Cellular manufacturing techniques provided the answer to this challenge. In cellular manufacturing, equipment and workstations are arranged in a sequence that supports a smooth flow of materials and components through the manufacturing process with minimal transport or delay.

The advantages to cellular manufacturing are WIP reduction, space utilization, lead time reduction, productivity and quality improvements, enhanced teamwork and communication as well as increased flexibility and visibility during the entire production process.

The rewards of our efforts were astounding. By arranging our machinery into an Intaq manufacturing cell and cross-training and process certifying our technicians, we made significant improvements in our ability to meet our customers’ needs including:

• Lead time reduction from 6 weeks to 5 days!
• 29% reduction in scrap rates (quality metric)
• On-time delivery improved from 73% to 100%