- - No or limited work instructions.
- - No view on workload, delivery time of orders.
- - Unstructured product flow.
- - A lot of excess material present at work station.
- - A lot of components present on workstation.
- - 10 work stations, for max 4 operators.
Case Study:
Following goals established for the project:
- Instructions and working methods standardization.
- Training multitask workers.
- Standardize order flows.
- Optimize product flows.
- Implement 5S.
- Manage inventory of components.
- Make better use of space.
During the project implementation, process maps and spaghetti diagram were designed and following assignments determined or accomplished:
- Testing alternatives for laser.
- Setting up customers complaints Indicator.
- Calculating the number of work desks.
- Equipping work desks.
- Designing a new layout.
- Dividing inventories: fast movers at front, slow movers in the back.
- Providing Rack for keys saw machine.
- FIFO system for orders.
Some of the achieved results are:
- Clear status of orders and workloads.
- 5S implementation.
- Smooth product flow.
- Reduction of walking distance.
Here are some outputs of the projects:
- Reduction of order lead time from 3 weeks to 48 hours
- Reduction of surface area from 101 m2 to 84 m2.
- Reduction of work stations from 10 to 6.
- Substantial reduction of work in process.
Also a to-do list for after the project was proposed:
- Centralize and prioritize the orders.
- Instead of the components keep unassembled cylinders in stock.
- Examining the possibility of electronic data transmission to the laser and key machine.