Leancasestudies

LEAN MANUFACTURING AND REMANUFACTURING IMPLEMENTATION TOOLS
by John S. W. Fargher, Jr., Ph.D., Director Missouri Enterprise, University of Missouri - Rolla Rolla, MO Abstract
The presentation and paper represent several actual case studies of firms that the Missouri Enterprise has been involved as the facilitator and consultant. These case studies are used to illustrate the steps inimplementation of lean manufacturing and remanufacturing, providing actual, very positive results.

Introduction
What if your company could dramatically reduce its production lead time and product costs while increasing its capacity? Most companies make 35 to 75% improvements on production lead time, reduce production costs by 10% to 25 %, and increase capacity by 20 % to 50 %. What if your companycompleted customer orders on time? On time deliveries rates increase from 50% to 90% with lead times that are less time than your competitors. Missouri Enterprise is one of 73 National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP) Centers across the country. Each NIST MEP center is a part of a nationwide network of notfor-profit offices in over 400 locations, whosesole purpose is to provide small and medium-sized manufacturers with the help they need to be more competitive. That makes it possible for even the smallest firms to tap into the expertise of knowledgeable manufacturing and business specialists all over the U.S. These are people who have had engineering and technical experience on manufacturing floors and in managing plant operations. Small tomedium-sized companies that have implemented lean manufacturing projects improve profitability while utilizing customer value and speed to gain competitive advantages in local, national, and global markets. In addition, the Missouri Enterprise is supported by the Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED), with a grant that matches the NIST MEP contract funds. The client pays one-third thecost of the project because of the funding provided by NIST MEP and Missouri DED.

Initial Broad Steps
There are a series of steps that need to be followed to assure success: 1. Develop a clear sense of urgency to change. 2. Build the sense of urgency within the Senior Management Team. 3. Create an agreement on the Strategic / Business Plan and Strategic Vision with clear superior performancegoals throughout the organization. 4. Communicate the Vision, Lean Implementation Plan, and Superior Performance Goals to the organization. 5. Empower and train the group that will start the implementation. 6. Implement a pilot with a liberal time line to demonstrate the feasibility and success of the plan. 7. Expand the effort to other areas. For most companies, day-to-day activities steal theneeded time to complete the study and gain the depth of knowledge to establish a vision and plan for implementation of lean manufacturing. Those companies that do develop these plans are usually amazed at the opportunities available to them to gain market share, improve products and quality, while reducing delivery times and costs. Having top management participate in business / strategic planning hashuge benefits to the organization by developing this vision and plan. Orientation - Lean Manufacturing and Remanufacturing Workshop Lean Manufacturing is a technique originally developed in the automotive industry that concentrates on shortening the time between the customer's order and shipment. Lean manufacturing has been applied very successfully in

manufacturing and remanufacturingoperations, resulting in shorter production lead times, greatly reduced inventories, and significantly enhanced profitability. These techniques also promote improved flexibility, enhanced reliability and substantial cost reductions. Two workshop simulation games have been developed and used to orient participants in lean manufacturing: ♦ The Buzz Electronics Company game (developed by NIST MEP) uses...