Kaizen of Fixtures:

Muda Elimination

Lean Team 6

Florence Bertrand

Wes Jenkins

Andrew Padgett

Janelle Williams

ILPEA Industries

Founded as Holm Industries in 1978 by Andrew Holm

2001-Merged with ILPEAS SpA of Europe

Global leader of plastic extrusions

• Residential

• Commercial

• Industrial

• Automotive

30 plants worldwide in 12 countries serving more than 1500 customers

ILPEA Industries

The Hartselle, AL plant produces:

• Gaskets and seals for refrigerators and other appliances

• Rubber seals for car parts (seals on semi-truck mirrors, for example)

• Vinyl and PVC parts for home appliances

Their main customers are:

• Hill-Rom, producer of hospital furniture and health care equipment

• Whirlpool, well-known home appliance manufacturer

Point of contact:

• Gabe Abernathy, Process Engineer

Process: CNC Changeover Times

The process was to observe and improve the changing of a fixture in an

ILPEA CNC machine.

The Waste consisted of:

1. Wrong size bolts for fixture

2. Transportation times

3. Time lost searching for the fixture

4. Disorganization in almost everything

5. Loss of parts due to broken containers

6. Lack of tools

Initial State

The process and times for the original CNC process is as follows:

• Locate and Transport Fixture to CNC area

• Lay out Materials

• Locate Tools

• Installation of Fixture

• Removal of Fixture

Initial State Value Stream Map

Recommendations Made

1. Locate and Transport Fixture to CNC area:a. Standardize fixture location in CNC area

2. Lay out Materialsa. Use 5S sort materials into bins next to CNC instead of using a dumpster as storage

b. Reduce number of materials down to a 3rd of original amount by getting rid of nuts and bolts

3. Locate Toolsa. Use 5S to sort, standardize, and sustain a better origanization system

4. Install Fixturea. Implement new washer system by boring out new holes for smoother placement

b. Use longer bolts with washer system

c. Use an electric drill instead of allen wrenches and ratchets

d. Install a threaded piece of material under the table to reduce time putting on nuts and bolts

Side-By-Side: Initial State vs. Final State

Step:

Initial Time: Final Time:

1. Locate and Transport Fixture: 2.266 min. 0.022 min.

2. Lay out Materials: 0.678 min. 0.663 min.

3. Locate Tools: 1.210 min. 0.185 min.

4. Install Fixture: 15.604 min. 1.273 min.

Total Avg. Time: 19.785 min. 2.143 min.

Removing fixture when finished

Average time: 14.080 min. 1.826 min.

Average Total Time of Changeover: 33.865 min. 3.969 min.

Saved Time: 29.896 min.

Final State

1. Reduced location and transportation

2. Materials became more organized

3. Tools were standardized

4. Installation time reduced

5. Removal became easier

Final State Value Stream Map

Additional Suggested Improvements

These were improvements that we suggested, but that ILPEA is unable to implement for various reasons.

• Install a clip-on fixture system (Money and materials)

• Connect a pneumatic drill to the surface blower hose (Money)

• Install and label a larger cabinet for parts, fixtures, and tools (Money and limited space)

Point Of Contact

Gabe Abernathy: Process Engineer, ILPEA Industries

Email: jabernathy@ilpeaindustries.com