One billion bottles a year on the wall

 By George White, Gallo Glass Co.

hen it comes to making all of the bottles for one of the largest winemaking operations in the world, production processes need to be as clear as the glass itself. At Gallo Glass Co. in Modesto, Calif., just-in-time delivery means the bottles are available when needed, to help keep the wine flowing through the bottling and labeling operations, out to distribution and into millions of homes each year.

The glass plant also has to support the company’s commitments to quality, consumer safety and environmental protection. With one billion bottles being produced annually, a production system with monitoring and control software from GE, helps Gallo Glass shine.

A Toast to High Technology
The Gallo Glass plant is one of the world’s largest. It manufactures more than 100 different bottle types in various sizes, shapes and colors, and is the sole supplier to the E. & J. Gallo Winery. It serves a number of external customers, including other wineries, apple juice companies, and makers of specialty beverages such as espresso syrups.

E & J Gallo is unique for having its own glass plant which was built in 1958 on the company’s main campus.

By owning a glass plant, the company reduces the freight costs associated with shipping heavy glass and eliminates the possibility of production delays caused by delivery problems from outside bottle suppliers. The primary goal of the glass plant is to maintain a reliable and high quality supply of bottles for the winery.

						BOTTLE OF WINE, FRUIT OF THE VINE
						Operating 24/7, Gallo's plant has 14 production lines and produces more than one billion bottles per year.

At the heart of the plant’s production processes is an automated Shop Floor Information System (SFIS) from GE Fanuc Automation. Via GE’s iFIX software the integrated information system collects and presents data from all steps in bottle making, including batch, furnace, forehearth, mold shop, forming, lehr, inspection and packing. The system serves up information to multiple users at Gallo Glass, from operators on the lines to maintenance managers and senior managers who need quick, graphical reports via the web.

Shatters Waste and Maintenance Costs
With the SFIS in place, the plant’s operators have saved $5 million annually through improved quality (or Percent Pack); increased production by 5 %; reduced defects by 25%; and reduced plant downtime by 25%. It also decreased training time and helped to facilitate job changes/job sharing.

With these kinds of results, the plant’s vice president, John Gallo, has built upon his family’s long-held strategy to provide for a reliable bottle supply chain. “The vision is one of an information-centric management culture,” Gallo explains, “where every employee can combine trade craft and science in every bottle we make. Our process is complex with many interacting variables. This new technology has simplified the learning curve for new employees, making them more effective and proactive in their jobs. Ultimately we foresee use of the new technology fundamental in our journey toward Lean/Six Sigma manufacturing.”

Breaking Bottlenecks
The glass plant operates 24/7 on 14 production lines. Each line starts with hot, molten glass and ends with inspection, followed by packing. The SFIS presents data collected from all devices on the lines, and at the beginning and end of each line is an iFIX node.

With its open architecture, the software is able to connect via Ethernet TCP/IP to the plant’s installed base of equipment, such as sensing and inspection devices, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), scales and timing systems. The plant uses a client-server database architecture and operates on a server-based computing model. The iClientTS terminal server version of iFIX runs on a CITRIX server farm and has dedicated Windows terminal devices as clients.

Automation technologies at the plant started with sensing and inspection devices. From there, Gallo Glass needed to have a way to collect production data to allow the plant to make more informed decisions. The team reviewed many software packages before selecting iFIX as the single HMI / SCADA system for the whole plant. It was critical to implement one interface package and have everyone in the plant operating from the same page and sharing information.

Bruce Williams, senior production manager at Gallo Glass, says, “SFIS has brought all of my production managers together onto the playing field.”

Troy Wells, director of maintenance & engineering at Gallo Glass, notes, “The Gallo SFIS system has transformed us from a ‘make and inspect’ mentality to a ‘make, measure, and improve’ mentality. This change continually drives us back to the manufacturing process for root cause analysis and correction. SFIS drives us to make it right the first time, and this system never ceases to amaze me with its ability to constantly receive and update information that is vital to the production process.”