Manufacturing performance software company, OFS, has announced findings from its quarterly 'Non-Alcholic Beverage Benchmark Report' which provides insights into how data can be used to improve production efficiency in the non-alcoholic beverages industry.
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The report analysed the production of millions of litres of dairy drinks, kombucha, coconut water and soft drinks by Australian, New Zealand, and U.S. producers between April and June this year to determine a view of 'what good looks like'.
It includes key performance benchmark data and explains why knowing overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) can make a significant impact on a producer's bottom line.
The data shows that non-alcoholic beverage production decreased by 12.5 per cent between April and June compared with the previous three months, as producers were thwarted by unplanned downtime.
All up, filling lines spent 37 per cent of operational time in unplanned downtime, a rise of more than a third from the previous quarter, leaving producers with just over half of the possible yield achievable.
"This might seem like grim reading, but demand for non-alcoholic beverages overall has shot up quite dramatically so it's not too surprising to see teething issues in production," said James Magee, CEO of OFS.
"Really, this is an opportunity to double down on that demand and meet it in a smart, sustainable way. With this kind of data in hand, non-alcoholic producers can not only capitalise on the market opportunities, but potentially avoid totally unnecessary investments in new production capacity because they'll be able to more effectively use what they have."
Despite downtime issues, non-alcohol beverage producers were exceptional in terms of waste efficiency, with just 1.32 per cent of units lost between the beginning and end of the filling line.
Compared with the already waste-efficient craft beer industry - which OFS analysed in a separate report - non-alcoholic producers were over a third more efficient.
Mr Magee says data is king when it comes to improving OEE, and enabling manufacturers to get a better and more consistent handle on areas like unplanned downtime, changeover time, and maximising efficiency in production schedules.
"Having access to real-time information such as the metrics outlined in this report is a sign of maturity in any industry and something that should become part and parcel of non-alcoholic beverage producers' operations as the industry expands," he said.
"The data we've captured in these reports and the learnings associated is just the beginning. With simple, affordable technology in place, non-alcoholic beverage producers can gain visibility into packing efficiency, waste, energy usage, and more to help them capitalise on opportunities."
