Established in 1995, Lincoln Manufacturing specializes in automotive stamping, focusing on producing transmission parts and essential components for the undercarriage and underhood (such as sound dampeners and brackets). The company uses many varieties of steel to manufacture parts, ranging in thickness from 0.6mm to over 6mm.
Real-time Data Helps Lincoln Manufacturing Reduce Costs
After struggling for years with ERP systems that couldn’t provide the data it needed, Lincoln Manufacturing implemented Smart Factory to finally gain the real-time data visibility staff were looking for—giving the company the means to establish benchmarks and monitor plant floor performance. These moves saved the company $100,000 in labor and production costs.
The Problem:
For years, Lincoln Manufacturing struggled to find a suitable system to capture and analyze production data.
The company initially explored ERP systems but found them lacking in the specific data acquisition capabilities that Lincoln needed.
Production teams relied on an outdated pen-and-paper system for recording downtime and control sheets, which were inefficient to maintain and were prone to data entry errors. Daniel Rhodus, Quality Manager at Lincoln Manufacturing, realized the need for a robust software system to gain a handle on Lincoln’s production data.
Outcomes:
After switching to Nulogy Smart Factory, Lincoln Manufacturing transitioned from manual record-keeping to digital data acquisition, revolutionizing its operations. With Smart Factory, staff could now view performance metrics and machine statuses in real time, allowing for immediate decision-making and problem-solving.
More specifically, Lincoln Manufacturing observed benefits in the following areas:
Eliminating Manual Reporting: “If we could save fifteen minutes on machine time per operator—just by eliminating paperwork to be more efficient—we calculated we could save $75,000,” Rhodus explains. “We have easily saved over $100,000 just in efficiency and paperwork alone.”
Establishing OEE Targets: The real-time data provided by Smart Factory allowed Lincoln to finally establish and monitor OEE benchmarks. The company found that maintaining an OEE of 65-70% indicated good performance, with some areas achieving as high as 85-90% OEE.
Preventative Maintenance: Lincoln’s engineering team benefited from Smart Factory’s integration with Lincoln’s maintenance software, Faciliworks. This integration ensured accurate shot counts to better maintain its die tools, further enhancing operational efficiency and tool longevity.
