How Pacific Coast Packaging Finally Understood Why Their Lines Stop
Pacific Coast Packaging
The Challenge
High-speed packaging lines experienced frequent micro-stoppages that were invisible to the team. Operators and engineers knew something was off but couldn't see the patterns. Compliance documentation consumed hours that could have been spent improving the lines.
The Solution
Deployed Attainment Tracker across 8 packaging lines with real-time state visibility, structured downtime capture, and documentation that reflects what the team already knows — organized so they can prove it.
Pacific Coast Packaging: Seeing What Was Always There
What the Team Was Experiencing
Pacific Coast Packaging runs 8 high-speed packaging lines producing beverages for major retail brands. At 400+ bottles per minute, the lines move fast — but they also stop fast. Two-second stoppages that nobody could track were adding up to hours of lost production every day.
The team knew the lines could do better. Operators had theories. Engineers had hunches. But the manual logs couldn’t capture what was really happening at machine speed, and the patterns stayed hidden.
On top of that, food safety compliance meant extensive documentation — hours every week spent assembling records that should have been a byproduct of understanding production, not a separate burden.
- Micro-stoppages were invisible — 2-5 second stops that no log could capture
- Manual tracking couldn’t keep up with what was actually causing downtime
- Compliance documentation consumed 25 hours per week of the team’s time
- Maintenance was reactive — failures surprised everyone because the warning signs weren’t visible
What Changed
Real-Time Line Visibility
Attainment Tracker captures every stoppage, no matter how brief. Operators and engineers can now see patterns they couldn’t before:
- Every state — running, blocked, setup, offline — is visible in real time
- Stops are categorized by cause, with operator input shaping the categories
- Integration with line PLCs provides detailed fault context
Documentation That Reflects Understanding
Instead of assembling compliance records as a separate task, the documentation now flows from the team’s actual knowledge of production:
- Batch records are generated from the same data the team uses day to day
- CIP cycle tracking and environmental monitoring are part of the production picture
- When an auditor asks a question, the team can answer it — because the records reflect what they genuinely understand about their process
Patterns the Team Can Act On
With consistent data over time, operators and engineers started spotting recurring issues that had been invisible before. Maintenance crews could see which equipment needed attention before it failed — not because a system told them, but because the pattern was there in the data and they could finally read it.
What the Team Discovered
Micro-stoppages turned out to be a far bigger factor than anyone realized. Once visible, the team reduced unplanned downtime from 6.8 hours per day to 3.3 — a 52% reduction. OEE improved from 62% to 81%. Changeover time dropped from 35 minutes to 22 once setup was tracked as explicit, visible work.
Documentation time fell from 25 hours per week to 5 — not because the system automated the paperwork away, but because the records now come from the same place the team gets its production visibility. The compliance story and the operations story are the same story.
At their most recent FDA inspection, the team was able to answer every question with clear, traceable data. Not because they had prepared for the audit — but because they understood their process well enough that the answers were already there.
How It Came Together
Week 1: Discovery
- Mapped all line components and common stoppage patterns
- Identified integration points with existing systems
- Planned sensor placement with the operators who run the lines
Weeks 2-3: Deployment
- Installed Attainment Tracker across all 8 lines
- Connected to line PLCs and quality systems
- Trained operators and maintenance teams — their input was critical for accurate categorization
Week 4: Learning Together
- Fine-tuned micro-stoppage detection thresholds based on what the team was seeing
- Created role-specific views so everyone sees what matters to their work
- Established escalation paths so blocked lines get attention fast
What the Team Took Away
- Micro-stoppages matter — two-second stops were hiding in plain sight, adding up to hours
- Operators see things systems miss — their input made the downtime categories accurate
- Compliance is a byproduct of understanding — when you know your process, proving it is straightforward
Want to understand what’s really happening on your lines? Start a conversation.
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