Do More with Less
A Manufacturing Story of HellBa GmbH
THE MANUFACTURER
HellBa GmbH specialises in supplying semi-finished plastic products and machining custom plastic components.
Known for their precision and innovation, the company focuses on smooth inter-departmental collaboration to ensure efficiency and quality throughout the production process.
To stay competitive, HellBa GmbH sought to speed up their operations and eliminate bottlenecks by leveraging a better and robust planning and scheduling system.
THE CHALLENGE: SCALE WITHOUT HIGH COSTS
In today’s rough manufacturing climate, companies are under constant pressure to deal with economic uncertainty, supply chain disruptions, and rising labor expenses. Although it is the common desire for many manufacturers to increase output, reduce costs, and improve efficiency, it is believed that scaling production always requires expensive investments in new machinery, additional workforce, or complex infrastructure upgrades.
HeLLBa’s FIGHT TO SCALE
HellBa, a manufacturer of plastic products and custom components in Germany, faced these exact challenges. Their production was slowed down by:
• Missed Deadlines & Long Lead Times – Inefficient scheduling led to frequent delays, affecting customer satisfaction.
• Poor Capacity Utilisation – Machines, molds, tools, and workers were not being optimised, causing bottlenecks and wasted resources.
• Lack of Real-Time Data – Without visibility into ongoing production, inefficiencies were hard to detect and address.
• Complex Order Management – Handling multiple orders simultaneously made it difficult to prioritise and allocate resources effectively.
With these challenges and limited resources, HellBa had no room for costly expansions. Instead, they found a smarter approach—one that would allow them to do more with less.
planeus: PRODUCING MORE WITH WHAT YOU HAVE
Rather than buying new machines or hiring more staff, HellBa turned to planeus, a digital production planning and scheduling system that specialised in maximising the use of existing resources.
Here’s how planeus helped HellBa do more with less:
Increased Output Without Buying New Machines
Automated scheduling and Conflict Radar optimised machine usage, reducing idle time and boosting capacity without extra equipment.
Enhanced Efficiency Without Hiring More Workers
Real-time data tracking and automation freed employees from paper-based and manual scheduling, allowing them to focus on production, increasing output without extra labor costs.
Faster Scheduling with Less Planning Effort
planeus automated scheduling, cutting planning time while ensuring balanced workloads across machines and teams.
Improved Visibility and Decision-Making
Live production progress tracking helped managers spot possible delays early and adjust schedules without added administrative effort.
RESULTS: MORE OUTPUT, LESS EFFORT
By implementing planeus, HellBa achieved substantial gains without additional spending:
• 50% increase in On-Time deliveries – without needing more workers or machines.
• 30% faster production times – reducing delays and eliminating inefficiencies.
• 10% higher capacity – same machines, same workforce, with more orders in a shorter time.
DOING MORE WITH LESS: A STRATEGY FOR MANUFACTURERS ACROSS INDUSTRIES
HellBa’s success story proves that manufacturers don’t need massive investments to increase efficiency and output. Whether in automotive, aerospace, metalworking, consumer goods, or food production, companies can achieve more with less by leveraging smart digital scheduling tools.
HOW CAN A BUSINESS BENEFIT FROM BETTER SCHEDULING?
• Increase output without adding machines or labor
Scaling up doesn’t always require more machines or people. planeus ensures that machines, tools, and workers are used to their full potential, increasing output without extra costs.
• Automate scheduling and free up management time
Manual, paper-based planning is time-consuming and prone to errors. planeus automates scheduling, detects conflicts, and optimises workflows, so managers spend less time troubleshooting and more time focusing on growth.
• Reduce lead times and improve delivery reliability
Inefficient scheduling makes the production timeline unreliable. planeus minimises downtime, prioritises urgent jobs, and provides real-time production updates, ensuring on-time deliveries and faster turnaround times.
• Eliminate inefficiencies and optimise resource utilisation
Scheduling conflicts and misallocated resources lead to wasted capacity. planeus provides real-time insights into machine and workforce availability, helping businesses run leaner, more cost-effective operations.
CONCLUSION
HellBa’s results prove that any manufacturer can do more with less by digitizing their planning, streamlining workflows, and leveraging automation.
Whether you produce industrial components, precision-machined parts, or consumer goods, the key to success is making smarter use of what you already have. Implementing planeus as your scheduling system can help your business boost output, improve delivery times, and optimize production—without hefty and extra investments.
