Total Packaging moves from firefighting to process optimization

‘With ELICIT, we want to move from firefighting to process optimization’

At Total Packaging in Harderwijk, production is growing rapidly. New lines, new shifts, new people, and one aging box maker on whom much depends. Dirk Bilardie (Manager Continuous Improvement) and Dave Kuijsten (Production Team Manager) explain how they are capturing that knowledge before the box maker retires.

Growing while knowledge dilutes

The market for high-end packaging solutions is booming. If they know that anywhere, it is at Total Packaging in Harderwijk. The 111-year-old producer of luxury cardboard packaging is growing rapidly. Recent years have been characterized by brand-new factories, significant expansion of the machinery, and a huge influx of new people. “About 80 percent of the current operators have been employed for less than two years,” says Dave Kuijsten. “Some of them have no background as an operator, let alone in the paper or cardboard industry. So they often still have a lot to learn about our profession.”

The ‘jokers’ are disappearing

To provide them with that knowledge, there are, of course, training plans, work instructions, and shadowing periods. Yet that is only the tip of the iceberg. “We have documented electromechanical matters, but knowledge about box technology, toner, glue, paper: that resides in the minds of a small group of experienced people,” explains Dirk Bilardie, himself one of those experienced individuals.

“But box maker Willem in particular is our ‘joker’, with 26 years of experience. If everything runs smoothly, they manage fine. But if there is a problem before seven-thirty in the morning, they call Willem. If the team leader and Technical Department cannot figure it out, they call Willem. If there is a problem with a substrate or material, they call Willem. But as we continue to grow, we cannot remain dependent on those few experts. Furthermore, Willem will retire in two years. We must get more new people to a high level of knowledge.”

The ELICIT knowledge model

In the search for a solution, Total Packaging arrived at ELICIT. And after running a pilot with ELICIT, as part of a Technical Development Path project by Landstede Groei Opleidingen and TWI Company, they became convinced. ELICIT interviewed Willem about the knowledge he gathered over 30 years and processed that into an interactive knowledge model that can be consulted directly at the line.

Dave: “The knowledge model visualizes a production line. Subsequently, you can reason back from a finished product problem (the packaging has the wrong shape, for example) to potential causes. With logical, visual connections. That helps an operator enormously. You know exactly where to look, even if you have little experience. Beginning technical staff also benefit from this.”

Dirk clarifies: “The knowledge model provides guidance. If problem X arises, where can I look? If it is not at A, maybe at B, maybe at C. That significantly structures an operator’s thinking.”

From the bottom of the cabinet to right next to the line

The first version of the knowledge model was presented on a tablet. That did not yet yield enthusiastic reactions. “Our knowledge model was actually too large for that. Operators had to scroll and swipe, and then it doesn’t work. If it isn’t easy, that device ends up at the bottom of the cabinet after three uses. They said: it must be user-friendly.”

The solution turned out to be quite simple: ELICIT on a mobile computer at the line. A large screen, keyboard, and mouse. Dave: “You simply wheel the device to the malfunction. It is a detail, but it does a lot. The threshold is now low enough. Now I hear positive reactions about the content of the model.”

A standard step

Now that the pilot has been completed, implementation into daily practice begins. Team leader by team leader, operator by operator. It must be fully rolled out across all ten packaging lines before the summer holidays.

What do Dirk and Dave hope to see in the coming months? Dirk is clear: “ELICIT must become a standard step in case of deviations or problems. Have you already checked the model? Do that first.”

Dave adds: “It is also great if it triggers people to think along. Through the suggestion function, you can propose smart actions or solutions and, after a review, add them to the model. This makes it a living document with increasing value.”

Optimizing instead of firefighting

With ELICIT, the vast amount of experiential knowledge from Willem’s head becomes available to the growing group of box makers and operators. This way, he can retire peacefully later without still receiving phone calls. “It is wonderful that we can retain that unique knowledge and supplement it over the next two years—as long as Willem is still here,” says Dirk. “I have no illusion that we can fully safeguard the entire 30 years of experience and creativity, but even a portion is worth a lot to us.”

With that knowledge at hand, the focus can shift to improving production instead of daily troubles. Dave: “We are currently focused purely on the basics. That is frustrating. Once that is resolved, you can finally have the conversation you really want to have: what else can we improve? Not firefighting, but optimizing. That is where we want to go with ELICIT in the coming years.”

• Packaging and plastics
• Education & training
• Production
• Faster training
• Imminent loss of knowledge due to turnover
• Insufficient employees with the right knowledge experience