Island Abbey Nutritionals
Food science innovator chooses Limble to support massive growth, approaching 100% uptime thanks to more efficient, data-driven asset management.
Introduction
From its facilities in Prince Edward Island, Island Abbey Nutritionals oversees the production and packaging of innovative, all-natural supplements. Working round the clock, Island Abbey’s production lines use honey sourced from all around the world to churn out more than 55 million bottles of gummies and lozenges every year.
To maximize uptime, take the stress out of complying with regulations like 21 CFR, and meet its own strict quality standards, the organization required a platform capable of eliminating uncertainty from asset and inventory management. With Limble, the organization remains committed to continuous improvement and aims to become the largest manufacturer of specialty food products in Canada.
The Challenge
Demand for Island Abbey Nutritionals’ products surged as health-conscious consumers looked to up their vitamin intake and boost their immune systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rising demand required Island Abbey to dramatically scale up its operations by increasing its headcount and production capacity. In 2021, their 30,000 square-foot production center grew to more than 80,000 square feet while their maintenance team tripled in size and production capacity increased tenfold to over 55 million bottles a year.
As the business grew and production increased, so did the cost of downtime. A legacy CMMS had taken them a long way over the years, but with the increased scale of their business, Island Abbey needed a 21 CFR-compliant CMMS with an easy-to-use mobile application that the entire maintenance team would readily adopt.
“A single hour of downtime costs us up to $30,000-$40,000. Before switching to Limble, we were seeing downtime all over the place. Now, we're at 98% uptime.”
Josh Galer, Engineer and Maintenance Manager
One especially costly incident confirmed for Galer that it was time for a change. When essential packaging equipment broke down, the maintenance department required a specific spare part to repair the asset. Though their system reported that the part was available, it was nowhere to be found and Island Abbey was left waiting for more than a week. That one data inconsistency led to millions of dollars in lost revenue.
The Solution
As Galer began surveying the CMMS landscape, he identified a few must-have features and capabilities.
- Mobile Application: Island Abbey needed a system that would help it enter a new era and become a truly modern maintenance department. The convenience of a mobile, app-based platform promised to keep Island Abbey’s technicians and managers connected across its facility and enable a new standard of excellence.
- Audit Logs & Maintenance History: As an organization in a highly regulated sector, Island Abbey is beholden to numerous standards and required to undergo yearly audits. While many CMMS platforms store activity logs, they needed historical data to be easily accessible and required a solution that complied with 21 CFR Part 11 and Part 820.
- Asset & Procedure Documentation: When new employees join Island Abbey, they often encounter various types of equipment they’ve never seen before. Historically, introducing technicians to complicated machinery had involved an extended training period and plenty of delays to address questions and concerns. Galer wanted a platform that would simplify knowledge sharing to help new hires get up to speed faster.
- Real-Time Spare Parts Inventory Tracking: With the high cost of downtime, Island Abbey had to know for certain that its new CMMS would provide accurate information on its inventory and streamline the process of tracking critical spares. Another week-long breakdown was not an option for the expanding organization.
Limble was the clear winner among Galer’s shortlist of contenders. “I was blown away right away,” he says. It was the only platform he reviewed that offered validation and documentation in compliance with 21 CFR while delivering a clean, accessible interface. It easily beat all competitors.
“After the first demo, I felt like Limble was the Apple product of CMMS platforms. Everything else just seems too clunky.”
Josh Galer, Engineer and Maintenance Manager
To build the business case for implementing Limble, Galer collected what data he could and showed just how much money Island Abbey was losing. It wasn’t hard to convince decision-makers that Limble could make a difference once Galer revealed that Island Abbey was only seeing 50 to 60% uptime with its historical approach. Ultimately, Galer notes, “it was quite an easy sell.”
The Results
Within three months of implementing Limble, Island Abbey had overhauled its inventory management program and transitioned to a preventive maintenance strategy. The Limble team offered hands-on support throughout implementation to make transitioning from their previous system as simple as possible.
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“Limble is our top time- and cost-saving asset we have here at Island Abbey Nutritionals.”
Colin McGuirk, Maintenance Supervisor
Time saved and peace of mind
Galer says that automating and digitizing the work order management process through Limble has cut his manual workload in half. Across the team, the time saved is so great that Galer can’t put a number to it, noting, “Limble saves us countless hours.”
As for tracking down spare parts, McGuirk says they are never without the critical parts they need thanks to improved inventory management through Limble. Galer and his team no longer get phone calls at home — they don’t need to check their emails when they’re off the clock.
Passing audits with ease
Undergoing a half-dozen audits each year used to mean contending with piles of paperwork and hours of questioning. “Limble does all the paperwork,” Galer remarks, before noting that Limble has also dramatically reduced the time it takes for regulators to review their operations.
Instead of sitting down for lengthy interviews or rounding up old documents, Galer simply shows off Limble. Investigators from the FDA and other agencies can confirm almost instantaneously that Island Abbey’s equipment is maintained in adherence with regulations. For 21 CFR, specifically, it ensures that software is appropriately validated and that the maintenance department is always complying with FDA regulations.
Supporting a modern maintenance team
Limble empowers Island Abbey’s technicians to both share and grow their expertise. It’s never been easier for veteran technicians to leave detailed notes on a work order or for novice team members to find quick answers to their questions. Island Abbey has effectively eliminated the learning curve for even its most complex equipment and processes.
Thanks to Limble, Island Abbey can dig into performance and efficiency data to ensure they have all the necessary resources. Data on technician workload has, for example, helped Galer advocate for bringing two new full-time employees on board.
“Anytime an auditor walks in, they look at our screen, they see that we’re validated and that we’re 21 CFR compliant. No more questions. We went from being interrogated to passing audits with just a few clicks.”
Josh Galer, Engineer and Maintenance Manager
Data-driven decisions for uptime improvements
Since implementing Limble around four years ago, Island Abbey Nutritionals has boosted uptime to 98%. Galer had hoped they might improve their approach to reach 75% uptime. In other words, Limble has exceeded expectations and empowered Galer’s team to beat even its most ambitious goals. Galer says that results like these have improved morale and the organizational culture as a whole. The team is committed to innovating and continually redefining what they’re capable of.