IW Best Plants Profile - 1990

Feb. 14, 2005
The numbers tell the story at Dana Corporation's Minneapolis valve plant, and what a story it is. Between 1987 and 1990, the plant reduced manufacturing throughout time by 92 percent and increased productivity 32 percent. The 1990 Best Plants ...

The numbers tell the story at Dana Corporation's Minneapolis valve plant, and what a story it is. Between 1987 and 1990, the plant reduced manufacturing throughout time by 92 percent and increased productivity 32 percent. The 1990 Best Plants award-winning facility also trimmed customer lead time from six months to six weeks. The bottom line: a 470 percent improvement in return on investment and a return on sales of 320 percent.

Oddly enough, those improvements were accomplished with relatively little investment in new technologies. "A lot of what we have done has been low-tech," says Hank Rogers, former total quality manager for the plant.

An assortment of tactics contributed to the impressive gains, but two strategies were paramount: a streamlined just-in-time system built around manufacturing cells and a heavy reliance on a team structure. It took about a year for the team training to have a real bottom-line impact, recalls Rogers. "Things start to roll after you get about 50 to 60 percent of your people trained."

But the training did pay at least one early dividend. The first group that took a look at the engineers' proposed design for its work cell came up with a counterproposal that reduced the allocated space by 40 percent. After that, each group was allowed to design its own cell.

The combination of quick changeover methods and manufacturing cells produced the reduction in manufacturing cycle time and radically shorter customer lead times. "If you put in cells, cut your work in process, and cut setup times, the reduction in throughput time is pretty automatic," Rogers says.

Popular Sponsored Recommendations

Legacy Phone Lines Are Draining Your Profits

Oct. 30, 2023
Copper wire phone line expenses that support emergency devices could be costing your company millions of dollars in wasteful overhead expenses. Rates have been skyrocketing while...

Discover How an Eye Tracking Study Improves Training Procedures

Oct. 29, 2023
Did you know that your training processes can be streamlined by visualizing and analyzing key skills within your employee base? Find out how we use eye tracking to capture advanced...

How Manufacturers Can Optimize Operations with Weather Intelligence

Nov. 2, 2023
The bad news? Severe weather has emerged as one of the biggest threats to continuity and safety in manufacturing. The good news? The intelligence solutions that build weather ...

Digitally Transforming Data and Processes With Product Lifecycle Management

Oct. 29, 2023
Manufacturers face increasing challenges in product development as they strive to consistently deliver improved results. Discover how industry leaders are improving time-to-market...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of IndustryWeek, create an account today!