Cantex improves efficiency and CapEx decision-making with Guidewheel
Company: Cantex
Industry: PVC electrical products
Size: 750+ employees
Manufacturing locations: 4
Cantex is a leading producer of American-made PVC electrical conduit and fittings with manufacturing and distribution facilities nationwide. Their facilities feature some of the most modern production equipment and process technology in the industry, producing all-encompassing lines of PVC products to serve the power, utility, building construction and communications markets around the globe.
To manage factory operations, Cantex had long relied on their ERP system. But they were noticing gaps in that system that were making it difficult to accurately track their performance and identify areas for improvement. Notably, they were relying on operators to track what happened with their machines throughout the shift so another team member could manually input those shift logs into the ERP to create production reports. When they dug into that data, they realized it was off 50% of the time, making it an unreliable source to guide decision making.
Cantex implemented Guidewheel in 2023 to gain real-time visibility into their factory operations. Now they have accurate, minute-by-minute data about what’s happening across the plant. Mike Verren, Plant Manager of Cantex’s Texas facility, explains how this changed the way they operate:
“The biggest change is data accuracy. Guidewheel is so precise, up to the second. I can just go in there, zoom in on the exact time the occurrence(s) happened. Even if someone makes a slight adjustment to the speeds or feeds of our equipment, I can see it and go find out what’s happening.”
Mike and his team use Guidewheel on a daily basis to run the operation. Guidewheel data has replaced manual shift logs for production reports, and with this accurate, trustworthy source of information, it’s reviewed in every production meeting. The team is now getting insights that have a big impact.
“Guidewheel shows us how the plant is operating, our efficiency rates, and how we’re tracking against production targets,” Mike explained. “That’s information we can act on. It’s also a great training tool. If I have a new operator I can see how he’s performing on time sensitive changeovers and focus the coaching to help him/her quickly improve.”
Beyond day-to-day insights, Guidewheel plays an important role in helping the team make CapEx decisions. In one case, the plant had been having issues with their hoppers for a few years - materials were getting stuck and hoppers were frequently getting cracks. The team was managing with costly and time-consuming workarounds, like using vibration to get the materials flowing properly, and welding up the cracks whenever a new one appeared. But with Guidewheel data, they were able to see that replacing the hoppers would quickly generate positive returns by reducing downtime, maintenance time, and scrap. As Mike describes it:
“We’d been trying to justify replacing those hoppers since 2022 but the numbers weren’t adding up. But with Guidewheel, we quickly saw how much opportunity we were losing, and how quickly the investment would deliver payback. Guidewheel makes it visible. It’s visual information that everyone can see. It gets everyone on the same page.”
Cantex is working to expand their use of Guidewheel to drive even more value to the bottom line. Mike is working to get Scoreboards up on the plant floor so the team can track their performance in real-time throughout their shift. He’s also working on adding Guidewheel to additional pieces of equipment they’re considering upgrading or replacing, to help him understand if it’s worth making the investment.
“It’s all about the data, that’s what’s pushing through these decisions. Guidewheel gives us the visibility we need to make the right decisions in the short, medium and long term. It’s really helped us to win.”