Overcoming the Odds:
How a Leading Electronics Manufacturer Achieved Breakthrough Results
A major global electronics manufacturer partnered with Arch Systems to pilot its factory intelligence solution at one of the company’s most challenging sites—a location selected specifically to test the limits of digital transformation readiness.
Despite several systemic hurdles, Arch Systems delivered significant improvements in operational performance and achieved strong local adoption within two months, demonstrating the power of its AI-powered platform and expert-led engagement model.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Reduction in major downtime from February to April
%
OEE Improvement from ~35% to nearly 80%
%
90-95% downtime labeling adoption across 3 lines
$33,000Annualized hard savings per line
Significant Downtime Reduction
- Replaced manual Excel + MES processes with real-time, automated data collection Replaced manual Excel + MES processes with real-time, automated data collection
- Reduced time to prepare daily production meetings
- Increased confidence in OEE accuracy
- Enabled targeted Continuous Improvement (CI) projects to reduce downtime and optimize material feeding and line balancing
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The Challenge
The selected site was widely regarded as the most difficult in the manufacturer’s global portfolio:Organizational misalignment: The site was not aligned with corporate-level digital initiatives.
- Data unpreparedness: Legacy Fuji equipment was not yet upgraded for data collection.
- Poor vendor support: Local distributor support for connectivity upgrades was severely lacking.
Poor vendor support: Local distributor support for connectivity upgrades was severely lacking.
The Arch Approach
Rather than stepping back, Arch stepped in:
- Hands-on support: Technical Account Managers, Application Engineers, and Industry Experts conducted local visits and training to build trust and facilitate adoption.
- Industry partnership leverage: Arch used its strong partnership with Fuji to escalate and resolve hardware and connectivity issues.
- Tailored enablement: The team coached plant staff one-on-one and aligned workflows to the plant’s specific needs.
Key Outcomes
Major Downtime Reduction
- Across all lines, major downtime dropped by 22% over the two-month pilot.
- Line10, which had struggled in March, saw a 42.9% reduction from March to April alone.
- Line 04 showed the best performance in April (2.16 hours/day).
- Major downtime relative to production time decreased from 12.59% to 9.82% overall.
(Data collected Feb 9 to April 13, 2025)
Major Downtime Trend Analysis
OEE Availability Doubled in Two Months
- Across all lines, major downtime dropped by 22% over the two-month pilot.
- Line10, which had struggled in March, saw a 42.9% reduction from March to April alone.
- Line 04 showed the best performance in April (2.16 hours/day).
- Major downtime relative to production time decreased from 12.59% to 9.82% overall.
(Data collected Feb 9 to April 13, 2025)
High Adoption of AI Tools
- The React tool achieved 90–95% labeling adoption across all pilot lines, empowering the team with real-time visibility and continuous improvement capabilities.
Quantified Financial Impact
- Using Arch’s ROI calculator, the improvements equated to $33,000 per line per year in hard savings due to reduced downtime.
Strategic Lessons
This site serves as a powerful example of the difference between buying a software tool and partnering with a manufacturing-focused AI company:
- Arch Systems brings deep manufacturing expertise and understands the realities of line-level operations.
- The bottom-up, guided implementation model wins buy-in and ensures quick adoption and consistent usage.
- Strategic industry relationships (e.g., with partner Fuji) can be a critical enabler for success.
