SCREENTEK INTERNATIONAL LTD5S & Lean Manufacturing Journey

AUGUST 2013

IN AUGUST 2013 THE FACTORY WAS IN A STATE OF CHAOS, ITEMS RANDOMLY

PLACED. IT WAS A MAZE OF SLIP, TRIPS AND FALL HAZARDS AND FIRE ESCAPES

WHERE BLOCKED OFF.

THE OUTSIDE OF THE FACTORY WAS A DISGRACE AND EMBARRASSING TO

BRING SUPPLIERS AND CUSTOMERS FOR SITE VISITS. ALMOST ALL WASTE WAS

GOING TO LANDFILL AND WE RECYCLED VERY LITTLE WASTE. WE NOW

RECYCLE AROUND 97% OF ALL WASTE.

WE KNEW THAT WE COULD NOT CONTINUE THIS WAY

AND OUR 5S JOURNEY STARTED FROM NOW…

AT THIS TIME, WE HAD BEEN WORKING WITH GROWTH ACCELERATOR AND IAN FRANKS

WHO WAS HELPING PUT TOGETHER OUR GROWTH BUSINESS PLAN.

IAN RECOMMENDED THAT WE INTRODUCE LEAN MANUFACTURING IN TO THE BUSINESS

IN ORDER FOR US TO MEET OUR PROJECTED TARGETS AND RAN A COUPLE OF STAFF

TRAINING SESSIONS TO GET PEOPLE THINKING ABOUT LEANER AND EASIER WAYS OF

COMPLETING TASKS AS A TEAM.

WE PLAYED GAMES AS A TEAM RELATING TO LEAN THINKING AND WATCHED VIDEOS

OF SOMEONE MAKING TOAST AND ONE ABOUT ENVELOPES (See below all will make

sense)

IAN SUGGESTED THAT NICK WALKER ENROLLED ON

ACCELERATED ROUTE TO LEAN, A COURSE RAN BY THE

MANUFACTURING INSTITUTE.

THE COURSE GAVE NICK THE KNOWLEDGE TO

INTRODUCE KEY IDEAS AND STEPS IN TO THE FACTORY

AND HELP REDUCE THE WASTE FROM TIM WOODS.

ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS INTRODUCED WAS SHADOW BOARDS FOR TOOLS

AND BRUSHPANS AND BRUSHES. THIS SAVES HOURS OF TIME EVERYDAY SIMPLY

BY KNOWING WHERE THE TOOLS ARE AND BEING ABLE TO ACCESS THEM

QUICKLY AND EASILY

WE THEN BEGAN WITH THE FIRST OF THE 5 S’ – SORT!

WE BEGAN BY REMOVING EVERYTHING FROM THE FACTORY AND

CLEARING SPACE INSIDE.

WE THEN FILTERED THROUGH THE ITEMS TO DECIFER WHAT WAS

REQUIRED AND WHAT COULD BE DISPOSED OF.

AS THIS WAS HAPPENING, FOLLOWING AN

INTRODUCTION FROM KAY WAREING OF RBS BANK

WE CONTACTED TEXTILE GROWTH FUND TO TRY AND

AQUIRE SOME FUNDING TOWARDS NEW MACHINERY

TO HELP US CONTINUE WITH OUR GROWTH.

WE WERE LOOKING TO PURCHASE A GERBER FABRIC

CUTTING CNC, HOMAG EDGEBANDER, HOMAG

VENTURE 320 CNC BOOMERANG WITH RETURN

CONVEYOR AND A NEW DUST EXTRACTION SYSTEM

TO ACCOMMODATE THE MACHINES.

WE GOT THE FUNDING AGREED OVER TWO PROJECTS

AND SECURED 25% OF THE VALUE FOR THE PROJECTS.

THE GRANT SECURED TOTALLED £125,186.68 WHICH

WAS A HUGE BOOST FOR OUR BUSINESS NEEDS.

WITH THIS IS MIND WE NEEDED TO PUT A PLAN

TOGETHER FOR THE LAYOUT OF THE FACTORY

BY MAPPING OUT OUR CURRENT STATE PROCESS MAP, WE COULD SEE WHERE OUR WASTE WAS

COMING FROM.

BY MOVING THINGS AROUND WE MANAGED TO REDUCE OUR WASTE DRAMATICALLY. OUR FUTURE

STATE PROCESS MAP SHOWS HOW WE SIMPLIFIED OUR OPERATIONS

WE THEN NEEDED TO PLAN HOW WE WHERE GOING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN BOTH FINANCIALY AND

PHYSICALY. MANAGEMENT GOT THEIR HEADS TOGETHER TO COME UP WITH THE PLAN ALONG WITH

THE HELP OF BILL TIPLADY FROM THE MANUFACTURING INSTITUTE.

THEN THE FUN BEGAN…

AUGUST 2015 NEW MACHINES

STARTED TO ARRIVE

GERBER FABRIC CUTTING CNC

HOMAG EDGE BANDING CNC

HOMAG CNC AND EDGE

BANDER

AS THE MACHINES WHERE ARRIVING, WE WERE MOVING OUR EXISTING MACHINERY ALL IN TO ONE

UNIT TO HELP WITH THE FLOW IN PRODUCTION

SET IN ORDER

ONCE THE MACHINERY WAS IN PLACE, WE BEGAN PHASE 2 – SET IN ORDER

GIVING ALL ITEMS A LOCATION WITHIN THE FACTORY AND MAKING SURE THINGS WHERE PUT BACK

ONCE THEY FINISHED USING THEM.

WE GAVE THE RACKING LOCATION NUMBERS AND SET UP A KANBAN

SYSTEM.

HELPING US CONTROL OUR STOCK AND RE-ORDER LEVELS AND ENSURE WE

NEVER RAN OUT OF STOCK. WE WORKED CLOSELY WITH OUR SUPPLIERS

AND CAME UP WITH AN IDEA THAT WORKED FOR US BOTH, WE DECIDED

CLEAR BOXES WOULD BE USED TO MONITOR STOCK LEVELS. ONCE EMPTY

THEY WOULD BE RE-FILLED BY THE SUPPLIER.

SHINE

THE NEXT PHASE WAS TO SHINE THE WORKPLACE, MAKING IT LOOK CLEAN AND TIDY. WE PUT

CLEANING ROTAS IN PLACE TO ENSURE IT WAS CLEANED ON A REGULAR BASIS. WE ALSO RE-PAINTED

ALL THE FLOORS AND WALLS

ONCE THE FLOORS WHERE PAINTED

WE TAPED OUT THE WALK WAYS WHICH

TAKE YOU ON A FULL FACTORY TOUR AND

ALSO GUIDE YOU TOWARDS THE

EMERGENCY EXITS.

STANDARDIZE

THEN SETTING THE STANDARDS THAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE BY TAKING PICTURES OF HOW THE

FACTORY SHOULD LOOK AND PUTTING THEM CLEARLY ON DISPLAY MAKING EVERYTHING AS VISUAL

AS POSSIBLE.

EVERY WEDNESDAY, WE HAVE SET UP A MEETING WITH MANAGEMENT AND THE FACTORY

SUPERVISORS TO DISCUSS WHAT WE HAVE DONE AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO NEXT. EACH WEEK A

MEMBER OF STAFF WILL ACOMPANY THEIR LINE SUPERVISOR TO BE INVOLVED IN THE TASKS FOR THAT

WEEK. BY DOING THIS IT IS HELPING EVERYONE TO BE INVOLVED AND WE ARE SEEING AN

IMPROVEMENT IN THE FACTORY.

WE APPOINTED MATT LAVILL THE 5S CO-ORDINATOR ENSURING THERE IS A CONSTANT

REGARD FOR 5S IN THE FACTORY AT ALL TIMES.

SUSTAIN

ONCE THE STANDARDS HAVE BEEN SET, WE WILL NEED TO SUSTAIN WHAT WE HAVE DONE. OFTEN FOR

A LOT OF BUSINESSES THIS IS WHAT THEY FIND TO BE THE DIFFICULT PART AS STAFF MEMBERS SLIP BACK

IN TO A ROUTINE THAT THEY HAD OR THEY SKIP A STEP IN A PROCEDURE THAT HAS BEEN PUT IN PLACE.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO MONITOR AND ENFORCE THESE PROCEDURES WITH ALL STAFF TO ENSURE YOU

STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME AND CONSTANTLY IMPROVE OUR PROCESSES.

WE HAVE COME TOO FAR NOW TO LET IT ALL SLIP!

ALTERING THE FACTORY LAYOUT HAS SO FAR RESULTED IN A HUGE INCREASE IN

PRODUCTIVITY AND WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE THROUGHOUT 2016 AS WE

DEVELOP LEAN THINKING AND PROCESSES IN THE FACTORY.

IN DECEMBER 2015, WE GENERATED

MORE NET SALES vs. DECEMBER

2014 BUT MANUFACTURING HOURS

WENT DOWN BY 1,344.25 HOURS

WE HAVE ALSO MANAGED TO

REDUCE OUR STOCK LEVELS BY

15.8% BY WORKING CLOSELY WITH

SUPPLIERS TO SET UP RE-ORDER

LEVELS AND A KANBAN SYSTEM.

WE ARE PROUD TO BE A LEAN

MANUFACTURING BUSINESS.