About
Mars Wrigley is the world’s leading manufacturer of chocolate, chewing gum, mints, and fruity confections. Mars Wrigley employs approximately 30,000 Associates globally and has operations in approximately 70 countries. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, USA, Mars Wrigley will distribute its world-famous brands including M&M’s®, Snickers®, Twix®, Skittles® and Orbit® in more than 180 countries.
The Problem
Mars Wrigley’s 8″ Readco extruder, which is responsible for mixing sugar and corn syrup, experienced bearing failures. Despite relying on an outside company for vibration analysis, not all the issues and reasons for the issues were detected. Similarly, they also faced problems with their steam traps, with some traps even being incorrectly reported as failed.
The outside company’s missed diagnoses led to costly repairs and long downtimes for Mars Wrigley, impacting their production capacity. They quickly realized that the expenses incurred on their services were not justifiable considering the subpar results.
To address these issues, Mars Wrigley recognized the need to enhance their in-house capabilities, so they adopted a proactive approach to equipment maintenance and repair. Their aim was to train their team members to perform Level 1 ultrasound duties, enabling them to detect and address equipment failures promptly. They remained committed to improving their in-house capabilities in hopes of minimizing downtime, reducing costs, and ensuring the smooth operation of their manufacturing processes.
The Solution
Since previous contractors were missing key components of a healthy reliability program, Mars Wrigley felt it was important to switch back to an in-house reliability program, specifically turning to bearing condition monitoring with a major focus on bearings and gearboxes. To achieve this, they turned to the Ultraprobe 15,000 combined with both DMS and Spectralyzer software from UE Systems. The Ultraprobe 15,000 uses ultrasound to analyze everything from bearings and electrical systems to steam traps and leaks. Coupled with DMS and Spectralyzer software, this single hand-held instrument can easily test and report on every aspect of a plant’s equipment.
This new, in-house approach would allow Mars Wrigley to extensively monitor their assets in a more accurate and consistent manner. By doing so, they would also be able to detect and address any issues promptly, while also gaining a better understanding of why these issues were occurring. Armed with this knowledge, they could then take the necessary steps to prevent these same problems from arising in the future.
Results
Mars Wrigley began to see immediate benefits upon implementing the Ultraprobe 15,000 together with DMS and Spectralyzer software. The reporting features of this software were particularly helpful, as they enabled the team members to view data instantly without having to rely on an outside service. By setting alarm levels, they were able to catch potential issues early and quickly put in repair requests, saving the company both time and money. Previously, it would take up to four weeks before a problem was reported, but now they receive instant data that allows them to act quickly.
Overall, the Ultraprobe 15,000 has helped Mars Wrigley to save time, improve efficiency, and increase revenue. The success of the instrument has also helped to gain support from the plant technical manager, further emphasizing its value to the company. By staying ahead of potential issues, they were able to gather a better understanding of why the failures were happening and how to prevent the same issues from occurring in the future. Additionally, associates felt better equipped to do their jobs with the Ultraprobe 15,000, with other departments even expressing interest in borrowing the instrument.
Summary
