WAREHOUSE & FACTORY REDESIGN

THE CHALLENGE

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Our client was a manufacturer of sports and gym equipment for commercial facilities. The production facility was crowded. Product was scattered throughout the production floor. Employees were constantly moving things around in order make and ship product out the door. It was an inefficient and frustrating environment for everyone. To add to the chaos, high rent was forcing them to move to a new facility that was the same size, but narrower. They were hoping to leverage Lean principles to create a factory layout in the new facility that promoted flow and efficiency. 

 

RESULTS

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A cross-functional team was assembled with the goal of designing a new factory layout that promoted efficient flow. Through several hands-on workshops, the following results were realized:

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•      Production lead time was reduced by 50%

•     Inventory accuracy was improved by 30%

•     Employee morale went through the roof

•     Sales staff began showcasing the production floor to customers

•     An internally led Continuous Improvement program was launched 

 

INGREDIENTS

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• Training: The starting point for this effort was gaining a solid understanding of the principles of flow through training in Cell Design, Inventory Management, and Warehouse Design principles

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• Process Mapping: Process mapping workshops were conducted to understand how material flowed in the factory leading to new insights and opportunities to optimize overall lead times

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• Design & Implementation: A schedule of workshops were delivered to design and implement a new factory layout to innovatively optimize vertical space, and redesign critical production cells. No one imagined they would be better off in a smaller space, but that was what happened!

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Congratulations to our clients for finding a way to change their challenge into a great opportunity! Good luck on your continuous improvement program.