BEVERAGE INDUSTRY

How to cut operator time in an MES system by 77%

A beverage company was moving the operation of a packaging factory to a new MES (Manufacturing Execution System). Sensorama designed the user journey and the new system screens based on the real work of the people who run the line, and supported the rollout with the development team.

  • MES System
  • Operational Efficiency
  • Factory Floor
  • Usability Testing
  • Product Design
  • UX Research
Mold change in the MES system77% less time · 55% fewer clicks · half the stepsBEFORE1:30AFTER0:21Previous systemSpreadsheetNew MES system
Challenge

The system in use did not hold all production information, and teams kept their own spreadsheets with no defined standard. Logging and justifying a mold change took 10 steps and 20 clicks across the system and a spreadsheet. The move to the MES system had to turn this scattered production control into screens that worked on the factory floor.

77%
LESS TIME
from about 1 min 30 s to 21 seconds per mold change
55%
FEWER CLICKS
from 20 to 9 for the same task
50%
FEWER STEPS
from 10 to 5, with no spreadsheet
14
INTERVIEWS
with the people who run and coordinate the line

What we deliver

01

Journey mapped screen by screen

Each profile's tasks and the friction points on each screen, validated in a workshop with users, stakeholders and developers.

02

Operations screen

Hot-end and cold-end work brought into a single screen, so operators can finish a task without moving across several screens.

03

Equipment management screen

Designed after a new round of 4 interviews, for an area with many tasks and no screen in the previous system.

04

Usability testing with operators

Prototypes with everyday tasks, tested before development, with adjustments after each round.

05

Rollout support

Reviews of the developed screens with the development team, to keep the designed experience.

We designed it with the people who run the line

The project started with a kickoff workshop with stakeholders and factory workers, followed by 14 remote interviews with live observation of system navigation. A card sorting session put operators at the center of how each screen's information was organized.

Hot-end operators
Cold-end operators
Mold technicians
Quality technicians and supervisors
Area coordinators

The same task, before and after

For the mold change, time, clicks and steps were measured in testing with operators, comparing the previous flow with the new design.

Before
  • 20 clicks
  • 10 steps
  • About 1 min 30 s
  • Across the system and a spreadsheet
After
  • 9 clicks
  • 5 steps
  • 21 seconds
  • Only in the MES system

The new MES flow removed the spreadsheet and became simpler and faster than the previous one. Production screens reached the development team already validated by the people who use them.

How much time does your operation lose between systems and spreadsheets?

We redesign industrial systems with the people who use them, to gain operational efficiency on the factory floor.

Let's talk