Margarine Production Increases Profitability by Over $29,000 a Year with Doran’s QC Scale Systems
The Challenge
Quality control verification and packaging accuracy
A producer of margarine and other non-dairy spreads needed a means to verify that their Quality Control (QC) procedures where being implemented. Their QC procedures required a sample to be taken every 15 minutes at the filling machine. Based upon these weighments the filling machine was adjusted to keep the product weight within the desired tolerance. They were hand recording the QC samples which were then transcribed into an Excel™ worksheet. At issue was the amount of time required to create usable QC reports from hand-written records and a concern that QC checks were not being performed as required.
The Solution
The Doran 2200CW Checkweigher Scale with ethernet and Excelerator Data Collection Software
A Doran 2200CW was placed at the fill machine and connected to the company’s computer network.
The fill machine operator performs the QC check by scanning the product UPC code which recalls that products tolerance information from the scale memory.
The product information, weight, tolerance, time and date is sent over the network to Doran’s Excelerator Data collection program which creates a detailed QC report in an Excel workbook.
Each weighment has a time and date stamp to validate that QC procedures are being implemented.
The Return on Investment
One Month!
Using this system the production yield was increased 1%. This resulted in a substantial savings for this company as shown below:
| Increase yield: | 1% |
| Average shift production: | 24,000 lb |
| Average product cost per pound: | $0.17 |
Total Cost Savings
| Product savings in pounds per day: | 720 lb |
| Product savings in pounds per year: | 187,200 lb |
| Total savings per day: | $122 |
| Total savings per month: | $2,448 |
| Total savings per year: | $29,376 |
The customer was thrilled to learn the return on investment for this system was realized in less than one month.
