Shingijutsu finds a place in Burlington's Hearts

Burlington - Our First Shingijutsu event

In November of 2005, the Burlington Plant held a Shingijutsu event with the goals of reducing set-up time in the Test Area by 80%, as well as improving the lead time in Assembly by 25%. The teams involved were very eager to learn, and to meet each of the teams’ respective goals.

The Test Teams’ efforts resulted in a set-up time reduction of 52% (down from 1H33mins – 48 mins), as well as a reduction in travel time by 50%. Tools were labeled, and placed strategically at the Point of Use. They also created a highly visible area to show pumps that were ready for test, holding for test, as well as those that had passed test.The team labeled each test deck, to ensure high visibility as to show which pumps were to be tested where.

The Assembly Team also saw some drastic improvements. The assembly time was reduced by 190mins/per pump by having the deck supplier pre-drill the holes before delivery. In order to improve quality, 5S and floor efficiency, the team developed a special purpose cart designed to carry all components in modules required for one pump assembly. 5S was a big challenge for this group, and through brainstorming they were able to come up with several great ideas to help locate items through the shop. For example, the team made and implemented a visual control board that is updated as pumps go through their various stages, created a plant floor identification system to easily locate parts and created a tool identification process that would allow a person searching for a tool to know whom has it and is using it.

Looking forward into 2006; it plans to be an exciting, yet challenging time for Burlington. We recently completed a BAP II, which allowed us to identify areas where improvements can and should be made. We all look forward to continuously improving together, as a team.