How Grande Cheese Company Optimizes 24/7 Production with Dynaway EAM

Introduction

Grande Cheese Company, a renowned producer of Italian cheeses, has significantly improved its maintenance and operational efficiency through the implementation of Dynaway EAM.

We had the pleasure to talk with Matt Stachura, Senior Reliability Analyst at Grande Cheese, who has been with the company for over a decade. Matt's extensive experience in maintenance, planning, and reliability made him the perfect guide to lead us through Grande Cheese's transformative journey with Dynaway EAM.

You can watch the interview below: 

About Grande Cheese Company

Founded in 1958, Grande Cheese is a Wisconsin-based, family-owned company with a network of nine facilities spread across the state. Specializing in a variety of aged and fresh Italian cheeses, their expertise shines through in their renowned pizza cheese. With an impressive production output of approximately 875,000 pounds of cheese daily, Grande Cheese is dedicated to delivering "the finest Italian cheese money can buy".

Source: https://www.grande.com/ 

24/7 Production Process

Grande Cheese's facilities run a 24/7 production process, meaning that they operate continuously without any scheduled shutdowns or breaks in their production line. This nonstop production ensures a consistent supply of cheese products to their customers, which is crucial for maintaining partnerships with distributors, retailers, and end consumers who depend on timely deliveries. 

Naturally, efficient maintenance and resource management are essential due to the continuous operation, as any downtime could impact productivity and revenue.

Source: https://www.grande.com/

The Challenge 

Before implementing Dynaway EAM, Grande Cheese faced significant challenges in their maintenance and reliability management processes. 

Initially managing operations manually with yellow cards, they later transitioned to early versions of CMMS systems. Their last system, Infor, was standalone and lacked integration with their ERP system. This disconnection led to difficulties in data collection, real-time information tracking, and efficient reporting, necessitating a more robust solution.

"Our biggest pain points were ease of data collection. There weren't a lot of areas to collect real-time information from start and stop times, as well as capturing all of our parts in inventory opportunities inside of there as well as the reporting on that data was not easy to get the data out." - explains Matt. 

The Decision to Implement Dynaway EAM

A few years ago, Grande Cheese embarked on a major ERP initiative to streamline their operations and they started implementing a new ERP system, Microsoft Dynamics Finance and Operations. This involved consolidating approximately 25 different systems into a single, comprehensive ERP platform. As part of this initiative, they aimed to find an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) solution that would seamlessly integrate with Microsoft Dynamics 365, further enhancing their operational efficiency. Dynaway EAM emerged as the ideal choice.

Key factors influencing their decision included:

1. INTEGRATION WITH DYNAMICS 365

One of the primary reasons Grande Cheese chose Dynaway EAM was its seamless integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365. This integration facilitates smooth data flow between departments, reducing delays and enhancing operational efficiency. It also provides comprehensive visibility across their operations, which is crucial for ensuring the efficient and timely production of high-quality cheese products.

2. THE MOBILE PLATFORM

The Dynaway EAM mobile platform facilitates real-time data access and entry for Grande Cheese's workforce, streamlining maintenance and operations, reducing errors, and improving productivity. This capability is crucial for the company's 24/7 production, allowing for rapid issue response and minimal downtime.

3. THE ADVANCED PLANNING BOARD APPLICATION FOR PLANNERS AND SCHEDULERS

Running a 24/7 facility requires careful planning and coordination. The planning board application helps with efficient scheduling and resource allocation, ensuring that Grande Cheese can maintain continuous production without interruptions. It enables the company to organize tasks and plan maintenance activities effectively, minimizing disruptions to the production process.

Implementation Journey

The implementation of Dynaway EAM at Grande Cheese was a detailed and structured process, spanning 12 months from January 2019 to January 2020.

Grande Cheese collaborated closely with Dynaway consultants and an integration partner from their ERP team. The process included data validation from the old system, extensive training for various user groups, planners, schedulers, supervisors, requesters, and the actual cutover to the new system. Despite the complexity, the transition was smooth, thanks to thorough training and strong support from the Dynaway team.

"I think that training is the most important part of the implementation. We focused heavily on the training of our end-users." - says Matt.

User Adoption and Response

Like any significant change, the initial transition to Dynaway EAM was met with some resistance from end-users. However, continuous training and support helped them become more comfortable and confident with the system.

The mobile version of Dynaway EAM has been particularly well-received by technicians for its ease of access to information and data entry capabilities. "Through continuing to build their confidence in the training process, we were able to get them on board quite a bit," - stated Matt. 

Recent performance improvements in Dynaway EAM, such as reduced synchronization times, have been also appreciated by the team, building further confidence in the product. "The synchronization timing has been really, really critical to help our technicians and everybody who is using the product," - added Matt.

Currently, with 175 end-users and around 500 to 750 different requesters who have opportunities to make requests in the system, Grande Cheese has successfully integrated Dynaway EAM into its operations.

Benefits and Improvements: The Role of Dynaway in a 24/7 Production Process

Adopting Dynaway EAM has brought significant benefits to Grande Cheese.

The mobile work platform has streamlined data access and entry for end-users, enhancing overall efficiency. The planning board application has improved scheduling and planning, allowing for better resource management. Additionally, the work order checklist ensures that critical tasks are completed accurately and on time, contributing to the reliability and efficiency of operations.

"For us, the mobile work platform is probably the greatest advantage for our end users, the ease and simplicity of use, the planning board application for our planners and schedulers with the drag and drop in the teams and calendars that you can build inside of there really allows to segregate that. The other major advantage of Dynaway that we looked at was part of the work order checklist." - noted Matt.

Enhanced Food Safety and Compliance

While Grande Cheese plans to implement the Dynaway Safe Work module in the future, they already benefit from Dynaway EAM in their food safety and compliance efforts.

The system helps track and report compliance-related tasks through maintenance sequences and job types designed to capture regulatory requirements. This ensures Grande Cheese meets all necessary standards and maintains its commitment to quality. "We use our maintenance sequences or rounds to capture the regulatory things that are standard that we have to do to maintain those compliances." - says Matt. 

Performance Metrics

With Dynaway EAM, Grande Cheese gained the capability to measure key performance indicators (KPIs) that were previously inaccessible. For example, with the Dynaway solution, they can get start times from when the request is put into when the mechanic starts on the job and finishes the job.

While Grande Cheese is familiar with Dynaway Analytics and appreciates its product features, they have their own BI department that creates their analytics. 

Among various maintenance KPIs monitored, Grande Cheese keeps track of:

1. Meantime Between Breakdowns (MTBB)

MTBB is a crucial KPI used to measure the average time elapsed between one breakdown and the next for a piece of equipment. It provides insights into equipment reliability and performance. By monitoring MTBB, Grande Cheese can identify patterns or issues in equipment performance, allowing them to anticipate when maintenance or repairs might be needed to avoid unexpected downtime.

2. Top 10 Bad Actors

This KPI identifies the top 10 pieces of equipment or components that frequently cause issues or require repairs, often referred to as "bad actors." By understanding which pieces of equipment are the most problematic, Grande Cheese can prioritize maintenance efforts and resources on these bad actors to improve overall reliability and efficiency. Tracking this KPI allows them to see what's affecting their operations frequently, like every 30 days or weekly.

3. Work Order Fault Codes

This KPI involves using standardized codes to identify faults and the remedies applied during maintenance. Technicians enter these codes when they complete work orders. By analyzing fault codes and the corresponding remedies, Grande Cheese can gain insights into recurring issues and their resolutions. This data helps in refining maintenance processes, improving equipment reliability, and reducing downtime by addressing the root causes of problems.

"We didn't have the capability and now we do," remarked Matt Stachura, highlighting the transformational impact of the new EAM system.

These metrics provide actionable insights that empower teams to make data-driven decisions, ultimately enhancing maintenance efficiency and reducing downtime.

Continuous Innovation & Future Plans

Looking to the future, Grande Cheese remains committed to innovation and continuous improvement. They are exploring additional Dynaway modules, such as the Safe Work and Lockout Tagout, to further enhance their safety protocols.

These enhancements are part of Grande Cheese's ongoing efforts to refine their processes, maintain high safety standards, and ensure the well-being of their employees and customers alike.

Conclusion

The partnership between Dynaway and Grande Cheese has significantly changed the company's functions by improving maintenance processes and data management.

Grande Cheese has established new standards for equipment maintenance, operational efficiency, and food safety. By adopting innovative solutions tailored to their unique requirements, Grande Cheese has maintained its reputation for quality and dependability. 

Matt Stachura highly recommends Dynaway EAM to other food and beverage companies, emphasizing its scalability and positive impact on their operations. "I think Dynaway is a scalable product. I think you can use that for small. We're a medium to large-sized company, and it definitely fits in a large-company model as well. So I would definitely recommend that those companies take a look at Dynaway and the options that they have and what they bring to the table," he concluded.