WSM INDUSTRIES’ OEE Up 28% Following Intouch Implementation

WSM INDUSTRIES is a unique global injection moulding and tool-making business with over 25 years of experience. The company is considered the go-to provider of injection mould tooling for leading names from across every major sector, with a diverse customer base who trust the expertise and knowledge that WSM deliver. In this case study, Intouch Monitoring showcases how its Manufacturing Execution System (MES) empowered WSM Industries to enhance production efficiency, reduce waste, and improve on-time delivery as it scaled to meet growing customer demand.

Faced with steady growth and increased demand, the company identified a pressing need for a comprehensive production management solution that could facilitate its growth plans. Before implementing Intouch, WSM relied on more traditional methods, which had become insufficient and inefficient as production volume grew and it approached the expansion into a new facility.

The Challenge

The core challenge was to improve production efficiency and optimise machine utilisation in response to rising demand for its products and services. Existing systems lacked robust planning capabilities, which was limiting growth and operational effectiveness.

Additionally, the company was constrained by using spreadsheets for planning, which had become increasingly cumbersome and hindered cross-departmental alignment. To support expansion, the company required a system that would allow for real-time monitoring, scheduling, and better Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) tracking without necessitating a disruptive overhaul of existing ERP systems.

Identifying a Solution

After evaluating several Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), the company selected InTouch for its simplicity and cost-effectiveness, making it a great fit for rapid deployment without disrupting other system integrations.

The appeal of InTouch lay in its straightforward interface, which allowed the team to avoid an extensive and prolonged learning curve. The scheduling and planning tools provided by InTouch were essential in supporting cross-departmental coordination, as these features granted visibility to customer care, technical, and sales teams about the real-time status of jobs and overall production flow.

Benefits to WSM INDUSTRIES

The adoption of InTouch delivered significant benefits across the organisation, particularly in the areas of operational efficiency and data accessibility. James Costen, Technical Project Manager at WSM said “Our OEE improved by 28% in a year, these results speak for themselves”.

• 28% Improved Efficiency: OEE rose by 28% over 12 months, from August 2023 to September 2024.
• Better on-time-in-full (OTIF) Performance: OTIF improved by 16.7% across the customer base.
• 2% reduction in scrap: Scrap levels dropped from 2.3% in 2023 to the target of 1%, reducing waste and saving costs.
• Financial gains: The OEE improvements translated into an estimated £204k in additional chargeable hours annually, equivalent to approximately £17k per month
• 14% reduction in machine stoppages: the downtime and stoppages across the factory floor were reduced by 14%

In addition to measurable gains, the transparency and accessibility of production data fostered a shift from spreadsheet-based workflows to collaborative, real-time monitoring of the shop floor via live dashboards.

Meetings now leverage this data, promoting alignment on priorities and schedules across departments.

James highlighted that “Our machine stoppages have reduced by 14% which has resulted in an overall increase in the jobs we have completed, which is an impressive outcome – more than we anticipated”.

Additional outcomes

The company has successfully used InTouch’s planning features to streamline workflows, support customer order tracking, and reduce dependencies on manual processes. The system’s accessibility has empowered various roles within the organisation:

• Setters and Production Managers: Use InTouch for tool change planning and production monitoring
• Customer Care and Sales Teams: Track order statuses in real-time, enhancing customer communication and service delivery
• Systems Management and Executive Team: The data extracted from InTouch populates Power BI dashboards, offering a bird’s-eye view of production trends, utilisation, and efficiency metrics

The positive organisational shift is reflected in employees’ high regard for InTouch, which has become the most relied-upon system in production.

WSM are breaking the mould with their improved performance

The implementation of InTouch has empowered the company to meet growing demands without the need for disruptive system overhauls. By centralising and digitising production data, InTouch has contributed to a tangible uplift in production efficiency, waste reduction, and improved delivery metrics, while also enhancing cross-departmental collaboration.

Moving forward, the company is looking to explore further applications of InTouch, including potential expansion into new geographical markets. The system has proven instrumental in positioning the company for continued growth and efficiency.

Read more from Intouch here.

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