Flow Analysis Unlocks 13% Output Gain at Automated Brick Plant
A major brick manufacturer had invested heavily in new automated plant but was failing to meet budgeted output targets. Despite sustained engineering effort to reduce unplanned downtime, performance remained below expectation. A fresh, data-driven perspective was needed to identify the real constraints.
13%
increase in weekly output
Identified
true constraint — not downtime
Balanced
throughput across automated line
Reduced
starvation and stoppage losses
The Challenge
The business had focused its improvement efforts on reducing unplanned downtime, assuming this was the primary barrier to hitting budget. Despite progress on equipment reliability, weekly output targets remained out of reach. The plant management team recognised they needed an independent, structured analysis to challenge their assumptions and identify what was really limiting throughput.
Our Approach
Detailed flow studies were conducted across the full production process to map material movement, cycle times and queue behaviour at each stage. The analysis identified two distinct bottleneck mechanisms — starvation, where downstream stages were being starved of material due to upstream pacing issues, and stoppage losses that were compounding the effect. The constraint was not where the team had been looking.
The Solution
With the true bottlenecks identified, improvement activity was redirected to address starvation and stoppage at the constraint points. Cycle times were improved and throughput balanced across the line so that the automated plant operated as a synchronised system rather than a collection of independent machines. Standard work and scheduling disciplines were introduced to sustain the gains.
