HANSON: Lean Mentoring Leads to Significant Improvements
Investing in Lean is essential for staying competitive and efficient. MMTC’s expertise, from technology implementation to plant layout has been an invaluable asset to our company.
-- Julie LaVanway, President
Hanson International (hansoninternational.com) excels in precision mold and high-pressure die cast die design, build, sampling, and inspection, primarily serving the automotive industry. Situated in Saint Joseph, Mich., Hanson's campus features an office/engineering group, a tooling facility, and a die testing facility. Using modern equipment and engineering software, Hanson’s experienced workforce of 90 employees ensures top-quality tooling. Hanson’s rigorous inspections follow ISO 9001:2015 standards, ensuring excellence from design to delivery with a single-source, single-point-of-contact approach.
Challenge
Hanson International is invested in excellence, not only in their quality, but in their workforce. As an internal initiative, Hanson wanted to engage more than half of their staff with structured and efficient Lean training, which would include 5S Visual Management, Standard Work and Mistake-Proofing.
Solution
To execute the various Lean initiatives, Hanson International reached out to Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC). 65 Hanson employees engaged in Mistake-Proofing, which led to the introduction of a shipping checklist for quality control, resulting in zero corrective actions since its implementation. Prior to this, Hanson had 5 corrective actions in 2023 and 4 in 2024 before the checklist was introduced. Additional Lean mentoring led to significant improvements, including the elimination of excess inventory and equipment, removal of waste, increased workspace, reduced unnecessary motion, optimized inventory layout, decreased contamination, enhanced workplace safety, improved ergonomics, and easier access to tooling.
Hanson International also conducted an Industry 4.0 Technology Opportunity Assessment, which resulted in the selection and purchase of a Hermle 5-Axis Machining Center C650. This piece of equipment uses cloud computing and automation and has allowed Hanson to do both complex milling processes and turning simultaneously, allowing for lights out machining.
Results
- New Employees: 3
- Retained Employees: 95% employee retention
- Increased throughput 10%
- Reduced waste by 15%
- Went from 5 corrective actions to 0