A common solution for new productivity is capital investment. That won’t work in continuous process industries, where investments are huge and production is dependent on expensive monuments that require constant maintenance and adjustment. Maybe yield isn’t what it could be. But new machines are rarely the answer.
Instead of new capital, fast problem-solving projects have been proven to dramatically improve existing facilities and equipment effectiveness.
For instance, a TBM-led team at a seed processor nearly doubled the plant’s unloading capacity by standardizing work and making simple mechanical improvements. At the end of a single week, the company was convinced it no longer needed a new unloading facility and $1 million in capital spending was avoided.
Reliability is also critically important in a 24/7 environment where, in many cases, four different crews are producing four separate results. With standardization across shifts and plants, it’s easier for your teams to increase both yield and flexibility, finding new capacity for innovation.
When a well-known snack maker wanted to expand available flavors in a product line, both to generate interest and protect valuable retail shelf space, the company turned to LeanSigma. Seeing that every machine and inch of floor space was dedicated to existing flavors, teams launched four week-long kaizen events focused on standardization, machine reliability, changeover time and yield. As a result, two new flavors were launched using existing machines, allowing the company to expand retail shelf space.
Then, we expand on this work by planning and laying out more effective plants. One client, a frozen foods company, was preparing to duplicate a plant in order to meet the five-year forecast for customer demand. LeanSigma leaders instead designed a line that would produce to current demand, with simple expansion possibilities for future growth and the flexibility to create multiple products on each line. Unnecessary capital investment avoided: $9 million.
We help you reduce capital spending by increasing equipment life, maximizing the output of existing resources – both machine and employee – and incorporating new continuous improvement concepts as you grow.
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