THE CHALLENGE

The Aurora plant in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, has always prided itself in delivering high-quality products to its customers. But there was a hidden challenge: identifying which product lines truly contributed to their profitability. Without reliable data, the company counted on gut feelings and stale data.

"We used to rely on memory to judge which products ran well," recalls Peter Clark, Aurora’s Quality and Continuous Improvement Manager. "It was hard to make decisions with confidence."

This lack of clarity wasn’t just about profits—it was about wasting resources. Inefficient product lines consumed valuable production time and space, while the team struggled to focus their efforts on the jobs that mattered most.

THE SOLUTION

Laying the foundation with automatic data collection

Before Amper, Aurora’s data collection process was manual, delayed and error-prone. The team relied on hour meters, spreadsheets, and manual calculations to track machine uptime, downtime, and OEE.

"Every morning, I would spend about an hour gathering data and preparing metrics," Clark explains. "It was tedious and left less time to actually address the inefficiencies we were trying to track in the first place."

Implementing Amper’s IoT hardware completely transformed this process at Aurora. Data that once took hours to collect and report was ready in seconds, saving over 1,000 hours a year. This automation gave the team more than just time—it provided the real-time insights they needed to quickly identify problems and take action.

Uncovering low-margin jobs

With Amper, Aurora began analyzing their production lines with fresh eyes. They discovered that certain product lines cost too much to run, produced excessive scrap, and operated at low speeds with poor OEE. At the same time, higher-margin product lines were being deprioritized due to resource constraints.

"We realized that some products were dragging us down," Flavio Rawicz, Aurora’s Plant Manager, said. "They weren’t worth the time and resources we were putting into them."

By leveraging Amper’s data, the team conducted a detailed analysis of every product on every line, ranking them based on efficiency, cost, and overall contribution to the business. This newfound clarity gave them the confidence to act: the team decided to shift inefficient product lines to another facility within the Aurora group—one that was better suited to handle them.

This move not only improved efficiency at the receiving facility but also freed up capacity at the Lunenburg plant to only focus on high-margin products.

"One of our other plants was better equipped to handle this type of product and had more capacity available," Rawicz explained. "That means they could operate more efficiently with higher volumes while freeing up space for us to focus on the products we produce best."

The impact was immediate. The most affected line saw a 75% reduction in rework and a 15% increase in average daily production.

Maximizing efficiency on existing lines

Aurora knew that maximizing the efficiency of their existing lines was equally important. One major area of focus was reducing changeover times, which were causing significant downtime and limiting production capacity.

"We identified specific products on a line where changeover would take 4+ hours," explains Clark. "It was a clear bottleneck that we needed to address."

As a result, Aurora launched a targeted SMED project. By breaking down the changeover process and eliminating unnecessary steps, they were able to reduce changeover times from 4 hours to just 1 hour on targeted product changes.

"Amper helped us pinpoint the problem and track our progress," says Clark. "The impact has been significant—not just in capacity, but in our ability to consistently hit production goals."

By ensuring their lines run as efficiently as possible, Aurora is making the most of their resources and driving profitability across their operations.

UNEXPECTED BENEFITS

Enhancing safety and embracing just-in-time manufacturing

When Aurora Material Solutions first implemented Amper, the focus was on improving operational efficiency and profitability. However, an unexpected benefit emerged: Amper transformed how the team approached employee safety and material handling processes.

Previously, requesting materials required operators to walk through forklift-heavy zones, a workflow that created unnecessary safety risks. The plant also relied on storing large quantities of materials near the production lines, leading to clutter and inefficiencies.

Using Amper’s Call Team functionality, Aurora implemented a simple but effective solution. Operators now request materials digitally through tablets, which send notifications to a large TV in the warehouse and text alerts to the shipping team. This eliminated the need for operators to enter hazardous zones while enabling just-in-time  delivery of materials to production lines.

"We reduced foot traffic in unsafe areas and minimized the amount of material stored on the shop floor," explains Flavio Rawicz, Plant Manager. "It’s a side effect we didn’t expect, but it’s been a huge win."

The results speak for themselves. Operators now work in a safer environment, with forklifts confined to designated areas and clutter-free production lines. By embracing JIT principles, Aurora reduced material storage while improving workflow efficiency.

This unexpected benefit highlights the versatility of Amper’s tools, proving that its impact goes beyond data and into creating a safer work environment.