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\n\n\n\nTotal Packaging moves from firefighting to process optimization<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u201cYou simply wheel the device to the malfunction. That lowers the threshold and generates positive reactions on the shop floor.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nDave Kuijsten\u201cIf 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 that single expert.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nDirk Bilardie<\/strong>\u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nDirk Bilardie\u201cWe 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?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dave Kuijsten<\/strong>\u2018With ELICIT, we want to move from firefighting to process optimization\u2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
At Total Packaging<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\nGrowing while knowledge dilutes<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe 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. \u201cAbout 80 percent of the current operators have been employed for less than two years,\u201d says Dave Kuijsten. \u201cSome 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The \u2018jokers\u2019 are disappearing<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo 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. \u201cWe have documented electromechanical matters, but knowledge about box technology, toner, glue, paper: that resides in the minds<\/em> of a small group of experienced people,\u201d explains Dirk Bilardie, himself one of those experienced individuals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cBut box maker Willem in particular is our \u2018joker\u2019, 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ELICIT knowledge model<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIn 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<\/a> Groei Opleidingen and TWI Company<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDave: \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dirk clarifies: \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the bottom of the cabinet to right next to the line<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe first version of the knowledge model was presented on a tablet. That did not yet yield enthusiastic reactions. \u201cOur 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The solution turned out to be quite simple: ELICIT on a mobile computer at the line. A large screen, keyboard, and mouse. Dave: \u201cYou 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A standard step<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nNow 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do Dirk and Dave hope to see in the coming months? Dirk is clear: \u201cELICIT must become a standard step in case of deviations or problems. Have you already checked the model? Do that first.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dave adds: \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Optimizing instead of firefighting<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWith 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. \u201cIt is wonderful that we can retain that unique knowledge and supplement it over the next two years\u2014as long as Willem is still here,\u201d says Dirk. \u201cI 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With that knowledge at hand, the focus can shift to improving production instead of daily troubles. Dave: \u201cWe 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n
\n - \n \n
\u201cYou simply wheel the device to the malfunction. That lowers the threshold and generates positive reactions on the shop floor.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dave Kuijsten \u201cIf 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 that single expert.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dirk Bilardie<\/strong> \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dirk Bilardie \u201cWe 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?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dave Kuijsten<\/strong> At Total Packaging<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. \u201cAbout 80 percent of the current operators have been employed for less than two years,\u201d says Dave Kuijsten. \u201cSome 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. \u201cWe have documented electromechanical matters, but knowledge about box technology, toner, glue, paper: that resides in the minds<\/em> of a small group of experienced people,\u201d explains Dirk Bilardie, himself one of those experienced individuals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut box maker Willem in particular is our \u2018joker\u2019, 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/a> Groei Opleidingen and TWI Company<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dave: \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dirk clarifies: \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first version of the knowledge model was presented on a tablet. That did not yet yield enthusiastic reactions. \u201cOur 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The solution turned out to be quite simple: ELICIT on a mobile computer at the line. A large screen, keyboard, and mouse. Dave: \u201cYou 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What do Dirk and Dave hope to see in the coming months? Dirk is clear: \u201cELICIT must become a standard step in case of deviations or problems. Have you already checked the model? Do that first.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dave adds: \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. \u201cIt is wonderful that we can retain that unique knowledge and supplement it over the next two years\u2014as long as Willem is still here,\u201d says Dirk. \u201cI 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n With that knowledge at hand, the focus can shift to improving production instead of daily troubles. Dave: \u201cWe 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\u2018With ELICIT, we want to move from firefighting to process optimization\u2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Growing while knowledge dilutes<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The \u2018jokers\u2019 are disappearing<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The ELICIT knowledge model<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
From the bottom of the cabinet to right next to the line<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A standard step<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Optimizing instead of firefighting<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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