The Transformative Power of Lean

While many companies think of lean exercises as one-time events, those that embrace lean as an integral part of their culture can see outstanding results. In the next issue of Enterprise Minnesota magazine, writer Suzy Frisch profiles four Minnesota manufacturers that have embraced different aspects of lean.

Frisch’s mini case studies are a must-read for leaders seeking to improve efficiency and productivity and set the stage for future growth. They cover:

• Workplace Organization – Creating the most efficient, effective, and ergonomically designed workspaces
• Automation – Enhancing flow and reducing waste with the right tools and technology to support operators, such as robotics or vision systems
• Process Optimization – Eliminating waste in the manufacturing operation and designing the best way for product to flow through the manufacturing area
• Error Proofing – Identifying the most likely places mistakes occur in the process and integrating ways to mitigate these errors and reduce waste

Frisch uses a different manufacturer to illustrate goals, challenges, and outcomes in each of the areas, including how each company prioritized employee engagement at each step of the process.

Whirltronics, Inc. in Buffalo, which has embraced lean thinking since the early 2000s, shows the potential for workplace organization. The company’s manufacturing engineer at the time, Jennifer Lindquist, imagined lean as an avenue to turn a three-step operation into single-piece flow manufacturing by moving two processes together.

Now the company’s senior vice president of manufacturing, Lindquist had to overcome debate, time studies, trial and error, and testing to implement the plan. But once in place, Whirltronics went from needing to schedule and run three separate steps, to one.

Whirltronics put the “continuous” in continuous improvement in the following years. In 2003, blade manufacturing required six processes, 11 employees, 80-second cycle times, and 29 days of inventory. Two decades later, the six processes require just six employees, 21-second cycle times, and two days of inventory.

“It took 20 years to get there. We’re a small company but we’re tenacious and we don’t give up easily,” Lindquist says. “Continuous improvement is part of our culture and it’s an expectation with my team.”

Federal Package Network, Inc. in Chanhassen demonstrates how using automation as a lean strategy boosts efficiency and allows the redeployment of people to areas where they add the most value. The company is a contract manufacturer of containers for a range of beauty and personal care products, including deodorant, lip balm, and sunscreen. Its FP Labs division operates as a full-service skin care partner, working with beauty brands and skin care companies on research and development, product formulation, testing, and producing a host of retail-ready goods.

Because the company might be making a different product each week or even every day or two, it’s critical to have the most efficient lines embedded in its processes to keep costs down and meet customers’ requests. Automation helps everything run faster and also opens doors for employees to focus on other work.

“We take these projects as a chance to move operators to more beneficial, value-adding jobs than what they were doing before,” says Noah Leuer, the company’s manufacturing engineering manager. Removing some of the day-in-day-out, tiresome work can go a long way toward holding on to Federal’s reliable workforce of 100 people. “It’s a big reason why we went the automation route,” Leuer says. “It’s not always easy. But any place we can prevent people from having to do unnecessary work is worth putting effort into.”

Scamp Trailers by Eveland’s, Inc. in Backus illustrates the benefits of process optimization. Scamp started instituting a lean approach about eight years ago, helping the company become significantly more efficient as it builds more product with fewer people.

But that doesn’t mean letting some of its 72-strong workforce go. Instead, Scamp regularly pivots, adding new capabilities and service lines that will set the manufacturer up for an even brighter future, says Micah Eveland, president and CEO of the company.

Based on a lean event which focused on process optimization, Scamp recently adopted a production tablet system that integrates with its business management software to streamline manufacturing operations. Every workstation now has an iPad that provides detailed information about each work order. That includes what inventory and tools the work requires, where they are located, what steps must be completed and when, and animated instructions.

The tablet arranges everything from the start date until completion, noting how many days it will take to get to the next workstation. “It keeps things flowing really nicely,” Eveland says. “If you know what you have to do tomorrow and you can mentally prepare for it, then you’re going to be more efficient when you actually get to work. Then it’s off to the races.”

Scamp’s culture of lean is deeply entrenched, and Eveland has the numbers to show why. “We’re getting more production dollars built with less labor. We’ve been gaining on that every year for the past eight years,” Eveland says.

TEAM Industries, Inc. in Bagley is a key supplier to manufacturers in the power sports, lawn and garden, and light vehicle industries. That makes error proofing a constant and critical part of its lean efforts and overall mission.

Embedded in TEAM’s processes is a regular regimen of testing and verifying its operations and products to prevent any problems from showing up at customers’ plants, says Director of Manufacturing Mike Olson. Testing with an eye toward error proofing involves thoroughly vetting TEAM’s complex assemblies, which can have 100 components and gears that look identical to the naked eye.

TEAM uses a variety of ways to execute its error proofing, starting with building process quality into its manufacturing operations instead of waiting to inspect at the end of the line, says Tom Hjort, Bagley plant manager. The company uses a multipronged approach to preventing errors, including no-fault-forward technology, vision systems, and hard gauging.

When TEAM has a new manufacturing project underway, a team including employees from product development, design engineering, quality engineering, and manufacturing engineering analyzes every step of the process. Then they work to identify potential errors and their likely severity and frequency. They also assess how the team can prevent mistakes from occurring and/or quickly detect them if they do, says Ben Reiners, manufacturing engineering manager.

“The work is relentless and ongoing, to be honest. It’s every day by everyone at every level,” Hjort adds. “But the benefit is having process control and customer satisfaction, giving customers what they want day in and day out to retain their business. It puts us on the map as the company that builds quality products and has long-term relationships with customers.”

To read more about each of these companies and their lean success stories, check out the next issue of Enterprise Minnesota magazine, due for publication in late June.

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