An American recycling company develops and produces machines for taking back deposit containers made of aluminum (aluminum cans) and plastic (PET bottles). The company had acquired a company in Germany with a product concept for vending machines for the return of containers in unorganized form or containers (bulk feed). The interim manager was hired as Chief Technical Officer (CTO) to assess the complex structure of these machines with conveyor technology and environmental sensors for reliable container detection and to optimize them in terms of robustness, reliability and costs.
In addition, the interim manager was to lead the young team at the site in Germany and establish a high-quality development process with milestones and clear responsibilities.
The acquired company was a small organization that operated similarly to a start-up. The aim was to turn the product idea into a series product as quickly as possible. The first so-called bulk feed machines were installed at recycling centers in Sweden. However, the systems had considerable problems and required a high level of maintenance.
Optimization of the machine for robust processing of deposit containers in bulk feed
Based on his experience from processes in the automotive industry and technical understanding of automation with camera sensors, magnetic sensors and ultrasound, the interim manager was able to develop an action plan for the optimization within 4 weeks and coordinate it with the US parent company.
The plan was to first increase the robustness of the running machines in the field. The first step was to revise the "roller conveyor" and "optical detection" components, which the interim manager had identified as weak points during his analysis. In addition, the service personnel in Sweden received intensive training to improve the maintenance results.
Quality audit for vendor parts - improvement through deep learning
In the next step, the interim manager assessed the quality of the purchased components in an audit. This also revealed potential for optimization. Together with his team and the suppliers, the interim manager developed technical improvements that were quickly implemented and significantly increased the quality of the supplies. In addition, some components and parts were reassigned to qualified suppliers.
The third area of rapid improvement concerned the adjustment and design of the camera sensors with the corresponding image recognition software. Here, the interim manager initiated the acquisition of additional image data and a refinement of the algorithms. The principles of "deep learning" were applied.
New modular concept developed for indoor and outdoor applications
After achieving greater robustness of the machines in the field, the interim manager designed a new modular structure for the system in a value analysis workshop. This offers the advantage that indoor and outdoor installations are now possible with the same modules. In addition, vending machine costs were reduced by more than 20 percent and transport and logistics costs were halved.
Product redesign increases customer satisfaction and margin
The successful product redesign increased customer satisfaction and the margin. The interim manager was able to hand over the management of the site and the CTO role on time and on budget. With 3 months of coaching for the new project manager, the interim mandate ended after a total of 9 months with great success.
