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Competing Ideas
Training, Planning And Doing An Improvement Effort
By
Wayne Chaneski
Marotta Scientific Controls, Inc. (Montville, New Jersey) designs,
develops and manufactures valves, fluid control components and systems for
commercial aerospace, space, industrial and defense applications. Marotta
strives to maintain a modern, well-equipped machine shop, and it has
purchased state-of–the-art CNC technology to machine a wide range of
exotic materials.
In order to shorten lead times and control costs, Marotta began a process
improvement program based on lean manufacturing principles. When Steve
Fox, the company’s vice president of manufacturing, joined the company, he
reorganized the departmental structure. “There were too many walls
separating the people,” Mr. Fox says. “As a result, communication was
stifled and everything was linear.” One of Fox’s first acts was literally
to knock down some walls, especially those separating planning and
purchasing from manufacturing. Today, the planners and purchasing agents
sit in the middle of the manufacturing area, and low-height partitions
enhance communication and allow everyone to take part in the process in
parallel.
The next task was educating employees about lean manufacturing. Working
with the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program (NJMEP), Marotta
established a plan to teach employees lean techniques. NJMEP uses a
training program featuring live simulation developed by the National
Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension
Partnership. Attendees follow a “train and do” approach to learning. Lean
techniques such as standardized work, workplace organization, quality at
the source, point of use storage, pull scheduling, and more are delivered
in a classroom environment. Then they are put into practice in a simulated
factory. As attendees learn, they are able to implement more, and the
performance of the simulated factory improves. The management team
believed a basic understanding of lean manufacturing by everyone in the
operation was critical to the success of a plant-wide improvement effort.
The next step was to focus on Marotta’s CNC machine setup times. Being a
low volume manufacturer, the company faces frequent setups. Improvement
would lead to increased machine capacity, so a team of machine technicians
and manufacturing engineers was assembled to learn setup reduction
techniques and then apply them. CNC machine setups were videotaped,
revealing opportunities for improvement. Many delays stemmed from
inadequate or defective tooling, so the team set out to identify and
replace it. Documentation of production processes also needed improvement,
so the manufacturing engineers spearheaded this effort. The only
significant capital expenditure resulting from the setup reduction effort
was a tool presetter that allows CNC machining center setups to be
transferred from an online (machine down) activity to an off-line (prepare
in advance) activity. The team identified improvements that could cut
setup times by a minimum of 50 percent. A general CNC setup procedure was
developed, and a setup checklist assured that the new procedure was clear
and easy to follow.
The next area addressed was workplace organization. Employees received
training in the 5S program for workplace organization. 5S (which stands
for Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain) stresses the
importance of “a place for everything and everything in its place.”
Employees in both the CNC and assembly and test areas were trained in 5S
concepts, and then teams were formed to implement the program.
In the CNC area, all unnecessary items were removed. Areas for incoming
material were identified, and lines were marked on the floor. Workbenches
that could support shadow boards for holding commonly used tools were
ordered. Tooling carts were assigned to each machine to store tools for
the next scheduled job. Even cleaning supplies were organized in centrally
located areas. In the assembly and test area, a good cleanup was also
conducted, and then all drawers, racks and cabinets were labeled to show
contents. Min/max levels were established for consumable supplies to keep
better control of these items. Shadow boards were also established and
contained all tools needed by area personnel.
As with any company, Marotta experienced growing pains that come with
change. Some employees had difficulty with some of the lean concepts,
especially those who advocated community managed, rather than individually
managed, tools and supplies. Most, however, recognized the need for
change, especially when it helps to make jobs easier for all and leads to
improved customer satisfaction.
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