A SMAART Move

For over a year now, a new app – SMAART – has been an integral part of everyday working life at most Saltigo plants. It optimizes processes and significantly increases plant capacity. The man behind the idea, Julian Stiller, explains how it works.

There are many fascinating things about star chefs, but one thing never ceases to amaze: how do they manage to serve their seemingly individual works of art to so many guests at exactly the same time? “These chefs have definitely optimized the throughput times in their ‘manufacturing processes’ to the absolute maximum,” suspects Julian Stiller, who is responsible for “Continuous Improvement” in the Saltigo business unit. It sounds obvious – if every tiny step in the process is perfected, it reduces the time needed to prepare the entire dish.

Stiller knows what he’s talking about, as he is deeply involved in the task of optimizing throughput times in the chemical processes at SGO’s plants. This is, of course, part of every production team’s daily routine. But it was Stiller who three years ago thought: we need our own app. It should provide us with a ranking of the systems that have the greatest impact on optimization within a production process. And it should also make it clear which steps in the process are the most important in that system. This would show us at a glance where we need to take action to optimize throughput time. With an app like this, our star chef might see that preparing the stock has the greatest impact on the timing of the entire dish. This is because the stock takes a long time to prepare, and the chef needs it for several further steps. If this process could be optimized, everything else would go faster.

Julian Stiller tasked Tobias Siekmann, a student working part-time at the site, to program the app. Because that was another thing – in these financially difficult times, the project had to be carried out using internal manpower. It didn’t take long for Siekmann to code the initial version. Matthias Grabowski, process manager for chemicals at the FFK plant in Leverkusen, tested it: “Even though the pilot version was still a bit rough around the edges, I immediately recognized its potential,” he recalls. Today, there’s nothing rough about it – the app is finished and was named SMAART, which is a clever acronym for Standardized Method for the Automated Analysis and Reduction of Throughput Times. Now, Grabowski can’t imagine doing his job without the app: “I use it every day to get an overview of the process and initiate improvements.” While process experts already had an inkling of some of the optimization potential uncovered by SMAART, numerous other aspects only became apparent through SMAART. “One thing in particular caught my eye thanks to the app,” Stiller says. In a certain process, a substance needs to be cooled down to 70 degrees Celsius so that it can be transferred to another unit. SMAART revealed that this transfer was often delayed, sometimes by up to three hours. Even worse, if the temperature ended up dropping below 65 degrees Celsius, the unit would heat it up again before the transfer – a real waste of energy. SMAART pointed out the relevant point in the process, and employees immediately came up with a suitable solution. “This is a typical example of how SMAART creates transparency that previously didn’t exist,“ said Stiller. In this case, they only needed to adjust one temperature in the formulation – a job that took just a few minutes. Another great thing about the app is that it makes such optimizations measurable. This allows the team to make adjustments later on, if necessary.

Word of the app’s benefits spread quickly: “Many were curious and wanted to try it out,” says Stiller. He and his team seized the opportunity and offered regular training sessions. “They are the key to our success,” he says. The team members also offer short training sessions that don’t go into every little detail. “This is how we get a lot of people on board.” And they’ve been quite successful in doing so – more than 150 employees, from deputy shift supervisors to process experts to project managers, now use the app.

“The app now covers 12 of SGO’s most important products,” says Boris Bosch, Head of Project Portfolio and Execution. “We intend to carry on until all the relevant products are available in SMAART.” Last year, Marcel Dembek and Rasit Faller from the IT GF joined the development team. “They’ve been an incredible help,” says Stiller. Eight of the ten SGO plants are now already using the app. Preparations for the remaining two sites are in progress.

And our colleague has even more ideas for improvements, with the next app from the cross-BU team already in the pilot phase – it’s called SMAILE. But Stiller doesn’t want to reveal any more than that just yet.

The App’s Achievements at a Glance!
Using SMAART to optimize processes led to increases in system capacity of 10 to 34 percent in seven projects focused on throughput times. This enabled the plants to pass on the higher production quantities achieved in this way to customers. “SMAART has far exceeded our expectations,” says Julian Stiller. “And the best thing is that this innovation can, theoretically, be scaled to all batch processes.” He has already received the first calls from other business units.

Three Questions for Julian Stiller, BU Saltigo: 

“The Right Mindset Was the Key to Our Success”

Mr. Stiller, did you ever think that your app idea would be such a resounding success?
Julian Stiller: I was pretty sure that SMAART had a lot of potential, especially when I saw the first pilot version that Tobias programmed. But at the time I didn’t expect things to turn out like this. What pleasantly surprised me was just how many of my colleagues were interested in it and how many have now naturally integrated SMAART into their daily work. These users, with their expertise, are what made the app so successful in the first place. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for this!

What has most contributed to its success?
From my point of view, the right mindset throughout the entire project was the key to success – I had an idea and was open to assigning Tobias, as a student working for us part-time, the task of programming the app. My superior trusted me and gave us the time we needed. Matthias was the first user to give us constructive feedback and point out bugs in the app. We support the use of SMAART in day-to-day work with training sessions tailored to specific groups. And we offer teams the opportunity to present their successes and inspire each other as part of an exchange of best practices. In my view, all of these aspects play a crucial role in successfully implementing innovative ideas.

The app was a project conducted across BUs and GFs. How did working with the other teams go?
Extremely well! When the momentum grew stronger and stronger due to SMAART, we were no longer able to keep up with the demand, but Marcel and Rasit from IT stepped in quickly and effectively. They rapidly familiarized themselves with various areas of the app and have been providing valuable support ever since. The two complement our team perfectly and, in addition to their professional expertise, the team spirit is fantastic. They also gave us a great platform for the app in DIAP. This has truly made work a lot of fun!