Step one
Hawle Armaturen AG stands for high quality and is an innovative production and trading company of valves, control valves, flanges and fittings for the water, gas and wastewater sectors. In the past, all products were produced in batch production, which usually resulted in long lead and delivery times. Large stocks also had to be kept. The production process required a lot of crane and forklift movements to move heavy castings.
Step two
In initial discussions between Hawle Armaturen AG and Phoenix Mecano Solutions AG, the following project goals were defined: Increase production, reduce inventory and shorten lead times. In order to make production more efficient, LEAN production was to be introduced. The production management had already had excellent experience with LEAN Production and the "One-Piece-Flow" at the assembly workstation. LEAN processes were now to be introduced with great vigor and full conviction. The assembly employees were initially rather skeptical about the very lean LEAN production processes.
Step three
Solution 1:
In cooperation with the employees of Hawle Armaturen AG, an assembly line was planned on which water gate valves were to be manufactured in the future in a one-piece flow. Among other things, electric screwdrivers from Mabag AG with torque monitoring were integrated into this assembly workstation. Since, given the large number of variants of water gate valves, changeover was always a major time factor, a well-designed logistics trolley was to be used in the Kanban system in the future. Phoenix Mecano's cautious estimates of a 30% increase in productivity in advance were far exceeded after only a short time. In some cases, throughput times were reduced so drastically that a production process up to 60% faster was possible in the One Piece Flow. By implementing LEAN principles, the intermediate storage of semi-finished products was also reduced by about 50%.
Solution 2:
At an assembly workstation for creating various assemblies for valves, the company not only introduced One Piece Flow, but also the worker guidance system SETAGO Pick to Light from Phoenix Mecano Solutions AG. The assembly guidance system is also known in LEAN production as Pick by Light and guides the assembly worker step by step through the assembly process with the help of sensors and light signals. The complete assembly run can be visualized on a screen. If an incorrect part is picked up, the correct sequence of the assembly process is not followed or the wrong torque is used when screwing, the SETAGO Pick to Light assembly guidance system displays an error message. Assembly cannot continue until the error has been corrected. This guarantees absolute process reliability ‒ there is no longer any obstacle to 0 error assembly, even with a large number of variants.
Solution 3:
The ergonomics of an assembly workstation for hydrants were significantly improved. A swiveling device was designed for the largest component of the hydrant‒a heavy casting. The hydrant is clamped into the fixture. This allows the employee to position the heavy workpiece in such a way that all other components can be assembled in a comfortable, upright posture. The conversion to LEAN production in the assembly workstation area is considered a complete success. All work processes are now highly efficient and inventories have been massively reduced. The new ergonomic workstation can be rated as particularly valuable for the health of the employees. After completion of the projects, everyone involved was enthusiastic about the successes achieved.
Solution 2:
At an assembly workstation for creating various assemblies for valves, the company not only introduced One Piece Flow, but also the worker guidance system SETAGO Pick to Light from Phoenix Mecano Solutions AG. The assembly guidance system is also known in LEAN production as Pick by Light and guides the assembly worker step by step through the assembly process with the help of sensors and light signals. The complete assembly run can be visualized on a screen. If an incorrect part is picked up, the correct sequence of the assembly process is not followed or the wrong torque is used when screwing, the SETAGO Pick to Light assembly guidance system displays an error message. Assembly cannot continue until the error has been corrected. This guarantees absolute process reliability ‒ there is no longer any obstacle to 0 error assembly, even with a large number of variants.
Solution 3:
The ergonomics of an assembly workstation for hydrants were significantly improved. A swiveling device was designed for the largest component of the hydrant‒a heavy casting. The hydrant is clamped into the fixture. This allows the employee to position the heavy workpiece in such a way that all other components can be assembled in a comfortable, upright posture. The conversion to LEAN production in the assembly workstation area is considered a complete success. All work processes are now highly efficient and inventories have been massively reduced. The new ergonomic workstation can be rated as particularly valuable for the health of the employees. After completion of the projects, everyone involved was enthusiastic about the successes achieved.
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