What has LEAN Done for Me Lately?
Stephen Huff
Director of Engineering & Technology Roll Sciences / Imperial Rubber Products, Inc..
AIMCAL Web Coating Conference 2012 October 22, 2012
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
A Systematic Way of Looking at Every Process in Your Company
Its Objective is to Create Optimal Value to the Customer
It Highlights Waste So That It Can Be Eliminated
It is CULTURE CHANGE!!!!
Existing Quality Tools Weren’t Enough
Quality & Yield™ (Q&Y), SPC, TQC, 6 Sigma, DOE’s, etc. are only tools. These tools are useful but don’t deliver the complete package.
Lead Times Had Grown Too Long
Common lead times for the industry last into the weeks but we wanted to provide a better option for our customers.
LEAN is a Culture Change!! Only 15 – 20% of LEAN is made up of technical tools.
Manufacturing Processes Were Not Optimized
Documentation control was not robust and sometimes relied upon “Tribal Knowledge”
Before Implementing LEAN, A Set of Objectives Needed to be Established.
Highest Quality
From These Goals, our KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) Were Developed
Shortest Lead Time
Lowest Cost (Most Efficient Use of Resources)
Our “True North” / Guiding Principles
Safety
Cleaning Up and Clearing Out of Out-Dated Machinery & Processes
LEAN Teaches that the 5 S’s are the Foundation for All Future Improvements. We Added the 6
thS, Safety
Sort Out
Straighten
Organizing: Everything Has a Correct Place (Shadow Boards)
Scrub
Cleaning
Standardize
Assigning Specific Duties to be Done on a Regular Basis
Sustain
Discipline, Make Sure to Not Fall Back Into Old Habits!!
• Six 48 Foot Truckloads of excess material were Removed from Our Facility. Four Truckloads were able to be Recycled
• Shadow Boards Were Developed.
Transportation
A Mature LEAN Operation Will On Average Be
400% More Productive By Eliminating the 8 Wastes
Inventory
Motion
Waiting
Over Processing
Over Production
Defects
Intelligence
LEAN Requires Culture Change! Changing a Culture is a Difficult Endeavor with Many Road Blocks
Change Goes Against Status-Quo
The Tribe Already “Knows the Best Way” to Do It
Misconceptions
Lack of Buy-In by Technical Staff
Under-Committed Top Level Management
Customers Benefit When Working with a LEAN Integrated Company
High Quality Products
Predictable Delivery Schedules
Stable Pricing
More Responsive Customer Service
By Eliminating the 8 Wastes, The LEAN
Manufacturing Process Produces Higher Quality Products.
RMA Rate Was 3% of Products Produced
After LEAN Implementation and Waste Reduction, RMA Rate Has Declined to 0.3%
Product Delivered to Customer In Spec 99.7% of the Time Good, But Not Good Enough!!
The Roller Industry Directly Supports Diverse
Manufacturing Companies. (Our Product is Process Critical)
We Discovered Our Real COTS (Complete and On- Time Shipment) was around 50%
After LEAN, COTS is 96% YTD (98% The Last 2 Months)
Customers Can Trust Delivery Schedules
Maintenance / Trial Schedules Don’t Have to be Altered
The Market Sets The Price That A Customer Pays for the Product or Service.
Tough Economies Increase Competition
Companies Utilizing LEAN Become More Efficient Than Those That Don’t (400% on Average)
Higher Efficiency Companies Can Offer Higher Quality Products At Stable & Competitive Pricing
Continuous Improvement Lends Itself to an Optimized Process Helping to Prevent Pricing Fluctuation
Every Day, a Representative from Sales Management,
Engineering, Pre-Production, Manufacturing and Customer Service walk the Floor in Our GEMBA Walk.
After the GEMBA Walk, Opportunities for Improvement Are Discussed and Then Analyzed Using the PDCA Methodology.
Companies Embracing LEAN Will Benefit in Many Ways
Reduced Internal & External Rejects
Improved COTS Percentage
Overall Lead Time Reduced
Improved Working Environment
Lower Levels of Backlog
LEAN Manufacturing Dictates Continuous Improvement. As the Process Improves and Becomes More Efficient, The Work Moves Through the Process Faster
Before LEAN, A Standard Recover & Grind Took 15 Work Days
After LEAN, A Standard Recover & Grind Takes an Average 5.7 Work Days
More Satisfied Customers
Less WIP and More Capacity With Fewer Resources
Backlog is CASH. Large Amounts of Backlog Equals Large Amounts of Money That is Sitting There Collecting Dust!
Backlog is Seen By Employees As a “Security Blanket”
LEAN Receiving and Pre-Production Methods Move Product Into Production in Less Than 2 Days
Backlog Reduces Itself As Processes Become More Efficient and Work Moves Through the Plant Faster
Before LEAN
By Following the 6 S’s, The Manufacturing Floor is Sorted, Straightened, and Scrubbed Continually.
Production Facility is Neat and Uncluttered
Unobstructed Views Enable Visual Management
Everything Has Its Place (Shadow Boards)
No More “Hunting” for Inventory, Parts, or Tools
Safety Is Foremost
Both Customers and Implementing Companies Benefit From LEAN Manufacturing
LEAN Is A Method of Continuously
Improving All Aspects of Your Company
LEAN Is More Than Just A Tool to Improve Quality
LEAN Is CULTURE CHANGE!!!!
Without a Culture Change, LEAN Will FAIL !!
Stephen Huff
Director of Engineering & Technology Roll Sciences / Imperial Rubber Products, Inc.
[email protected] www.imperialrubber.com
