ITC INCORPORATED: Lean Sheds Light on Operational Opportunities
I found the folks from The Center-West highly knowledgeable and easy to work with. The Center’s consultant clearly understands Lean principles and was able to apply his experience from multiple manufacturing settings. Once the team became comfortable with the improvement methodologies, we were able to conduct four other Kaizens on our own.
-- Dev Butler, Director of Human Performance
ITC Incorporated (www.itc-us.com) is headquartered in Hudsonville, Mich., and is a 40-year-old, family-owned business. A manufacturer of accessory parts for boats, RVs, autos and office applications, they are experts in LED lighting for harsh environments. With locations in Zeeland, Mich., Elkhart, Ind., and China, they currently employ 120 at their Hudsonville location
Challenge
Due to rapidly growing demand, ITC Incorporated’s aftermarket and eCommerce businesses experienced capacity issues in their boxing and shipping area. After an initial review of that work cell, they knew they needed outside assistance to incorporate Lean methodology into their work process. Through connections at Lakeshore Advantage, the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center-West (The Center-West) was introduced to Dev Butler, Director of Human Performance, to develop a plan to increase the productivity of this work cell.
Solution
The Center-West was contacted to facilitate and develop a plan to increase the productivity of an underperforming “aftermarket” work cell. With the support of ITC’s Production Supervisor, the aftermarket team conducted a Kaizen to review the current state and create processes to increase productivity, improve visual cues, and train employees with Lean tools to sustain the work cell improvements. Through the leadership of ITC’s Production Supervisor and Director of Production, the changes positioned ITC Incorporated to increase the work cell productivity and capacity by 25%.
Results
- Cost savings of $9,000 per year at current levels. As demand continues to rise, so will savings.
- Improved productivity freed up 280 square feet of space allowing for pallet jack access, which reduced human motion and improved safety.
- Retained Jobs: 3
- “5S” activities resulted in the elimination of 60 label bins containing obsolete material.
- Standardization of work benches allowed for greater flexibility between workers.
- Trips made by operators having to travel outside of the work cell dropped by 80%.