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Company Profile |
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Turnover: |
US$ 1.0 million |
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No. of Employees: |
23 |
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Products: |
Stamped metal components and
subassemblies for automobiles |
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Customers: |
Domestic manufacturers of commercial
and passenger vehicles |
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Technology: |
Own |
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Certification: |
ISO 9002 |
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Improvements Achieved
(within 6 months, without
any capital investment) |
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Turnover: increased by 36%
Production space: increased
by 43%
Machine down time: reduced by
100%
Lead time: reduced by 50%
Product rejection by customer: reduced by 50%
Changeover time for press
machines: reduced by 80%
Staff training investment:
increased multifold
Workforce flexibility:
increased by 100%
Productivity awareness:
increased dramatically
Quality awareness: increased
Staff motivation: improved
significantly |
Related
"How To" Guides of Ten3 Business Coach:
Lean Production - Doing More With Less
Lean Production (slide show)
Kaizen - the Japanese Strategy of Continuous Improvement
Just-in-Time
(JIT) Manufacturing
Business Strategies for Green Productivity & Sustainable Growth
SME Case Studies: Gold Seal Engineering Products Ltd.
(India)
SME Case Studies: Thara Engineering (India)
Country-specific Online Business Coach: India |
Implementation Strategy
Non-capital changes by using world-class manufacturing (WCM) methods such as
single minute exchange of die (SMED), 5S activities (Sort
- Straighten - Sweep - Standardize - Self-discipline),
variations of the
Kamban system and other recognized methods of generating productivity
gains.
Most Notable Impact
A
number of improvements in time utilization were achieved. The reduction in
set-up time was achieved through the introduction of single minute exchange
of die (SMED) method and preparation of standard operating procedures. In a
practical example, workers on two press machines broke down the entire
changeover process into small activities in order to determine the time
wasted for adjustments and readjustments. As a result of this exercise, the
changeover time was reduced by 80% (from 62 minutes to 13 minutes), with a
similar result obtained in the case of the second press machine. This
together with a 30% improvement in achievement against takt time contributed
to a 50% cut in through-put time.
A
major concern of the company was machinery breakdown. A maintenance worker
was recruited, which dramatically reduced response time to machinery
breakdown, and resulted in a successful implementation of preventive
maintenance programme.
The company engineers were trained on error-proofing. This paved the way for
the identification of ten major quality-related issues and for consequent
recommendations for action covering various production areas.
The company formalized its training activities. It has established technical
training schedules that reflect its development plan. Engineers and workers
have become acquainted with world-class manufacturing (WCM) methods such as
SMED and have formed teams with specific problem-solving tasks. After 6
months of training, 9 machine operators became multi-skilled, ready to train
new recruits.
In conjunction with 5S activities and the application of error-proofing
methods, extensive training also contributed to gains in product quality and
the consequent 50% remarkable cut in the volume of products returned by
customers.
Staff Motivation and Awareness
Significant improvements have been achieved through enhanced awareness and
corrective measures in the area of production efficiency. A number of
contributions came from improvements and the planning and
strategy-formulation stage. For example, the company adopted strategies for
improving time utilization and reducing reject and rework volumes, as well
as for maintenance and 5S activities.
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