Libbey Glass Company

Leading Glass Tableware Producer Utilizes Wireless Truck Monitoring Device to
Improve Safety and Reduce Costs

Goal | Find additional ways to reduce damage to trucks and improve safety
Solution | ShockWatch ImpactManager® RF (previously named Shockswitch RFID)
Result | Dramatic decrease in vehicle damage, resulting in $50,000/year savings

Thanks to the ShockWatch ImpactManager® RF we saw a dramatic decrease in vehicle damage, and realized a 66% savings on parts and labor within six months.

—Randy Davis
Maintenance Planner
Libbey Glass Company
When the Shreveport, LA manufacturing facility of Libbey Glass wanted to find additional ways to reduce damage to their lift trucks, and further improve safety in their plant, they turned to the experts at ShockWatch for assistance.

Libbey Glass is the leading producer of glass tableware in North America. The Shreveport facility is no stranger to the ShockWatch products, and had been using ShockWatch ImpactManager® SC (previously known as Shockswitch SC 1000) impact detectors for many years. While the ImpactManager SC provided excellent safety advantages, the device set off an alarm that had to be manually reset after each incident, which was challenging considering the Libbey facility covers over 800,000 sq ft.

Working with Libbey's management team, Phil Embrey, ShockWatch Regional Manager, knew that the ImpactManager RF would be an excellent solution for the glassware manufacturer, as it uses wireless transmission technology. Only authorized drivers would have access to monitored equipment, and all activity for every driver and vehicle in Libbey's facility could be recorded for management review and analysis. Simple to install and use, the ImpactManager RF would allow Libbey to improve accountability, analyze usage, reduce idling time on the equipment, and improve safety, providing a rapid return on investment as both damage-related expenses and maintenance costs would be significantly reduced.

The 18-acre Libbey facility had a number of features that made wireless technology a good choice. The plant has two extremely large glass furnaces and a substantial amount of steel building components and equipment to work around. Additionally, the plant has two floors of operation where the material handling equipment must operate. Now, with two base stations for transmission, the entire facility is covered and operational with the ImpactManager RF product.

Randy Davis, the Maintenance Planner responsible for overseeing the 62-person Shreveport maintenance staff, noted the "dramatic decrease in damage" with the implementation of the new system. "I'm always looking for ways to help us safeguard our employees and our equipment," commented Mr. Davis. "The ImpactManager RF offers us a way to do both, and has saved us a considerable amount of money as well."

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Front-end loaders move hot crushed glass remnants from an underground processing area, helping to process over 100 ton of glass daily. Special plastic keys help control vehicle access and usage. Even in harsh conditions, the ImpactManager RF effectively monitors equipment to improve safety and achieve optimal utilization at the Libbey Glass facility.