We firmly consider there’s ALWAYS potential to optimize. We’re at all times in search of methods to enhance the worth we ship to our prospects. Lean manufacturing is vital to this, because it focuses on eliminating waste and driving steady development. Whereas our Lean journey is ongoing, the enhancements we’ve made to this point have had a transformative affect on our effectivity, permitting us to serve you higher with quicker turnaround occasions and higher-quality outcomes.
We invite you to discover how our Lean manufacturing efforts are making a distinction in our operations—and the way they’ll profit your subsequent undertaking.
Boosting Effectivity by Reorganizing the Store
Each enchancment Ameritex makes is designed to reinforce the standard, velocity, and effectivity of the companies we offer to our prospects. One of many first areas the place we utilized Lean rules was within the bodily format of our store. Beforehand, supplies and instruments had been typically saved removed from the place they had been wanted, which slowed manufacturing and made it tougher to trace progress. By reorganizing our store ground, we’ve made vital enhancements to how tasks circulate by way of our facility, permitting us to fulfill your deadlines extra successfully.
We started by revamping our stock room, making a extra logical and environment friendly system. Jobs, instruments, and supplies are actually color-coded, making it instantly clear which objects belong to particular areas or groups. This has considerably diminished the time spent trying to find supplies and minimized errors. If a device or half leads to the unsuitable part, it’s straightforward to identify and proper shortly—so your components transfer by way of manufacturing quicker and with fewer errors.
Along with reorganizing, we’ve added clear signage that highlights the place completely different phases of labor happen. Labels similar to “Meeting Line 1” and “Meeting Line 2” present visible readability, guaranteeing that each staff member is aware of precisely the place work is going on and what’s subsequent within the manufacturing course of. These small however impactful modifications have resulted in a smoother, extra environment friendly circulate of components by way of the store, dashing up turnaround occasions on your tasks.
Discovering the Proper Steadiness with Batch Sizes
Lean manufacturing has additionally helped us optimize batch sizes to raised meet your particular undertaking wants. For advanced assemblies with lots of of elements, smaller batch sizes—typically only one—guarantee precision and scale back waste. For easier jobs, bigger batch sizes could be extra environment friendly. By choosing the proper batch dimension, we guarantee quicker supply with out sacrificing high quality.
Enhancing Management by Restructuring Departments
We’ve restructured our departments, breaking bigger sections of the store into smaller, extra centered groups. Every staff has its personal chief, liable for overseeing manufacturing and addressing any points in actual time. This hands-on method has not solely elevated effectivity but additionally improved high quality management, permitting us to handle any issues instantly and maintain your tasks on monitor.
Proactive Upkeep with a Computerized System
One of many greatest challenges in any manufacturing operation is preserving machines operating easily. Downtime could be expensive, and unplanned upkeep could cause vital delays. To deal with this, we carried out a Computerized Upkeep Administration System (CMMS) that permits us to proactively handle upkeep throughout greater than 100 machines.
With the CMMS in place, every of our massive machines has documented upkeep steps and procedures, guaranteeing that routine upkeep is carried out on schedule. With scheduled upkeep and a ticketing system that alerts us to points earlier than they escalate, we’ve minimized delays and improved general manufacturing reliability.
This method has been a game-changer, enabling us to determine recurring points and repair them earlier than they change into main issues. By being proactive with machine upkeep, we’ve diminished downtime and improved general effectivity, permitting us to maintain manufacturing transferring easily.
The Journey Continues
Lean manufacturing isn’t a vacation spot—it’s a journey; an ongoing dedication to repeatedly enhance our processes to raised serve you. From reorganizing our store ground to enhancing machine upkeep, each change we’ve made has been about enhancing the standard and effectivity of our operations for our prospects. We’ve made nice strides, however we all know there’s at all times extra to study and extra methods to enhance.
Able to take your undertaking to the subsequent degree? At Ameritex, we mix Lean manufacturing strategies with cutting-edge know-how to ship exact, high-quality leads to customized steel fabrication—irrespective of how intricate your wants are. Contact us right now to see how our dedication to steady enchancment can streamline your manufacturing and convey your imaginative and prescient to life.