Wood Fabrication
Issue:
A manufacturer of laminated work surfaces had a great opportunity for new business but the lead time for product had to be under five (5) days. A needed 50% reduction from the current ten (10) day lead time.
Scope:
Develop a plan to enable five (5) day or less lead times to ALL customers. The plan also needed to be implemented within 90 days.
Approach:
A cross functional team was brought together to construct current and future state VALUE STREAM MAPS of the targeted process over course of four (4) days. The future state map and plan for it’s implementation had to be completed within the four day time frame.
Results:
The visual nature of the value stream maps quickly exposed the main issue for the long lead times. A major piece of equipment that serviced all the downstream assembly cells was working under a PUSH system. The team developed a method to incorporate PULL from the assembly cells back to the key piece of equipment and to the areas upstream of key equipment.
Results within 90 days – 3 day lead times!