February 7, 2024
(press release)
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With an annual production capacity of construction-grade lumber and other wood products of 3.2 billion board feet, Resolute’s wood products facilities need to operate optimally. Each facility is strategically located and supported by an extensive logistics network that enables us to provide reliable, on-time deliveries to customers across the United States and Canada. Our teams collect manufacturing data and regularly report on it every day. Given many of our operations were tied to old, unsophisticated systems, however, getting an instant snapshot was not always easy or feasible. In 2022, Resolute launched a technology project to replace our wood products facilities’ information systems with a single data management platform. Using a cloud-based solution developed by Ontario-based B3 Systems, our sawmills and other wood products facilities are now monitoring and reporting on key performance indicators in real time using one convenient and intuitive dashboard. Access to key information in real time Before the implementation of the new dashboard, operations personnel collected data at the end of each shift and logged the information into a spreadsheet. For a more immediate understanding of what was happening onsite, managers and supervisors relied on a combination of walkarounds, radio monitoring and incident reporting. The B3 system collects and displays real-time production and machine center data at any given moment. Team members are able to see how well different machines and equipment are running at each operation, while a prominent display keeps a live tally of the facility’s overall board feet production numbers. Better data means smarter decisions Downtime is an important operational key performance indicator in our industry. The new data management system not only tells users what equipment is offline, it also helps teams record the reasons why, so that preventive maintenance can be more effective. Now that the system is online and operating across Resolute’s wood products network, the next step is to link the data generated to action planning. For example, if a debarker is down, a task will be assigned to a specific worker with follow-ups and notifications. By integrating live data into our wood products operations, Resolute is not only enhancing operational efficiency, but also empowering our employees to make agile and informed decisions, ensuring the company’s competitiveness as the forest products industry evolves.
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