Customer Overview

Our client, a large-scale manufacturing conglomerate, traces its roots back to the late 19th century. Their reputation for superior engineering skills spans a variety of categories, such as consumer goods, precision manufacturing, infrastructure development, and more.

Business Challenges

Despite its established reputation, the company found itself wrestling with significant production inefficiencies. They were not equipped to handle high-priority orders effectively due to a lack of insight into machine availability and an inability to adjust machine schedules promptly. The existing manual infrastructure lacked the agility to adapt to unforeseen deviations in the production schedule.

The client faced numerous challenges in their existing production planning and scheduling processes:

Over Reliance on Spreadsheets:

The client’s heavy reliance on spreadsheets for machine planning and scheduling left them with data scattered across various files, leading to operational inefficiencies and data redundancies. Furthermore, spreadsheets lacked the dynamic capabilities to adapt to real-time changes and could not provide an accurate real-time view of machine availability.

Absence of a System for Machine Availability: 

Without an accurate gauge of machine availability, it was difficult for the client to plan and schedule production efficiently. This absence often led to underutilization or overbooking machinery, resulting in wasted resources or unmet production targets.

Difficulty in Recalculation and Rescheduling: 

The existing systems fell short when dealing with unexpected deviations from the schedule. This lack of flexibility disrupted the client’s ability to meet high-priority orders effectively.

Scaling Production Capacity to Match Growing Demand:

With no clear insights on demand changes and inability to dynamically adjust production schedule, increasing production capacity to match demand was often a challenge. This lack of visibility resulted in compliance and quality issues.

Enabling Decision Intelligence with a Centralized Data Platform Solution

Partnering with Pluto7, the manufacturing company embarked on a digital transformation journey to leverage Google Cloud Platform’s best-in-class infrastructure. The goal was to develop a centralized platform solution that dramatically reduced human dependencies in production planning and scheduling.

	Challenges with the existing Spreadsheet-based System	Pluto7’s Centralized Data Platform Solution
Data Management	Data was scattered across multiple spreadsheets, leading to issues with data consistency and accessibility.	All data was centralized in a single platform, ensuring data consistency and easy accessibility.
Tracking and Logging	Tracking and logging the number of parts produced machine-wise was not visible to all stakeholders, often resulting in confusion and error.	The solution enabled centralized tracking and logging of the number of parts produced machine-wise. All stakeholders could now access logs, resulting in greater transparency and data-sharing.
Load Map Reports	There was no way to view daily load map reports for machines. This absence led to inefficiencies in machine utilization.	Enabled viewing of load map reports for machines on a daily schedule basis, allowing for optimal machine utilization.
Plan vs. Allocation Reports	With scattered data across multiple systems, planned versus allocated reports were challenging to create and update, affecting the effectiveness of production planning.	Simplified the creation and viewing of planned vs. allocated reports with respect to machine capacities, improving production planning and scheduling.
Process Customization	Manual, time-consuming adjustments for constraints like machine capacity and process dependency in spreadsheets.	Easy adjustments of constraints, like machine capacity and process dependency, directly in the platform for flexible and efficient scheduling.

Pluto7’s Solution Approach

Centralized Data Foundation for Robust Production Planning

Recognizing the need to abolish data silos, Pluto7 consolidated the manufacturing company’s disparate data into a centralized data foundation, creating a unified view of inventory levels, machine capacities, and production times.

• Centralized Access to Data: We consolidated up-to-date information about inventory levels, machine capacities, resource availability, production times, lead times, etc., into a centralized data foundation.

• End-to-End Visibility: It enabled complete visibility into the status of ongoing operations like machine performance, production progress, or any unforeseen events or disruptions.

• Unlocking New Insights: We helped them unify various datasets that helped discover new patterns, unlock trends, and gain laser-sharp insights into metrics that matter, such as production cycles, demand fluctuations, peak seasons, and other factors that influence scheduling decisions. 

• Seamless Data-Sharing: We helped them create a seamless data integration channel with other systems like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), ensuring better collaboration among teams. 

BigQuery and Custom ML Model Development

The unified data was then loaded into BigQuery, equipping the manufacturing company with powerful analytics capabilities. Additionally, Pluto7 developed a custom machine-learning model using linear programming techniques capable of predicting machine availability and optimizing production schedules, thereby boosting overall efficiency.

A Single Platform Solution For Scheduling 

The single platform solution provided a dynamic and adaptable scheduling tool, allowing the client to efficiently manage schedule deviations. With complete visibility into production schedules, the manufacturing company could optimize machine usage and adjust operations according to production needs.

Data Visualization Dashboards 

Pluto7 implemented Looker Studio to create interactive dashboards for data visualization, enabling quick, informed decision-making. Combined with Cloud IAM Security for access restrictions, this solution ensured both operational efficiency and data privacy.

Key Results 

The implementation of Pluto7’s unified single-platform solution yielded transformative outcomes for the client:

❊   Operational Efficiency: The company transitioned from a disparate spreadsheet system to a unified data platform, boosting efficiency in production planning and scheduling.

❊   Reduced Errors: Centralized tracking and logging of production minimized errors, ensuring accurate data for decision-making.

❊   Machine Utilization: Load map reports allowed for optimal machine utilization, increasing production output and lowering operational costs.

❊   Effective Production Planning: Easy creation and viewing of planned vs. allocated reports improved production planning, reducing instances of stockouts and overstocks.

❊   Increased Flexibility: Adjustments to process constraints, such as machine capacity and process dependency, became effortless, enhancing the system’s flexibility and responsiveness to changes.

❊   Scalability: The platform’s scalability equips the company to adapt to future operational requirements and market demands, fostering a readiness for growth in the dynamic manufacturing industry.