The auto sector has historically been challenged to keep cutting costs and driving up efficiencies in order to survive.  These pressures and challenges are expected to continue over the next decade so many automotive suppliers are focusing on their continuous improvement efforts as their only option to survive the inevitable industry consolidation.
Here’s how we’ve helped out the automotive supply base:

• Drive Operator performance and accountability using Real Time Andon Display boards
• Cut warranty and scrap costs using Traceability and Error-Proofing solutions
• Increase productivity by eliminating constraints in high volume repetitive manufacturing processes using Real Time Constraint Management
• Re-focus continuous improvement efforts by implementing a production reporting system that prioritizes WHERE to implement improvements and ENSURE that those improvements are sustained.
• Cut out wasted time during product changeovers by implementing changeover management solutions that drive accountability to reducing production losses resulting from inefficient changeovers.

Each of these solutions has resulted in quantifiable and measurable efficiency gains resulting in an overall lower cost/unit in the manufacturing process.  Contact us to help build a business case based on a short term payback model that generates results quickly.

The challenge in high speed packaging lines is to keep product flowing without disruption.  When these lines are operating well, you’re making money.  When one piece of equipment is down, the entire line is down and your profits are quickly being eroded.
Our solutions have helped by:

• Assisting our customers with simple loss analysis reporting that breaks down losses in efficiency down to simple, actionable categories such as
  • Change-over losses
  • Startup losses (losses during the critical startup phase after a product change)
  • Speed losses (underspeed)
  • Downtime Losses – equipment failure
  • Uptime Losses – material shortages, operator issues etc.
• Improving changeover performance by utilizing changeover management techniques that drive true accountability to all phases of the changeover:
  • Tear down phase & cleanup
  • Changeover phase (equipment, product and materials changeover)
  • Startup / ramp up phase
• Scheduling Optimization improvements by linking real time packaging activity back to the desired production schedule and making better scheduling decisions based on the reality of the shop floor.  This also helps to ensure that the right materials and product is available when needed.
• Constraint Management to identify specific pieces of equipment that chronically underperform to line rate.

This sector of manufacturing has been faced with two extreme challenges:

1. A  increasing rate of new product launches to lure today’s savvy consumer
2. Global downward price pressure as a result of the global economy

In other words, the classic battle – do more and do it with less money.

We have assisted manufactures in the consumer package goods arena to re-focus their continuous improvement programs in order to help win the battle (or at least survive).   Specifically, we have helped with solutions that:

• Drive accountability to existing continuous improvement programs through simple and configurable production reporting systems that do not rely on tedious (and potentially erroneous) manual data entry.  These systems quickly become the ‘record of truth’ and ensure that the RIGHT projects are selected and that improvements are SUSTAINED over the long run.
• Drive accountability to shop floor performance by utilizing real-time andon display boards to set targets and goals on an hourly/shift basis with opportunity to react to issues as they happen.
• Implement constraint management techniques to ensure that the constraining operation (by product) is understood and improved so overall flow is improved and end-of-line results are realized.
• Improving changeover performance by utilizing changeover management techniques that drive true accountability to all phases of the changeover
  • Tear down phase & cleanup
  • Changeover phase (equipment, product and materials changeover)
  • Startup / ramp up phase
• Scheduling Optimization improvements by linking real time packaging activity back to the desired production schedule and making better scheduling decisions based on the reality of the shop floor.  This also helps to ensure that the right materials and product is available when needed.

Operating a manufacturing environment with hundreds / thousands of products in low quantities at profitable levels represents the biggest challenge in manufacturing.   The world-class leaders in these markets are those that have mastered the ability to manufacturing lead times but improving manufacturing flow and throughput.
We have helped similar customers by:

• Providing real time scheduling integration to ensure that customer orders and optimized based on the realities of the shop floor.  This includes alerting and messaging in the event of orders that are projected to be late.
• Providing accurate operator performance tracking to ensure fairness in employee performance reviews
• Improving changeover performance by utilizing changeover management techniques that drive true accountability to all phases of the changeover
  • Tear down phase
  • Changeover phase (equipment, product and materials changeover)
  • Startup / ramp up phase
• Deploying real-time andon display boards to provide visual operator feedback on performance and schedule attainment.