Augos Factory / Proof / Building materials plant
Case study · Building materials
The line ran fine in the rain. It broke down as the material dried.
Wet raw material cuts cleanly. The trouble starts when the season turns and the stockpile dries unevenly. The stop record showed exactly when that happens.
The problem
A problem everyone knew, and nobody could time
Every year, as winter turned, the same thing happened. Cutter wires snapped, and the line stopped.
The team blamed the wet season and braced for the rain. But the worst stops never lined up with the worst weather.
Wet material was never the problem on its own. The trouble is uneven drying: part of the stockpile still wet, part already dry, reaching the cutter together.
What the record showed
The line broke down as the stockpile dried
Every stop was timed and given a reason, month after month. Set against local rainfall, winter 1 looked like this:
| Month | Rain | Raw-material stops | Cutter-wire breaks |
|---|---|---|---|
| June | 133.7 mm | 1.52 h | 45 |
| July | 121.4 mm | 2.53 h | 50 |
| August | 78.3 mm | 11.90 h | 54 |
| September | 24.2 mm | 0.22 h | 27 |
| October | 27.3 mm | 3.43 h | 20 |
The table does not move in step with the rain, and the plant gives two reasons. First, how damp the air is matters as much as how much rain falls. Damp air slows drying, so the stockpile dries in patches.
Second, the product mix changes month to month. Some products need far more cutter wires, and the plant believes more of them ran in August.
The suggestion
June was the wettest month and one of the calmest on the line: wet material on its own cuts cleanly. The stops come when it dries unevenly. So plan for the drying months, not for the rain.
Source: Augos platform, Downtime Report. One anonymised extrusion line, with rainfall from the nearest public weather station. Wire breaks include short stops. Site, products and people removed.
The fix, and holding the standard
Plan for the drying months, then hold the line
Knowing when the trouble starts, the plant could plan instead of react.
Plan for the turn of the season
Keep the stockpile's moisture even as the rains ease. Book about 40 hours of planned maintenance for the drying months, and set the machines for the material.
The next winter held
Across June to August of the first winter, the line lost 16.3 hours over 32 raw-material stops and 13 logged cutter-wire breaks.
Across the same months the next winter, it lost 1.6 hours to raw material and logged no cutter-wire break stops at all.
Good output rose from 44.4% to 53.2% of paid time.
The next test is already on the chart
One winter is a strong start, not yet a habit. The next turn of the season is the test, and the record will show it either way.
Method
- Source: Augos platform Downtime Report and Performance Overview, two winters.
- Line: one extrusion line, every stop timed by the sensor and given a reason at the terminal.
- Rainfall: the nearest public weather station.
- Winters compared: June to August, two years running.
- Raw-material stops: stops the plant logs under its raw-material reason.
What this case leaves out
- No rand value: the plant has not shared its products' sales values, so the case reports hours.
- The rain table counts every wire break, short stops included. The winter comparison counts logged stops only.
- The table shows rain, not air humidity or the product mix. The plant links both to these stops.
Measured figures only, as the platform recorded them.
Questions
This case, answered
Why didn't the worst stops match the worst weather?
Wet material on its own cuts cleanly. The stops come when it dries unevenly, which depends on how damp the air is, not only on rain. The product mix matters too: some products need far more cutter wires.
Why did it take Augos to see it?
The plant always knew the change of season hurt. It could not see when until every stop had a reason and a date, laid against the weather.
Why is there no rand value?
The plant has not shared its products' sales values, so the case reports hours only.
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