Sector: Automotive
1st Tier Supplier of Automotive Mechanical Components

Scope:
A manufacturing plant benchmarked within its own organisation, recognised that its quality levels needed to improve in order to both satisfy current business, and to win new internal contracts.

LMR was chosen on the basis of first hand experience of their deliverables at a sister plant, and were asked to provide assistance in achieving the significant turnaround needed to keep this product line competitive. The plant itself provided a small team of enthusiastic individuals tasked with achieving change in a structured and sustainable way.

Application:
A primary consideration from LMR was to drive the improved processes into the fabric of the existing organisation rather than to create extra, dedicated functions. LMR’s approach was to assess the situation and to propose the adoption of a measured approach, beginning initially with a Standardised Inspection Process (SIP) Over a period of only four months the following actions occurred;

* Onsite workshop for the senior Plant Managers to help establish a high level understanding of the lean techniques that support SIP.
* Mediated discussions with local Unions, the emphasis tailored to highlight what is important to everyone.
* A simple overview of the lean manufacturing process delivered to 300+ plant employees, with the focus aimed at the importance of the Standardised Inspection Process.

These factors had a significant impact on the type of layout designed. Implementation of SIP tools and techniques within the 17 target manufacturing

* Standardised Inspection Process, carefully implemented to capture the quality problems highlighted by customers.
* Yamazumi techniques for process time balancing, using the bottleneck as a datum
* Work Place Organisation and Kambishibai boards, to physically make the work content transparent.
* Standard Work Confirmation Audits. A means of preventing unnecessary failures of standardised work due to inappropriate actions at the workplace.

The project was completed on time, and with effective results. In addition, LMR provided further support with the introduction of Practical Problem Solving techniques within the production environment.

Results:

* Quality Returns reduced from 13 a month, to ZERO.
* Unit cost reduction of 11%.

ROI on LMR resource 19:1.