Aptean Process Manufacturing OEE Case Study: Monogram Foods

Founded in 2004, Monogram Foods has seen considerable growth since its inception. Today, it has more than 3,000 employees across 10 facilities in six states processing large daily outputs across a wide range of meat snacks, appetizers, sandwiches and baked goods.

The Challenge

As its business expanded, Monogram Foods’ paper recordkeeping methods started to become a liability.

• Manual and paper-based methods lead to inaccuracies, delays and lack of strategic insight

• Difficulty preparing for audits due to issues with reporting and insights

• Need for greater visibility into key metrics to improve performance and boost efficiency

“Our inspector would have access to all of our paperwork off the line. Sometimes they’d get a big thick stack of paperwork, when really the USDA only needs to see a few of those,” said Rob Hodgetts, Director of Operational Technology at Monogram.

The Solution

These difficulties prompted Monogram Foods to seek a solution that would help the company convert to a full digital interface. Business leaders found Aptean Process Manufacturing OEE, with its real-time performance management, paperless compliance and robust analytic capabilities, to be the perfect fit.

“Now, the inspector can go into the system, see it in real time and see that we are in control of our CCPs,” said Hodgetts. “And then if they’ve got a question on our history, they can go back in the system and pull the data out themselves, which frees up our quality folks.”

This has greatly simplified the matters of passing audits, giving Monogram’s staff the peace of mind to focus on what they do best—make the best food they can, with the greatest efficiency possible.

The Results

Converting to Aptean Process Manufacturing OEE has had many positive results. Monogram Foods experienced transformative improvements across its operations, including:

• Fully digital interface keeps everyone on the same page with accurate information

• Streamlined operations, less downtime and higher quality, thanks to real-time reporting

• Increase in OEE of 10 points while maintaining high-volume lines

“All in all, we’ve had a significant uptick in overall equipment effectiveness at all of the plants where we’ve installed it,” Hodgetts said. “We’ve seen a rise of 10 points in OEE, and those in the food industry running high-volume lines will recognize that’s a big number.”

Better access to and visibility of key metrics has also been of huge benefit at Monogram. All team members are better informed on how operations are running and the results they’re achieving.

“Before we had Aptean Process Manufacturing OEE, we’d have to take some folks, lock them in a room with a big thick stack of papers, and then they would have to manually take that data—which may or may not be right—and type it into an Excel spreadsheet,” Hodgetts said. “Considering the amount of data can be overwhelming, we found we weren’t getting the data into any kind of system that allowed us to do an analysis.”

“Now we can do real-time analysis and pull 90 days’ worth of data on a specific product. That helps us make smarter business decisions, because the data is reliable,” Hodgetts concluded.

Monogram Foods is beyond pleased with the improvements they’ve already seen as a result of implementing Aptean’s solution. The system has facilitated better performance in a number of areas, including transparency and productivity.

Ask him what he thinks of Aptean’s solution, and Hodgetts’ opinion is clear.

“Would I recommend Aptean Process Manufacturing OEE to others who are looking to go paperless and gain better control over their processes? Absolutely,” he said. “It’s caused a change in culture. Certainly, the bells and whistles are nice, but it’s really exciting when you see folks engage with the technology.”

Ready To Replace Manual Processes With Increased Transparency and Productivity?

Then Aptean Process Manufacturing OEE is for you. With industry-specific capabilities designed to help your food and beverage business improve plan attainment, increase productivity, maximize OEE scores and easily identify manufacturing losses, our software offers significant benefits from day one.

What’s more, like our entire food manufacturing software ecosystem, our process manufacturing OEE is supported by in-house teams that know your industry, offer in-depth technical expertise and provide by-your-side support—so you can rest easy knowing you have an expert in your corner.

Get in touch today to organize your personalized demo of Aptean Process Manufacturing OEE.