Customer input is critical to the success of Bosch‘s vertical form-fill-seal group
At Bosch, we continually strive to improve our internal processes through lean initiatives. As our expertise in lean operations has grown, we have also applied lean principles to the design of our machines. Towards this goal, we are working with customers to identify areas for improvement in the equipment we supply. This aligns with many of the same sustainability and lean initiatives that our customers are implementing in their own organizations. During the month of May, the Vertical group hosted a meeting with several key customers in distinct market areas. The purpose of this meeting was to review equipment and solicit input for improvements in operational efficiency (leaning out the machine) and sanitation. A day long seminar was held, with participants actively discussing each functional section of the machine while viewing the machines on the shop floor, including a prototype and new concepts (research stage). The customers provided us with feedback about our current designs and most important, new ideas and suggestions that could be implemented on future models.
The group provided several key comments which were important to improving Bosch’s understanding of industry standards, cleaning procedures / process and market trends.
As an example from a sanitation standpoint, a machine should either be classed as full wash down or hand wipe down. For full wash down, the machine should be able to withstand 600 to 1200 psi direct spray to any portion of the machine. From a practical standpoint, it would be too difficult to manage a machine that is part wash down and part wipe down.
There were several lean ideas discussed to improve the operational efficiency of our machines. One idea proposed repositioning the film splice area closer to the operator to make the function easier and quicker to perform. Another idea was to add numbers to the rollers with an etching process to improve operational consistency and training. A final example called for integrated assists for installation and removal of forming sets.
Additional collaboration with associates from Bosch Netherlands and Bosch Germany made it possible to compare different aspects between European and North American markets. Among the differences between the two markets, one important distinction was the open vs. closed machine frame. These discussions with customers and within Bosch’s global packaging organization will be central to the development of new Bosch machines as well as its sanitary designs.
We have plans to host two more similar events related to sanitary design within the next few months for different industry segments. We are very interested in learning what you may have to say on these topics. If you would like to participate in a day long event at our site, or if you have input that you would like to send in, please send your comments to mailto:eric.aasen@bosch.com with the subject line: VFFS Customer Collaboration. |
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