Line Clearance at Changeover: Video Evidence the Line Was Cleared

Key takeaways

• Line clearance removes every label, carton and pack of the old product before the new one starts. It stops mix-ups.
• The usual method: clear the line against a checklist, then a second person checks and signs.
• A photo of each checkpoint, taken as it is cleared, shows what the line looked like. It takes minutes to review.
• Time the changeover from the last good unit to the first good unit at rated speed. Clearance is one step inside it.
• On the sample line below, clearance falls from 18 to 13 minutes with no check skipped: $30,000 a year if the line is sold out.

Line clearance is the check, at every product change, that nothing from the old run is left on the line. Labels, cartons, packs and the old date code all go first. A photo or short video of each checkpoint at sign-off turns that check from a signature into evidence.

Fabrico is OEE (overall equipment effectiveness) and light MES (manufacturing execution system) software, with AI cameras as an add-on. It logs each changeover as a timed stop with its reason. Where a camera watches the line, it keeps a clip of each stop. The clearance record is your plant's: a phone photo at each checkpoint, or a fixed line camera.

What is line clearance at a changeover?

At a changeover, the line switches from one SKU (stock keeping unit) to the next. Line clearance is the step where the crew removes everything from the old SKU and checks that nothing is left. Leftovers hide in the same places:

• Spare label reels beside the labeller, and loose labels on the floor.
• Cartons or case blanks still in the magazine.
• Old packs on tables, under guide rails and in reject bins.
• The old date code still set in the coder.

One old label on a new product is a mix-up. If the new product holds an allergen the old label does not declare, the packs may need a recall. Our line clearance guide covers the full procedure.

What goes on a line clearance checklist?

Walk the line in flow order, the same way every time. Each checkpoint gets one action and one piece of evidence.

Keep the list short enough to finish every time. A checkpoint skipped on busy nights is worse than none, because the form still says it was done.

Why add a photo or video to the sign-off?

A signature proves that someone signed. It does not show what the line looked like. When an auditor asks whether line 2 was cleared before a run, a binder of forms is a weak answer.

• The check is visible. The empty magazine and the test print are on file, not just a tick.
• The review is fast. A checker or an auditor goes through the photos in a fixed order in minutes.
• The step is timed for free. The time stamps on the first and last photo give the clearance minutes.

The photos do not replace the walk along the line or the second check. They prove both happened.

How do you take clearance photos that hold up later?

• Same points, same angle. Mark where to stand, so every shift's photos look alike.
• Take them as you clear. One photo per point, not all at the end.
• Show the new SKU. Put the work order or new label in one photo.
• Keep people out of the frame. Photograph tables, bins and magazines, not faces.
• Store them with the changeover. One record per change, found by line, date and SKU.

Some plants use a fixed camera over the line instead of a phone. In Germany, the works council has a say in any device that can monitor behaviour or performance, even one that records nothing. Agree the purpose and which roles may view the footage first, as our guide to cameras without surveillance explains.

How is clearance timed inside the changeover?

Start the clock at the last good unit of the old SKU. Stop it at the first good unit of the new one, at rated speed. That one stop holds every step: run out, clearance, change parts, the first-off check and the restart.

Give the changeover a standard time for each SKU pair. The standard part can sit in planned time. Every minute over it is a loss with a reason, such as "waiting for clearance sign-off".

Fabrico logs the changeover as a timed stop. The operator confirms the reason in one tap, such as "SKU change, label and flavour". Your photo time stamps then split out the clearance minutes. See our guides to changeover time and first off approval after a changeover.

Worked example: what does clearance cost inside a sample changeover?

Sample line (illustrative numbers, not a customer): a sauce bottling line rated at 150 bottles a minute. It runs 2 SKU changes a day on 250 production days a year. Each change swaps the flavour and the label.

• Clearance before = 9 + 0 + 6 + 3 = 18 minutes. After = 9 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 13 minutes.
• Saved per changeover: 5 minutes, or 5 x 150 = 750 bottles.
• Per year: 750 x 2 x 250 = 375,000 bottles.
• At a contribution of $0.08 a bottle (or €0.08 in a euro plant): $30,000 a year, or €30,000.

Clearing still takes 9 minutes, and the second check still happens. Only the waiting and the paperwork went. Before the photos, nobody saw the 6 minute wait, because the form showed one signature time.

That $30,000 is cash only if the line is sold out or the saved minutes cancel overtime. A mix-up that leaves the plant can cost far more. That is why the check exists.

Can clearance get faster without getting weaker?

Yes, if you cut the waiting and leave the checking alone.

• Book the checker. The plan says when the change starts, so the checker can arrive as clearing ends.
• Use the photos in the second check. The checker walks the line with them, in the same order.
• Stage new materials near the line, not on it. New labels on the line before the old ones leave is how mix-ups start.
• Never shorten a validated clean. An allergen clean cannot be shortened without new validation. Do not trade it for OEE.

For the cleaning side, see allergen changeover validation.

What mistakes make line clearance fail?

• Clearing the machine and forgetting the floor or the reject bin.
• Taking all the photos at the end, from one spot.
• Signing the form without walking the line.
• No standard changeover time, so the wait for sign-off hides inside a long stop.
• Putting new labels on the machine before the old reels are gone.

Where Fabrico fits

Fabrico is a computer vision enabled Manufacturing Performance Platform. It runs with OEE and light MES first. It does not run or sign your clearance. It gives each changeover its minutes, its reason and its cost.

• Automatic downtime logging, so every changeover is a timed stop.
• The operator confirms the reason in one tap, so a clearance wait gets its own code.
• A camera clip as evidence for a stop, where a camera watches the line.
• Every loss priced in money and losses ranked by money.
• OEE live by line and shift.

You start with a pilot on one line, with a baseline and a decision date agreed in advance. There is no free plan and there are no tiers: each plant gets a quote. See the computer vision OEE and MES page.

Frequently asked questions

What is line clearance in food and drink packaging?

It is the check at each product change that nothing of the old product is left on the line. No label, carton, pack or printed item may stay. The crew clears the line against a checklist, then a second person checks and signs.

Can a photo replace the second person's check?

No. The photos prove the check happened and make it faster to review. The second person still looks at the line. Follow your own quality procedure for the sign-off, and change it only through that procedure.

Is line clearance planned or unplanned downtime?

It is part of the changeover. Set a standard changeover time for each SKU pair, and that part can sit in planned time. Every minute over the standard is unplanned, with a reason such as "waiting for sign-off", so the overrun shows in OEE.

How long should line clearance take?

There is no general figure. It depends on the line, the number of checkpoints and how far the checker walks. Time your own clearances with the photo time stamps for a few weeks. Then set a standard and code every minute over it.

See your changeover minutes in a demo

Bring one line and its last changeover log. We will show each changeover as a timed stop, with its reason and its cost.

Request a demo · Contact us