Krauth, C. (2010). Improvement of Big-Bag fertilizers filling station and its relevant logistics [Master Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://resolver.obvsg.at/urn:nbn:at:at-ubtuw:1-57386
This master thesis was undertaken at Timac Agro Austria, a producer of fertilizers with a capacity of 250.000 tons per annum. Timac Agro Austria belongs to the French Roullier Group. The first goal with this master thesis was to focus on a machine and to analyze the possible improvements in order to increase its effectiveness. This would be achieved through a method that concentrated on finding losses. This method is called Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) which is part of the so called Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), a maintenance process developed for improving productivity by making processes more reliable and less wasteful. This master thesis gives a practical approach on how the method should be implemented on the Big-Bag fertilizer filling station. Thus this approach focuses on defining: the necessary measurements to follow the effectiveness value of the machine; developing a data collection form; suggesting a training plan for operators and managers; managing the collected data; and giving feedback to the team and upper management. A description on how to implement this method in the company and a sequence of solutions to improve the big-bag filling station effectiveness is the outcome. The next goal was to suggest ways to improve the packaging system comprising the big-bag filling station, the bordering machines and vehicles. Due to the location of the big-bag filling station, implementation of some solutions can have an impact on the entire system and vice versa. The outcome is a general layout representing the position of the different machines and the traffic of vehicles. This shows the current state and the future state which is achievable if some improvements are made.