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Investment security, an innovative operating and service concept, short delivery times and a high degree of standardization – these are the characteristics of the OPTIMA Moduline Smart. The machine solution is based on a modular concept that focuses on flexibility and efficiency. One of the first users is the Swiss cosmetics manufacturer Louis Widmer. Bottles and jars are processed there in 14 different formats.
In this interview, Urs Eggen, Chief Operating Officer at Louis Widmer, explains why the company opted for the new machine solution and what advantages it offers in everyday production.
A long time ago, we bought an Optima machine for filling jars from a large cosmetics company and planned to modernize it. When we discussed this with Optima, I mentioned in passing, “By the way, we also need a new filling line for bottles, but you're probably too expensive for that”. My contact said that they had developed a brand new Moduline Smart concept. It was smaller than the classic Moduline, flexible and very competitive for such applications. And that was indeed the case.
Very fast product changeovers and this SMED idea, the Single Minute Exchange of Die, are important to us. We want to be able to make quick product changes with small batch sizes for our product strategy. Of course, fully supported by the servo motors, which allows automatic and efficient changeovers. The pluggable replacement parts are also important for this. In addition, the linear design for accessibility, so that you can get to the machine very easily. Or the poka-yoke system. This means that we produce quality immediately, every work step is 100% checked and there is a central rejection point. Everything that is not produced one hundred percent well is pushed out.
Exactly. And beyond that, the Industry 4.0 solutions. We not only have the fast, secure changeover and electronic verification. We also have OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) measurements, for example with error statistics. The machine is 4.0, that's very important to me.
With the fast format changes and our small batch sizes, we are able to achieve major capacity expansions. We could massively expand our capacity in a two-shift operation over the next few years and would not have to go to a three-shift operation for the time being. And if it does, that would still be possible. This means that we have an endless amount of capacity to cover future growth without having to buy another machine. Thanks to the flexibility of the machine, we can safely avoid an additional large investment in the next few years.
Yes, we also save space and costs. We can produce many different product categories in the smallest possible space. Ultimately, this is due to the modular, flexible design.
Our direct customers are initially the Louis Widmer national subsidiaries. Since we switch between the different products more quickly, we can reduce the batch sizes and increase the frequency of production. For example, we are improving tied-up capital by reducing inventory volumes in all subsidiaries. By producing, filling and packaging more frequently, we will also further increase freshness for our end customers. That is definitely an aspect. We produce very high-quality cosmetics and can further improve and increase our quality.
Yes, the projects that I had previously carried out with Optima were particularly important to me. And therefore also the personal trust.
