Abbyland Fills Information Gap with New mvi RPM System.

MIAMI -- Once able to manage its business by 'listening to the lines', rapid growth at meat processor Abbyland, has prompted the company to introduce formal systems for recording performance data. The eventsengine real-time performance management (RPM) system from mvi technology is providing the catalyst for a step-change in performance.

Founded in 1977, Abbyland Foods Inc. is based in Abbotsford, Wisconsin. It employs 250 people and produces a range of sausages from fresh, select cuts of meat using traditional recipes from the descendants of German and Eastern European immigrants who originally settled in the area 100 years ago. The sausages (for retail and wholesale markets) are prepared and packaged in one of the industry's most modern meat processing plants.

With limited space for new production lines Abbyland wanted to eliminate capacity constraints in one area of the plant to meet increasing demand. It also wanted to improve efficiency and reduce cost-per-unit by minimizing labor overtime and equipment running time. However, with no reliable system for capturing downtime on the shopfloor - it was unable to identify the specific areas for improvement activity.

The eventsengine system is allowing Abbyland to increase utilization - by reducing changeover times and unplanned downtime - as well improving rate through reduced crew variance, adherence to SKU standards and increased accountability. eventsengine is also underpinning the company's quality assurance procedures by integrating performance data from production, quality and maintenance functions to provide a reliable audit trail.

Tim Graff, VP of manufacturing, says: "The software and consultancy from mvi is helping transform the performance of our organization. We recognized it was vital to have robust information to support our strategy for continuous improvement and the justification for the project was straightforward - we expect to achieve a return on investment in less than 12 months through a 10 percent improvement in productivity; that's equivalent to over two million pounds of product, delivering $500K to the bottom line. On top of that, there's a potential annual labor saving of $125,000."

mvi technology

Established in 1991, mvi technology is based in Miami, Florida, with offices in the UK. The company specializes in IT based solutions for the food and drink sector. Customers include Kerry Foods, Associated British Foods, Calypso Foods, Allied Bakeries, Abbyland Foods, Premier Foods, Berner Foods, Heinz, Uniq Foods, Greencore and Marsan Foods.

eventsengine(R)

Through its real-time performance management (RPM) system, eventsengine, mvi technology helps organizations improve the effectiveness of business processes within the production, operations, quality and maintenance functions. eventsengine is built around what people actually do in the workplace, collecting data around their normal mode of working and providing managers with absolute visibility, rather than basic performance measurement.