector) has now afforded a rapidly growing number of companies to begin to see higher rates of success driving web traffic and sales, increasing their email lists and engagement rates, and simply making life easier for consumers with strategic use of the codes.

The Right Use

Making the most out of variable QR codes first involves making sure your business and products are the right fit for, and most likely to gain practical benefit from the technology. The most vibrant audience for this technology is males aged 25 to 44, but that doesn’t mean all females or men in other age groups are automatically going to ignore them.

Business2Community suggests ensuring your audience is aware of the steps they need to take before they can access the growing array of powerful QR channeled information. The first action involves simply downloading a code scanning enabled retailer app or simply a mobile app like INIGMA that can instantaneously scan the code using a mobile device.

The second step is to take a cue from other companies that have successfully used the QR code enabling tool to their advantage. Consumers are looking for value, which can include but doesn’t necessarily have to entail a discount coupon. These examples, outlined by Xerox, show you what value can mean:

  • Walmart places a QR code on receipts that direct customers to its Saving Catcher app, promoting savings for future purchases. (Scannable code-driven Applepay competitor WalmartPay is soon to follow)
  • Bar Keeper’s Friend cleaning solution places a simple static QR code on top of the product, directing customers to how-to videos and comparisons to other cleaning products
  • McDonald’s has a simple static QR code on its take-out bags, sending customers to a straightforward nutrition menu they can store on their mobile devices for future reference

Innovative Applications Stimulate Growing Use

The opportunities to make the most of scannable QR technology are clearly there, with 56 percent of people across the world owning a smartphone as of 2013. And many of those opportunities are already being realized, according to info reported by Xerox and Scanbuy’s latest trend report:

  • 30 to 40 percent: Smartphone users who scanned a QR code in the past six to 12 months – sometimes right in the store as they’re comparing products
  • 83 percent: Scans generated by QR codes and Mircosoft Tags (compared to 17 percent of scans generated by UPC)
  • 23 million: Number of mobile engagements in Q3 2015
  • 5: Average mobile engagement per user in Q3 2015 (an all-time high)

One more significant nod in the direction of scannable code-based value is Walmart’s new mobile payment option, Walmart Pay. The option uses powerful variable scannable codes to complete transactions between the smartphone and in-store registers. The retail giant is fighting back against Apple Pay – and the core strategy behind it is the thriving QR tech.

Check out more info on what QR codes can do for you and your customers!