News Release from: In2tec
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 30 January 2002
Lean manufacturing cuts membrane costs and delays
In2tec - formed earlier last year following a management buyout of ITT Industries' membranes facility in Kettering - has completely reorganised its production system.
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In2tec - formed earlier last year following a management buyout of ITT Industries' membranes facility in Kettering - has completely reorganised its production system following flexible manufacturing principals, resulting in cost savings and reduced leadtimes to the customer. Explains Paul Cavendar, 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 Cavendar: "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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