Contel integrated an MRB module at the Shefa plant in Arad, as part of MES (Manufacturing Execution System) software installed at the plant. Material pending an MRB (Material Review Board) is material suspected of being defective, and hence initially kept back from production until tested.

Contel ITS integrated an MRB module at the Shefa plant,  a member of the Unilever Group, in Arad.

Contel ITS integrated an MRB Forms module at the Shefa plant in Arad, as part of MES (Manufacturing Execution System) software installed at the plant. Material pending an MRB (Material Review Board) is material suspected of being defective, and hence initially kept back from production until tested. Initially, tests are performed by the line operators and line managers who give their opinion. The material is then transferred to the lab for more thorough testing. After the testing, the lab issues its report on the material and its disposition, ranging anywhere from return to production to physical destruction. The decision, approved by the plant managers, is reported back to the production personnel, who implement the disposition.

According to Daniel Baron, Manager, Logistics and Information Resources at the plant: “This software module is expected to improve the production and control processes at the plant. We expect ever-greater efficiencies in the production processes to continue thanks to the MRB module.

The module is designed to handle, control and track material that is pending an MRB, from the identification of suspect material by plant employees, to the disposition decision by the lab personnel and plant managers, and finally, to implementation of the decision. In addition, the documentation is stored, enabling an analysis after the fact and drawing of conclusions for the future. The module contains documentation and the details of employees who handled the material, decisions made about the action to be taken and the reasons for the decisions, and links to forms and to external documents in order to document the material.

According to Itai Gittler, project manager at Contel ITS, combining use of this module with MES data will increase efficiency and improve the handling of material suspected of being defective in the production process. The module is directly linked to the production data accumulated in the MES system: work orders, stoppages, faults, shutdowns, etc. This constitutes a major advantage when analyzing the data and drawing conclusions, an advantage not feasible in a system that is not closely linked to production in the way the MES system is.

About the Shefa plant

The Shefa plant, which makes morning cereals in Arad, is part of Unilever. MES software installed at the Shefa plant three years ago has brought about major improvements in the production processes at the plant.