Case Studies

The following are a few of our recent case studies that show the range and depth of c4c’s capability. Our services cover small to large projects from SME’s to Global enterprises.

Using Six Sigma Improves Grinding Output by over 75%!

c4c were asked to help an Aerospace supplier to increase it’s grinding output from an average of 500,000 per week to 800,000 to clear arrears and sustain this level in order to meet the requirements of new orders in the future.

In total, grinding output was increased from 500,000 to 885,000 per week; saving £190,000 per annum in overtime and increased sales revenue and releasing £1.3m work in progress to cash.

By using the DMAIC Six Sigma methodology and lean principles a number of significant improvements were possible. This involved using OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) to measure performance and design of experiments (DOE), capability studies and team based improvement activities to maximise output and explain variations in performance.

The OEE study revealed that four issues contributed to 80% of the losses:

1. Speed loss factor 1 - Machine cycle times
2. Speed loss factor 2 - Quality of incoming parts
3. Labour availability
4. Machine condition & management

An improvement in production output of 30% to 50% was achieved by using higher viscosity oil. A further benefit was realised by increasing the speeds of the machines by 20% to 30% at the expense of dressing the grinding wheels more often.

Remove the burrs via a high speed turning machine improved the quality of incoming parts and increased output by 20% on 60% of the parts.

Increasing the number of trained setters and reorganising the auto grinding section increased the uptime of the machines by 15%.

Introduction of PRE Control SPC on the section saved 1,000 labour hours per year and direct costs of printing.

In total the project delivered increased capacity of 385,000 parts per week.

Read the full report (2.2 Mb).

Lean culture implementation - aircraft seat manufacturer

Following a number of failed attempts to make Kaizen "stick" and as part of a CEO driven culture change initiative at a major Aerospace seat manufacturer in Germany, c4c was asked to implement a Lean culture in the business.

The project involved manufacturing, assembly and administrative processes and several hundred operators and managers. A Kaizen steering committee was established to guide and steer the implementation of Lean throughout the company. Goals and targets were established and a mission statement developed and displayed throughout the company.

In parallel with the work of the steering committee, a series of weeklong workshops and training courses were held to train and coach internal staff in Lean principles. The programme involved Kaizen modules such as; waste elimination, 5S housekeeping, single piece flow, Poka-Yoke error proofing, machine up-time maximisation and the cultural and managerial aspects of operating a Lean enterprise.

Over a period of seven months a number of representative workshops were held with the usual dramatic results, over 50 people were trained in Lean principles and 10 Kaizen workshop facilitators were trained and coached to be able to run their own workshops unassisted.

Lean workshop - seat arm assembly

We have many examples of fantastic savings from continuous improvement workshops ranging from the complex to the trivial; sometimes the simple ones are the best.

This example is of a re-layout of an aircraft seat arm assembly cell. Before the Lean Workshop the cell was operated infrequently by 3 to 5 operators. The lead time was two days, with a process time of 49 minutes for each arm and the parts were made ahead of the main production line and stored in a variety of places. The cell inventory was over £50,000 and the operators walked over 100km per year!

After the workshop the cell could be operated by one person starting at the same time as the main production line since the leadtime was now only half an hour. The number of parts in the process was just one (single piece flow) and walking by the operator was virtually eliminated - saving on shoe leather! The process time was improved by 39%, giving an overall productivity improvement of 56%.

Lean workshop - tool store re-layout

This example is of a re-layout of a tool store for a plastic moulding company. Before the Lean Workshop the floor area taken by the tool store was 105 m² with access difficult for forklift and pump trucks. A small team studied the problem and reorganised the racking and tools in 1 day saving 50% floor area and improving the material flow and safety.

Simultaneously another group reorganised the material flow to the paint plant that required some radical surgery to some walls and a novel way of hanging parts on the paint line. Afterwards the lead time to paint was reduced from 8 days to 2 days with the number of parts in working progress reduced by 51% and three shift working reduced to two shifts.

Change management - supplier development

Following the failure of a key supplier to a client, c4c was asked to identify and resolve the problems in a rapid timescale as it was seriously affecting production output. The company supplied assembly-critical specialist technical components which form the framework for assembly of many other components.

After a two week troubleshooting exercise a task list of over 100 items were identified, many were resolved during the initial two week period and others were completed over a three month timescale. Issues involved process controls, quality specifications and customer-supplier interface issues.

Managing the interface issues and improving communication lead to a quick resolution of supply problems and reinstatement of ‘approved supplier’ status within 3 months.

Telephone: +44(0)1902 662377 / +44(0)7929 365001 | Email: david.cowburn @ c4c.ltd.uk
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