BEFORE
Client’s Challenges
OEE below 50% due to insufficient bottleneck management and suboptimal silo utilization
Delivery commitments based on rough estimates
Lack of visibility into material and resource availability
AFTER
Results with Asprova
Increase in OEE to over 86% through detailed sequencing for all resources
Improved efficiency of all resources: mills operate 50% more effectively, and the overall process is about 30% more efficient
Reliable delivery commitments with nearly 100% on-time delivery
Finite capacity scheduling for both employees and machines
Simulation capability for current orders and sales plans
Precise demand scheduling: continuous monitoring of raw material availability and accurate information on required delivery dates for the logistics department
Standardized scheduling method independent of employees
Asprova APS is our primary tool for production and logistics management. All critical information is gathered there, and the production schedule is created and shared, accounting for resource constraints and delivery timelines. With Asprova APS, we maintain nearly 100% on-time deliveries and can respond immediately to any disruptions.
ABOUT THE CLIENT
Strauss Cafe
Founded in 1991, Strauss Cafe Poland Sp. Z o.o. is located near Poznań and specializes in the production of roasted and ground coffee beans. The local factory, part of the globally active Strauss Group, employs 340 people and produces 20,000 tons of coffee annually—about one-fifth of Poland’s total consumption.
Products
Strauss Cafe Poland offers a complete portfolio of roasted, ground, and instant coffees in various packaging sizes and designs, both for their own MK Cafe brand and for private labels.
ABOUT THE COLLABORATION
Strauss Cafe x Asprova
A wide range of processes is involved in blending, roasting, grinding, degassing, and packaging the finished products. More than 30 machines and 100 silos operate throughout the process chain, requiring close collaboration between order intake, logistics, maintenance, and production management teams. Strauss’ logistics processes cover everything from sourcing and transporting green coffee and packaging materials to supplying key customers via EDI (Electronic Data Interchange).
Once roasted, the coffee stays in a continuous production flow and must be packaged within a certain timeframe. These scheduling constraints are managed through minimum/maximum time restrictions between processes. The biggest challenge was optimizing the roasting and degassing process in the silos while efficiently feeding three production lines to seven packaging machines.
SAP could not optimize silo utilization, which negatively affected efficiency. Before introducing Asprova in 2014, bottleneck management and optimal silo utilization were the greatest challenges, making it a constant struggle to create a feasible schedule.
Asprova dynamically handles resources and bottlenecks like no other scheduling system. It seamlessly exchanges data with SAP, ensuring that all employees work on the same platform with real-time and accurate information.
With Asprova, Strauss increased their OEE from below 50% to over 86%.