- Lean manufacturing cuts IN2TEC's costs and delays
- (2002-01-30)
- Lean manufacturing cuts membrane costs and delays
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- Date: 30 January 2002
- News story from: IN2TEC
- Kettering, Northamptonshire, UK
- Telephone: +44 1536 419200
- E-Mail IN2TEC for more information
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- News Story: IN2TEC has completely reorganised its production system following flexible manufacturing principles,
resulting in cost savings and reduced leadtimes to the customer.
- Explains Paul Cavander, Operations Director: "The IN2TEC production system (IPS) is based on the Toyota production
system which is currently being adopted as the de-facto standard for the automotive industry and its supplier base.
- We are using the concepts of lean manufacturing, which, in contrast to mass production, uses less of everything - half the
manufacturing space, half the investment in tools, half the engineering effort to design new products in half the time.
- The result is much less WIP and inventory, fewer defects and much greater flexibility".
- In reality, IN2TEC's IPS has already meant that scrap has been reduced by over 60%.
- Set up times have halved, and leadtimes have dropped from already industry-leading benchmark of four weeks, to just 1.5
weeks.
- Customer concerns are also answered more speedily: when IN2TEC took over in July there were 30 customer-related
actions open.
- Now, just six months later, there are none outstanding, and the average turn-around time is only two days.
- Comments Cavender: "Our production system is based around manufacturing cells.
- We are giving the staff the resources - tools or training - to empower them to become the most effective membrane panel
manufacturing production facility in Europe".
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