Unlocking capacity to support growth at leading Biotechnology company

 

Results

Project Highlights

• Machine utilisation increased from 30 percentage points to over 50 percentage points on key lines

• Production increased from 30m → 45m → 50m units in two years

• Reduced downtime during product changeovers

• Improved shift start performance and greater consistency across shifts and teams

• Clear visibility of maintenance-related downtime

• Increased visibility and confidence for leadership

Project Overview

With production increasing from 30 million units in 2023 to 50 million units in 2025/26, the business required greater operational visibility to support sustained growth and meet new contract demand.

The immediate priority was to maximise efficiency within existing production hours before considering expansion to 24/7 operations. However, despite advanced manufacturing processes, there was limited visibility of machine performance.

Data was either inaccurate or unavailable, making it difficult to:

• Understand true production capacity

• Identify inefficiencies and downtime

• Confidently plan improvements

This lack of visibility impacted decision-making across the organisation. Leadership teams were unable to answer (with confidence) three critical operational questions clearly:

• When are our lines stopping?

• How long are they stopped for?

• What is the real reason for each stoppage?

The Solution

After exploring alternative approaches such as stack light systems, the manufacturer implemented FourJaw to introduce real-time machine monitoring across production.

FourJaw was deployed across plate and bottle lines without complex infrastructure changes, providing immediate visibility and a consistent, reliable source of production data.

Key capabilities included:

• Real-time machine state monitoring

• Automatic tracking of stoppage duration

• Structured downtime categorisation

• Tablet-based operator input and messaging

• Historical performance analysis

This established a single source of truth for production data, accessible from the shopfloor through to senior leadership.

Results

With clear visibility of downtime patterns, the production team focused on reducing lost time and improving consistency across operations.

This led to:

• Machine utilisation increased from mid-30% to over 50% on key lines

• Reduced downtime during product changeovers

• Improved shift start performance

• Greater consistency across shifts and teams
  
  

Eliminating breakdown losses

Engineering and maintenance teams gained clear insight into the biggest sources of downtime, enabling faster and more targeted interventions.

• Clear visibility of maintenance-related downtime

• Elimination of major recurring breakdown losses

• Faster identification and resolution of issues

• Data-driven prioritisation of engineering activity

Enabling data-driven decisions

FourJaw created a shared, trusted view of performance across the organisation, improving alignment from the shop floor to the boardroom.

• Performance data used in weekly production reviews

• Increased visibility and confidence for leadership

• Faster, more informed decision-making

• Stronger cross-team collaboration and accountability

Commercial impact

By improving both machine reliability and process efficiency, the business significantly increased output while maintaining control and consistency.

• Production increased from 30m → 45m → 50m units in two years

• New contract demand delivered on time

• Additional capacity unlocked within existing operating hours

• Increased confidence in operational delivery

Summary

FourJaw is now embedded as a core part of the company’s operational strategy, connecting engineering, production and leadership through a shared, structured view of performance.

With strong operational foundations in place, the business is well-positioned to continue scaling efficiently and sustainably while maintaining high levels of quality and control.