CMC Helps Allied Tube Halve Changeover Time

Whatever type of steel tubing from signposts to strollers that a customer needed Allied Tube and Conduit in Harvey could produce it. But every time the production line changed tubing sizes it took five hours to set up. CMC recommended a Kaizen Blitz. Workers videotaped a typical mill setup. One employee timed - to the second - all 85 activities in the changeover process while another employee diagrammed every move the mill operator made including when he stepped away from the machines.

When the team watched the video they saw workers looking for tools, talking among themselves, asking questions, and performing activities out of sequence-all in poor lighting. Over a six-hour process workers wasted four hours and 45 minutes.

To rectify these problems CMC recommended:
Supervisors receive written detailed instructions before each changeover.
Workers place tools closer to the mills.
All parts have correct labels.
Supervisors reassign jobs.
Management commit to more training so everyone could better understand their job in relation to the entire process.

Improvements were immediate. Vijay Patel, vice president of manufacturing, says the reduction in changeover times translated to savings of $2.5 to $2.8 million.

The results were so impressive Allied Tube hired CMC to do a second Kaizen Blitz and a 5S project. Allied Tube's accounting department calculated the three projects helped the company retain $25 million in sales it otherwise would have lost. Allied Tube also invested $ 2.1 million in plant improvements, equipment and training.

The benefits have had lasting effects. The company saved 10 jobs. Patel reports Allied Tube continues to save approximately $510,000 every year at each of eight mills. The company now has open capacity allowing it to grow. And, Patel says the morale boost in production has carried over to other departments.