Case study · Manufacturing
Skin care maker raises throughput 27% ahead of new product launches
Expecting volume growth from new launches, a prescription and over-the-counter skin care maker needed its manufacturing and labs to run smoothly together. USC installed scheduling, closed-loop operating systems and lab capacity controls.
Results
27%
increase in throughput
26%
improvement in manufacturing schedule attainment
50%
reduction in average quality control (QC) lab cycle time
Analytical lab cycle time fell 36% and raw materials inventory 10%.
The situation
The company expected significant volume increases from planned launches. With a long overall cycle time and many handoffs between manufacturing and testing labs, it needed a smooth internal supply chain to deliver.
What the assessment found
- Obsolete and expired goods taking warehouse space
- Lab workloads not measured against capacity
How the work was done
Scheduling: build and track
Introduced a master production schedule, daily and weekly build schedules, and daily and weekly reporting of schedule attainment.
26%
improvement in schedule attainment
Pharmacy: close the loop
Installed a closed-loop operating system for planning, execution, follow-up and reporting, with batch-size controls to meet shelf-life goals.
Labs: match work to capacity
Added input-output volume controls and visual work order management in the QC, analytical and microbiology labs, with weekly capacity models.
50%
reduction in QC lab cycle time
Warehouse: clear the obsolete
Set up timely removal of obsolete and expired goods to free warehouse space.
“The project results were so significant that we were able to secure additional business in an environment where a few months earlier we had thought we were at maximum capacity.”
Lasting impact
Weekly management reviews of lab key performance indicators and a closed-loop operating system kept the improvements in place.
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