Product category:
Subcontract machining and assembly services
News Release from: Hemlock Engineering | Subject: Hemlock Engineering's lean assembly cells
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 11 May 2005
Lean assembly cells up productivity by
30%
By setting up four 'lean assembly cells a subcontractor will be producing 19 completed units a day for direct to line assembly, having raised productivity by 30%.
Following the setting up of four 'lean assembly cells at its Stapleford, Nottingham based subcontract manufacturing facility, Hemlock Engineering will be producing 19 completed units a day for direct to line assembly The move to include assembly operations will replace the current 150 machined components per unit that the company previously despatched ready for the customer to assemble
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 22 Jul 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Aluminium base plates machined at high speeds
Aluminium base plates and face plates having high degrees of flatness and parallelism are high speed machined and used in a wide range of products such as mould plates and printer frames.
This added value supply is a fast growing business for Hemlock Engineering which assembles the components for a printer manufacturer against a just-in-time schedule of deliveries.
The assemblies use in-house machined parts produced on its Haas, Kitamura and Fanuc machining centres, Citizen CNC sliding head automatic lathes and a Nakamura mill/turn centre.
Says managing director Paul Cobb: "By taking total control of the contract we are able to produce components to our own schedules, understand exactly the level of quality required while adding significant value to our previous machining operations." In setting up the 'lean' assembly cells, the US parent of Hemlock's customer staged a week long lean event at the factory involving 16 people drawn from Hemlock, the US and UK operations and included a specialist in lean manufacturing technology.
Sessions lasted for 12h/day over the week to develop out the techniques involving special fixturing, the design and manufacture of tooling, assembly procedures as well as workplace layout and working environment.
Comments Cobb: "By having total control of the project and setting up our business for daily direct to line delivery of sub assemblies, we reckon to have already improved our productivity levels by almost 30% on this contract.".
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