Real World Examples
Getting the Whole Team Aimed in One Direction
Problem:
Owner of manufacturing business had a vision and ability to attract new business, but organization
wasn't aligned to deliver production ready prototype in timely manner.
Multi-step solution:
Identify the problem - the tooling department couldn't deliver production ready tooling to the
production department within the time allotted. Root cause analysis showed that lack of
communication and coordination between departments was the major problem.
Instituted a modified APQP model with a cross functional team involved from the beginning before the bid was submitted.
Created a project/pricing model that required each department to plan the execution of the project before the PO was accepted.
Required tooling department to submit detailed project plan once the PO was accepted.
Managed overall project with action plan that was supported by each department's supporting action plans.
Cross functional team met as required to fulfill project.
Results:
- Time from PO to project launch was cut from 2 years to 7 months.
- Allowed the owner to seek high value business with confidence that the team could deliver.
- Pricing accuracy was improved and previously unidentified costs were captured so that projected margins were not eroded by "unexpected" activities.
- Launched one project that increased business by 35% delivering it on time, on budget and with margins within 1% of those projected.
Focusing the Team on New Ways to Work
Problem:
Excessive rework of molded parts and increasing quality complaints from customers causing
company to fail to meet both productivity and quality objectives.
Identify the problem
- Analyze objectives - determined that both productivity and quality objectives were reasonable and based on solid historical data.
- Cross functional team formed to analyze problems
- Root cause analysis showed that changes in operation due to higher volume had led to:
- Production employing shortcuts to mold prep
- Backups caused by rework led to multiple material handling moves causing product damage
- Time based preventive maintenance schedule was insufficient in higher volume scenario
- Mold replacement schedule was inaccurate and had not accounted for higher mold usage
Cross functional team created multi-stage solution to the problem:
- Production department rewrote mold prep procedure and trained employees
- Scheduling of molding unit was aligned with assembly unit to reduce WIP in molding department
- Prep unit was reorganized to improve flow
- Instituted "pull" based maintenance schedule
- Upgraded mold maintenance unit to separate it from mold manufacturing unit
- Created database solution to create realistic mold replacement schedule.
Results:
- Until mold improvement programs could be launched, throughput of prep unit was increased by 20% with proper scheduling.
- Once the mold maintenance program was fully implemented worse case prep time reduced from 2 hours to 20 minutes.
- WIP in molding unit reduced by 75%
- WIP in assembly unit reduced by 50%
- Outside storage of molding and assembly WIP eliminated
- Overall plant productivity improved 5%
- Quality improved by eliminating two sources of quality complaints.