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| Client: | A world leader
in industrial boilers that provides custom products in an engineered-to-
order business. |
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| Problem: | The company’s
quality and consistency were substandard. Waste and rework were high,throughput
and plant capacity were strained, cost per unit was not in control,
and a lack of defined processes plagued the firm. An uncooperative
workplace environment existed, with union labor and management at
odds with each other. |
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| Approach: | Applied Lean
Manufacturing, statistical process control (SPC), and a team- based
methodology to help the client identify, prioritize, redesign and
improve key strategic processes for better flow and less waste. Developed
critical operational goals via metrics, baselined performance of key
processes, trained cross-functional, problem-solving employee teams,
applied statistical and interpersonal problem-solving tools, and coached
and facilitated the transition to a team-based, process improvement
environment. Processes improved included steel cutting, welding, grinding,
tube forming, steel rolling, copper plumbing fab., integrated electronic
controls, paint shop, finishing, testing and inspection, assembly
and client customization. |
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| Results: | Capacity and
throughput were significantly increased due to the following: •Process variation reduced in critical operations •First pass yield improved, defects per unit plummeted, rework declined, unit costs dropped and became reliable •Work processes documented and flow streamlined •Maintenance parts came into control, SKU’s reduced, and non-moving parts made obsolete •Quality of work life improved, leading to abatement of adverse labor relations |
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