This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
FEATURE PRODUCTION & ASSEMBLY IMPROVING MANUFACTURING PRACTICES THROUGH LEAN IMPLEMENTATION


forms of waste. Visual systems including job boards help to increase organisation on the manufacturing floor and streamline the production process. To reduce error in its processes Butler


Cellular manufacturing is ideal for companies that build machines which need to be configured exactly right the first time


Inventor and global leader of automatic splicing solutions Butler Automatic has implemented an enhanced lean manufacturing process that has resulted in significant manufacturing improvements. The program includes simplifying manufacturing tasks, increasing efficiency by organising the manufacturing floor, taking a variety of steps to reduce errors and cross training workers to move toward continuous improvement. Butler has improved on time delivery from an average of 76% in 2013 to 96% in 2014. “For Butler Automatic whose products are one part of large packaging lines on-time production is critical and lean


manufacturing practices have led to huge strides forward in this area,” says president and COO Chip Johns. Butler opted to implement cellular


manufacturing to simplify its processes. Since Butler builds configured machines or products that are all the same conceptually but each slightly different to be perfectly tailored to its end use, cellular manufacturing was a good fit. The manufacturing floor and workflow


was reorganised to increase efficiency including placing all tools and materials required in a single cell directly in that cell right at operators’ fingertips. The new organisation drastically reduces all


Automatic took steps to limit material handling, introducing a vendor-managed inventory (VMI) process, essentially extending the vendors’ factory or warehouse into its manufacturing facility. The vendor places inventory directly into manufacturing cells or other use areas, cutting out the need to receive, handle, count and shift components from receiving to their point of storage and then point of use. Workers are cross- trained throughout the manufacturing process, giving them a broader outlook and making it more likely they will develop creative solutions for increasing efficiency and continuously improving the process. Butler Automatic celebrates innovation by photographically documenting process changes and crediting employees who have worked to generate ideas and implement changes. This in turn generates improvements and increases their pride and satisfaction.


Butler Automatic T: +1 508-923-0544 www.butlerautomatic.com


26 SEPTEMBER 2015 | FACTORY EQUIPMENT


/ FACTORYEQUIPMENT


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56