MILITARY AIRCRAFT PARTS
Military Aircraft Parts (MAP) is a premier manufacturer of aerospace components and other precision parts. MAP has a unique and effective business model, producing high variety, low volume parts for government, military and other applications.
Reduced Lead Time by 2 days
As a result of multiple Lean manufacturing, 5S and Kaizen activities, MAP is implementing visual factory concepts, cycle times are reduced, and data collection for metrics is far simpler.
Business Client Need
MAP has had phenomenal growth for the past three years, but the manufacturing culture and systems had not kept up with the pace of growth. MAP had 18 months of backorders. There were no measurement systems in place to evaluate progress, and the front end operations were taking too long. There was no control over inventory and there was a lot of waste in the operations which led to excessively long production lead times.
Approach
Manex used a multi-phase approach, tailored to improve top line and bottom line results. The approach included initiating and propagating the Lean culture throughout the company to set the baseline for improvement, using tools from the lean tool kit to start the improvement cycle and putting systems in place to manage and reflect the growth of the company. Project activities included:
- Benchmark assessment
- Assessing and improving the front end (engineering) processes
- Developing current and future state process maps to identify bottlenecks and developing a roadmap for improvement
- Redesigning the production scheduling system
- Preparing MAP for obtaining ISO certification
- Conducting Practical Problem Solving sessions
- Analyzing and enhancing material flow
- Implementing 5S and Kaizen events
- Assisting MAP to select an ERP system and helping with its implementation
Results Delivered
As a result of Lean manufacturing, 5S and Kaizen activities, MAP has started to implement visual factory concepts, and materials in various stages can now be identified and easily located. The lead times through the CNC machines have been reduced. The ERP system is creating smoother flow, and it is now easier to collect data for metrics as needed. Top line results are expected to further improve as soon as ISO certification is obtained. 5S and Kaizen events have impacted bottom line results including reduction in cycle times. Specific results include:
- Setup time reduction by 5%-20%
- Tooling cost reduction by up to $1500 a month
- Increased floor space availability by 31%
- Reduced lead time by 2 days
- Improved downtime in Deburr department by 15%
- Created strategic focus with SMART goals