Operator Guidance System Helps Make the Best Fried Chicken in the World

Winston Industries is a prominent player in the food service industry and is renowned for its innovative cooking and holding equipment. Founded in 1969 by Winston Shelton, the company is best known for building pressure fryers for Colonel Sanders, the original creator of a fried chicken recipe behind the world's largest fast-food chicken chain, Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Winston Shelton, founder of Winston Industries with Colonel Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Image credit: https://kfcfryers.com/history/

Headquartered in Louisville, KY, Winston Industries is proud to be an American company, actively growing the local manufacturing base in its community.

Complex Assembly Operations 

Building high-quality and high-performing products is core to Winston’s brand promise. While the company benefits from a diverse, multi-generational workforce that encompasses both Gen Z and Baby Boomers, its employees have varying degrees of experience and training.

It begs the question that so many manufacturers face: How do you unify a frontline operation and train everyone to the same standard so that the output is consistent? 

This becomes nearly impossible when work isn’t standardized and work instructions are written on paper, leading to rework, defects, increased costs, and frustrations among frontline operators. 

A frontline operator from Winston Industries follows PICO’s operator guidance system to assemble the pressure fryers, which has 150+ steps in the assembly process.

Like many other mid-sized manufacturers, Winston’s assembly operations were manual and repetitive, which led to other challenges:

1. Human Error: The manual nature of many assembly tasks leaves room for human errors, such as incorrect component placement or missed steps in the assembly process.
2. Complexity and Variability: From chicken fryers to electrical components to wire harnesses, Winston builds a high-mix of products. It can be difficult to maintain product consistency with job rotations among operators. 
3. Quality Control: Ensuring that products met Winston's stringent quality standards became difficult when their work instructions were on paper with no digital operator guidance system. For many mid-sized factories that are still leveraging paper operations, it’s common for this to lead to tribal knowledge where the most tenured employee has all the answers. 
4. Efficiency: Winston Industries aimed to improve the efficiency of its frontline operators, completing jobs faster with less rework and inspection.

Shaun Tanner, CEO of Winston Industries, explains how PICO's operator guidance system enables his frontline operations to stop relying on insider knowledge. 

The Need for a Solution

To address these challenges, Winston Industries recognized the need to migrate off of paper operations and find a simple digital solution - one that would be easy to implement on the shop floor and could provide real-time operator guidance to reduce errors and streamline quality control processes. The goal was to implement a system that would not only improve operational efficiency but also uphold their commitment to delivering high-quality products to customers.

2 operators at Winston Industries follow PICO’s operator guidance for complex assembly. The visual and interactive guidance with layered content helps guide operators and stops them when there is an error.

Eliminating Human Errors Becomes Routine 

1. Real-Time Error-Proofing: PICO provides real-time, step-by-step instructions to frontline operators, ensuring that each task is completed correctly. This kind of operator guidance system significantly reduces human errors and mistakes in modern manufacturing by guiding workers through the correct sequence of actions.
2. Customizable Workflows: The flexibility of PICO allowed Winston Industries to create customizable workflows tailored to the specific requirements of each product. This was crucial for managing the complexity and variability of their assembly processes.
3. Quality Control Integration: PICO integrates quality control checks directly into the assembly process. This integration helps identify errors early, preventing defects from progressing further down the production line and reducing the need for rework.
4. Data-Driven Insights: PICO provides valuable insights into the assembly process through automated data collection and manufacturing analytics. Winston Industries uses this data to continuously improve its processes, identify bottlenecks, and enhance overall efficiency.
5. Ease of Use: The user-friendly interface of PICO made it easy for operators to adopt the system without extensive training. This ease of use was a critical factor in ensuring a smooth transition and quick implementation.

Rick Hoffman, a senior assembler, reflected on his own training experience before Pico MES: “When I came in, I was trained by fear…by a 50-something-year-old person who insisted on things being done exactly her way. I was wearing body armor and had to remember every step. Now I’m using PICO a lot with our new products. There isn’t anyone that can tell me how we’ve always done it.”

Looking forward

Since October 2022, Winston Industries has:

• Connected over 75 workstations
• Digitized over 770 processes
• Integrated over 60 devices into its assembly processes 

Since implementing its operator guidance system and standardizing work through digital work instructions, Winston has observed the following benefits: 

• Increased Efficiency with Less Scrap and Rework: “There’s less stress and anxiety on the production floor. With an operator guidance system, the frontline can simply follow instructions to build a product without any kind of guesswork or wondering if the work instructions are out of date. This has led to a huge improvement in scrap rates and rework,” says Ben Martin, engineer. The automated error-proofing embedded in PICO has also led to faster production cycles.
• Enhanced Worker Productivity: Frontline operators have benefited from clear, step-by-step instructions, which reduced confusion and allowed them to work more confidently and efficiently. “Operators can rotate jobs and start building products more quickly. My confidence in their work has also improved,” shares Martin.
• Data-Driven Improvements: The insights provided by PICO enabled Winston Industries to identify areas for continuous improvement, optimize workflows, and make data-driven decisions to further enhance their operations.

The real-time error-proofing and customizable workflows powered by PICO aligned perfectly with Winston Industries’ commitment to delivering high-quality food service equipment. As a result, the kitchen equipment manufacturer continues to strengthen its position as a leader in the food service industry, delivering reliable and innovative solutions to its customers.

Manufacturers of all sizes can start using PICO's digital work instructions and operator guidance for free. Sign up today!