Reducing Production Time
DPA helps electronics manufacturer reduce production time for a micro-component
Re-engineering a Production Flow Cell
A company that manufactures magnetic and electro-mechanical devices needed to reduce production time for a miniature solenoid. Batch assembly, excessive walking, inefficient searching for parts and long set up times impaired their efforts.
The challenge: Reduce set up and cycle time by minimizing process waste and motion.
DPA facilitator Tom Voss and the cell’s four-member team “5S’d” the cell, then re-configured its layout so that both the cell and workstations were dedicated to a single part, eliminating set-up.
Lower tables, cord holders, new magnifier lights, dedicated gauge blocks, work-in-progress parts bins, and a label dispenser improved worker efficiency and ergonomics. A catch basin for cut leads and a solder pot vent were installed to improve safety. The test procedures for finished parts were streamlined.
As a result of the team’s work, the solenoid production cell
- Reduced its setup time to zero.
- Cut its assembly production cycle time by 68 percent (reduced assembly from 280 seconds per piece to 90 seconds)
- Reduced the cell’s footprint by 80 percent
- Reduced employees’ travel distance by 33 percent