Case Study : Constar - Lighthouse Systems - #4

Constar International Case Study

processes on a much larger scale than previously possible. Our Injection Department for example is able to monitor and control processes among numerous injection molding machines and thus provide our blow molding department with multiple parts run from different production machines and different production dates with similar quality characteristics- and that makes processing in the blow molding department much more streamlined. The ease of comparing previous production runs has become one of the most beneficial aspects of Lighthouse. Prior to production start up we are able to recall data from previous production runs and verify process parameters are set accordingly to achieve the same production quality characteristic results as before. This minimises the time necessary for start up, and limits the amount of downtime experienced by process set up."

Constar has a focus on quality in all of its production processes and it is constantly looking for new ways to improve. One such way is the availability of production reporting directly from the Lighthouse systems. Once again, this will reduce the occurrence of operator errors therefore providing management with better quality reporting tools that are more timely and accurate.

Also, Constar is planning to extend integration of the Lighthouse systems to other machines on the Shopfloor. More specifically, it would like to link the Husky machines to Lighthouse so that production data flows seamlessly from one to the other. This will enable a tighter control of the production process and all measurements taken and it will ensure that data is stored for a longer period of time.

Shopfloor Online will also incorporate downtime information and scrap data for all production to give management a fuller view of the plant's performance. Combining this information with the quality data and checks for all processes should provide a much clearer view of the entire process, enabling Constar to provide more complete feedback to customers and incur fewer customer complaints but deal more quickly and effectively with those that do occur.

Thomas concludes, "There are some great features within Shopfloor Online that we plan to exploit in the future. It is capable of delivering many benefits to us as an organisation and, in turn, to our customers. Having greater accuracy and visibility of quality data across the production process can only be a good thing and we will continue to strive to improve quality in every area of the business. Lighthouse will help us to achieve this goal."

Version 1 - November 2006

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