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Imagine you start a new job. Several days into it, you question a process and you hear the phrase “That’s just the way we’ve always done it.”

You likely step through dozens of business processes everyday by following the same steps to generate a report, resolve a complaint, contact a client, etc. There are many good reasons for standard business processes. Some processes are over-complicated for no reason, while others affect many downstream processes and need to be done a certain way for multiple reasons.

Why Streamlining Processes is Important

According to Tallyfy, the benefits of business process management are pretty wide-ranging. It can be beneficial both in short-term productivity and profits as well as the long-term ability to withstand competition and agility to make changes. Streamlined processes generally mean fewer errors and delays. Operational efficiency and quality of work can greatly improve as well.

Benefits include:

• Increased productivity by cutting out redundant or inefficient tasks
• Ability to quantify processes to evaluate efficiency and identify potential improvement areas
• Lower expenses with improved efficiency
• Helps develop a culture of innovation, making change common and welcome and not something to be feared
• Transparency in processes helps mitigate risk of human error to avoid costly mistakes and ensure compliance of rules and regulations
• Process consistency makes employees more accountable and process results are less likely to vary
• Reduction of menial work by automating tasks allows employees to focus on the more engaging and enjoyable aspects of their job, resulting in higher employee satisfaction

How to Streamline Processes

There are several steps to streamlining work processes and developing an efficient work flow to boost productivity:

Analyze Current Workflow and Identify Key Areas of Focus

Many people don’t realize all the steps involved in particular processes. It becomes rote and routine to perform the steps without conscious thought. This is why the first step towards improvement is to identify the processes and do an analysis of each step. Identify what can be improved and ask for feedback from all involved up and downstream of the process. Look for opportunities to improve. Especially look for unclear instructions and communication breakdowns. Identify steps that can or are impacting effectiveness, communication and productivity. Ensure your new proposed workflow fixes these issues and has no loopholes.

Break Down the Process, Prioritize Work and Documentation

Break your process into manageable steps. Simplicity is key while keeping the desired outcome in mind. Rank each process on its basis of importance. This ranking will help you keep your workflow properly maintained and achieve the best outcome at the end of each process. Realistically, individuals cannot carry out every process or task from memory. Each step needs to be documented.

Automate the Work Process

The process of getting a project/task delivered is prone to data errors and miscommunication. There are many software tools and apps available specifically designed to help teams streamline their processes and workflows. Advanced features are available to make complex business processes simple.

Test Your New Workflow and be Ready to Adjust

To test your workflow and evaluate how it responds to the live workplace environment. Test your workflow in an upcoming project and identify how each step of your process works. Be ready to make improvements based on your test results. It takes time to implement new processes, so be patient. Evaluate the effectiveness to ensure everything works smoothly.

Put Your New Workflow Into Action

It’s time for implementation! It is extremely important that all employees impacted by the new workflow completely understand the reason for the new process and are trained accordingly. It is a necessity that everyone understands their responsibilities and how they can help make the new process and desired outcome successful.

Continuously Innovate and Improve

Once you have implemented your workflow, be ready to refine it over time. Auditing processes to ensure accuracy and effectiveness are very important.

Streamlining Business Processes at Douglas

At Douglas, one of our company values is Continuous Innovation & Improvement. We continually challenge the status quo and strive for excellence in all our work. We proactively initiate improvements in our know-how, products, services, safety and processes. We innovate through technology and process development to create unique value. We engage in constant learning to improve our skills and understanding of our business. We tenaciously identify and drive out waste. When identifying problems, we ask what we ourselves can do to improve the situation. We are relentless in our efforts to create and sustain organized work areas and process. We initiate and embrace change for the opportunity it may present.

Business processes are documented in Standard Operating Procedures and Work Instructions and are audited on a regular basis by the Subject Matter Expert(s). At Douglas, our customer driven employee owners are working for you. We want our processes to be clear, effective and innovative to ensure that your customer experience is second to none. For more information on Douglas and our capabilities, contact us today!

Two rising trends in packaging today include flexible packaging and the use of robotics.

Flexible packaging includes bags, pouches and other flexible products. Flexible packaging is one of the fastest growing forms of packaging in the industry. It is beneficial to manufacturers, retailers and consumers. Several advantages to flexible packaging include lightweight material, ultimate protection, customization in packaging shape and size, creative graphics, less shelf space, lower shipping costs and positive environmental impact … just to name a few. Consumers enjoy the fact that flexible packages are easy to store, easy to open and are resealable.

In the packaging industry, robots are involved from the beginning to end-of-line, handling food, pick and placing, case packing and palletizing. For secondary packaging applications such as shrink wrapping or case packaging, robotics solve issues related to hard-to-handle products, multiple axis manipulation, fluctuating throughput rates and tight plant layouts. While not every application may require a robot, the increasing need for flexibility and evolution of products require more complex automation and becomes a business necessity warranting new technology. Integrating a robot into a packaging line can help alleviate current and prevent future challenges.

Top Load Case Packing with Douglas Machine

Top load case packers are an ideal packaging solution for flexible packaging. Douglas top loading and product collation technologies ensure optimum interaction between product, packaging materials and machinery to create the most effective case packers for your application.

Douglas’ compact TriVex® RL & RLi offer automated robotic case and tray packing solutions to accommodate the unique demands associated with handling bags, pouches, cartons, trays, tubs, cups, cans, bottles and overwrapped products. Maximized flexibility provides efficient loading of products into almost any style of pre-erected top load case or tray.

The TriVex RLi offers the unique ability to seamlessly erect, load and seal top load cases with one compact machine. Innovative design features, advanced servo technology and simple menu-driven changeovers combine to accommodate a wide variety of product types with less product handling and less maintenance. It’s the optimum solution for the high demands associated with 3-shift production, frequent format changes and high efficiencies.

The TriVex® SL & SLi are ideal for the demands of the growing retail ready market. This robotic top load case packer meets market needs for lines requiring products to be packed vertical in the case and lines requiring both vertical and flat pack product orientations. Vertical pack configurations produce retail ready display cases with 1 or 2 product facings. With a quick and simple changeover it packs pouches and flat bottom bags laying flat in the case with 2 or 3 products per layer.

The TriVex® SL & SLi use a dual SCARA robotic solution uniquely combining the functionality of a product infeed, pack pattern collation and case loading functions into one mechanism.

Douglas TriVex® Series case packers incorporate the top two trends in packaging today (flexible packaging and robotics) into one ideal solution for your application.

Next Steps

Connect with a packaging expert at Douglas today to discuss how we can partner with you for your next top load case packaging project. We would be honored to help you find the ideal solution for your needs.

Workplace safety is very important for each and every employee. All workers desire to work in a safe and protected atmosphere that promotes the wellness of both employees and employers. Human loss is immeasurable. All industries have safety risks. Safety management is vital.

 

Several things can be done to help improve safety:  

• Safety begins at day one. Ensure safety requirements are clearly communicated and followed.
• Review and strategize what safety precautions are required to ensure your workers are safe at all times.
• Regular meetings to review safety rules and discuss prevention keeps safety at top of mind.
• Ensure employees feel comfortable talking about safety concerns. Inform your supervisor of unsafe conditions and hazards immediately.
• Comprehensive employee training is a must for preventing workplace injury. All employees should have access to safety trainings and information.
• Stay alert and be aware of your surroundings. Observe your surroundings and be aware of the particular hazards that could occur in your workplace. Awareness is the first step to reducing risk.
• Reduce workplace stress. Keep your supervisor informed of issues you are facing in your organization. Busy schedules, employee conflicts and long work hours can lead to illness or depression, affecting not only the professional life of employees, but their personal life as well.
• Wear the appropriate personal protection equipment as required. It is essential to wear the right equipment such as earplugs, hard hats, safety glasses, safety gloves, steel toe shoes, etc. to ensure your safety.
• Use tools appropriately. Take the proper precautions while using machinery and tools. Avoid shortcuts. Use the correct tools at all times.
• Ensure access to emergency exists are clear.
• Use mechanical assistance to carry or lift heavy items.
• Proper posture is essential. Keep your shoulders in line and back straight.
• Ergonomic screening to identify areas for high risk of employee injury.
• Utilize safety labels and signs and ensure employees know what they mean.
• Keep workspaces clean and organized. Avoid tripping hazards. Wipe any spills quickly. Keep tools and cords organized.
• Implement 5S to reduce clutter and improve organization.
• Regular equipment inspection can help prevent tool malfunctions. Ensure all equipment is cleaned, appropriately serviced and regularly inspected.
• Encourage employees to take breaks. Even five minutes can ease muscle tension and loosen joints. Breaks from repetitive motions can prevent injuries.
• Rewards are an easy way to encourage workplace safety. Giving small rewards to employees may help keep them engaged.

 

Safety at Douglas

 

At Douglas, our mission is to enrich lives by providing differentiated packaging automation and services. An important way we enrich lives is by keeping our employee owners, customers and other guests safe. Ensuring safety is accomplished by living out our company values of Unwavering Integrity and Continuous Innovation & Improvement. The value of Unwavering Integrity is demonstrated by doing what is right and refusing to compromise the safety or well-being of ourselves or others. The value of Continuous Innovation & Improvement is demonstrated by proactively initiating improvements in our safety processes, eliminating potential hazards, and creating and sustaining organized work areas.

 

Douglas has A Workplace Accident and Injury Reduction program (AWAIR). The objective of our AWAIR program is to reduce employee accidents, injuries and illnesses through:

1. Maintaining safe and healthful working conditions.
2. Ensuring that each employee is properly trained and instructed in job procedures prior to job assignments.
3. Ensuring that employees adhere to proper operating practices and procedures designed to prevent accidents, injuries and illnesses.
4. Creating safety policies designed to keep employees safe.
5. Complying with all federal, state and local safety regulations through policies documented in the Safety Management System (SMS).
6. Supporting an employee safety committee.
7. Creating Emergency Response Teams for all shifts and facilities. First Aid Kits are available and maintained.
8. Conducting accident investigations to determine the root cause of accidents and what actions are necessary to prevent future reoccurrence.
9. Near Miss reporting and investigations will occur to determine the root causes of the near misses and what actions are necessary to prevent future reoccurrence.

 

Although safety is the responsibility of every employee, the management of Douglas Machine is responsible for the implementation, maintenance and enforcement of safety and health policies and procedures. All employees are responsible for following safety rules at all times. Employees working at customer locations must also follow the additional rules at the customer’s facilities. Safety is included in every employee’s job description. Safety attitude and participation are also considered as part of all employee’s performance reviews. Personal safety is every employee’s responsibility. No schedule, supervisor, coworker, or customer can force you to perform an unsafe act or work in an unsafe condition.

 

Accident investigation is a key component of Douglas’ safety and health program. The purpose of accident investigations is not to place blame, but rather to determine the cause of the accident or near miss and eliminate the causative factors.

 

Douglas Safety Management System (SMS) is a database available to all Douglas employees. Employees can review the following information through the SMS:

• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Near miss program information
• Douglas safety goals and AWAIR program
• Safety policy and guidelines for employees
• Safety trainings and videos
• Written safety programs
• Emergency response team members
• Safety committee team members
• Incident reports
• Job hazard analysis

 

Douglas Improvement Projects (DIPS) are also part of our safety program. Employee owners have a goal to implement 500 safety improvements per year.

 

The employee owners of Douglas work hard to ensure that our customers and guests feel safe in our facility. We ensure customers and guests are given the appropriate PPE for their visit and safety rules are explained before moving from the office area to the production floor. We work hard to enrich our customers’ lives by providing a safe environment and differentiated packaging automation and services. Contact us today to learn more!

by Eric Koenig

The ability for a Field Service Technician to view and access a machine’s control system remotely can help troubleshoot and solve an estimated 60% to 70% of operating problems, avoiding the need for support personnel to travel across town – or the world.

 

The types of problems that can derail production often don’t require fixing the machine as much as tweaking its programming. With remote connectivity, it’s not just the cost of travel that’s saved; speedy issue resolution means less downtime and a faster return to full production for the end user. On occasions when an in-person service call is required, remote visibility can ensure that the person with the right skills, parts and tools is scheduled.

 

Remote access strategies have intensified in recent years as the packaging industry faces continued loss of subject matter experts to retirement. Machine builders are also realizing that remote access opens up an avenue to be proactive and offer preventive services on behalf of their customers.

 

One unique approach to enabling secure remote machine access over the Internet is using an outbound VPN connection. This connection helps reduce the need to involve Information Technology (IT) departments while fulfilling IT security expectations. Most firewall configurations and policies require no changes to accommodate outbound, encrypted VPN tunnels. This method also adds a logical network segregation, ensuring that the remote technician does not have access to the factory Local Area Network (LAN) and can only reach the device(s) connected behind the remote access router.

 

Customers may want to prevent continual remote access by disconnecting the machine from the LAN and only connect during a period when it is authorized. Disconnecting the machine from LAN is not essential for security, but it gives the customer physical control over machine accessibility and duration. When remote connectivity is based on a volume-dependent pricing option, such as cellular technology, it can be desirable to establish the connection and pay only when necessary.

 

The outbound VPN connection solution has been pioneered by Ewon since 2001 and has been tested and adopted by a large majority of machine builders from all over the world.

 

Remote Troubleshooting with Douglas Machine

 

Douglas Machine offers our customers the option to add Ewon to their machine, allowing a secure encrypted VPN connection between the Ewon and Douglas.

 

There are many benefits to allowing remote connectivity, including:  

• Cost reduction
• Production increase
• Eliminate downtime
• Reduction in travel cost
• Deliver real-time technical data to a technician
• Technician can run advanced troubleshooting tools
• Advanced data and recipe collections and analysis availability
• Code updates and upgrades can be completed remotely
• Faster troubleshooting
• Monitor machine performance

 

Contact Douglas Technical Services today to learn more about the benefits of remote troubleshooting and how we can partner with you for all of your secondary packaging needs.

A major role of a Field Service Technician is to provide service and customer support during field visits by managing on-site installation, repair, maintenance, testing, error diagnosis, technical problem solving and determining proper solutions.

In a highly competitive labor market where it is increasingly difficult to recruit field service technicians, retaining technicians is more important than ever. Companies need to put strategies in place to show technicians they are valued and develop their sense of loyalty and belonging in the company.

Companies have been struggling with a shortage of field service technicians for several years. Competition for available technicians is high. Many positions remain unfilled and technicians can often choose among multiple job offers. Technician aging and turnover is one of the four main issues facing service companies. Additional reasons include job roles and responsibilities, salary level and career development prospects.

Recommended tips to retain your field service technicians include:

• Offer competitive pay for your technicians
• Provide career development opportunities
• Utilize the right technologies
• Make team spirit part of your corporate culture
• Offer training and support

Field technicians spend the vast majority of their time alone in the field. To help them feel part of a team, it’s important to develop a corporate culture that fosters engagement, growth and team spirit:

• Maintain regular communication with field technicians and ensure there are times when they can have in-person exchanges and contact with other team members
• Take into account their feedback on how their service calls went
• Ask them what they like and do not like about their job
• Put measures in place to reduce on-the-job frustrations and, when this is not possible, talk to your teams to make sure they understand the reasons

Field Service Technicians at Douglas Machine Inc.

Field Service Technicians are an integral part of Douglas. They are responsible for providing unparalleled technical support to our customers. When we invest in technician training, we’re investing in the long-term success of our employee-owned company.

Many technicians want to evolve to take on more advanced roles and responsibilities. If they can’t expand their knowledge and grow within an organization, they’ll move to a competitor that offers better opportunities. We feel the best strategy is to establish training plans that keep our teams educated and informed about the latest advances and best practices.

With the right training, teams feel more fulfilled and confident. They will have the skills and expertise needed to take on more complex jobs and increase customer satisfaction. Our technicians also receive customer service skills training.

Douglas Service Technicians are trained with a combination of classroom, hands-on and on the job training. To ensure complete training of our technicians, Douglas has two training facilities:

• A lab with PLC modules from a variety of different types of electronic platforms for programming, electrical and hands-on training
• Talent Development training center with two focuses:
  • Mechanical and electrical build with no power or motion
  • Motion – this area teaches technicians how to create motion with electrical, mechanical and programming skills on our equipment and robots

Our technicians are cross-trained in mechanical, electrical, programming and troubleshooting. They are equipped with the latest portable computers and remote software. They are available for preventive maintenance, machine surveys, machine modifications and routine or emergency service work. It is imperative to provide excellent onboard and ongoing training for our field service technicians.

Customer Driven Service & Support

Douglas’ Technical Service sets us apart from our competition. When you choose Douglas, you’re getting more than a quality product, you’re gaining a complete Customer Driven experience. In every aspect of your relationship with us, our friendly and skilled employee owners are 100% committed to provide you with valuable and effective collaboration, innovative solutions, responsive support and more. At Douglas, it’s not just what we do. It’s who we are. Contact our Technical Service department today to discuss how we can partner with you.