Installing equipment beginning with screen printer.

Pick & Place and Reflow installed.

Describing process to the Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Close proximity cellular design reduces travel, increases communication & minimises work in progress.

Picture 1 (2012 ) shows two production lines located in close proximity to the end of the SMT production line (Pic 2 2015), reducing travel, improves communication and helps to limit WIP. Pic 3 illustrates continuous improvement activity with, shelving moved & replaced by inline meter mixing machine, connected to automated X/Y table.

To view each picture, click & hold on circle with arrows. Move left & right.

Migrating to flow lines 2010.

Kanban & digital work instructions being phased in.

• Technician assembles product in its entirety, including prep work.
• Long lead times.
• Product not being tested as it is built increasing opportunity for large number of defects.
• Requires a test schedule.
• Increased work in progress.
• Increases opportunity for damage/obsolescence.
• Poorly utilised space.

Flow lines in operation 2015

• To left of picture is the In process Kanban with prepped components.
• Changeover time reduced from two days to 15~30 mins.
• TQM principles applied with each assembly technician checking the previous technicians work, aided by computer based schematic, BOM, digital pictures, videos and instuctions.
• Modular line design for mobility during relayout.
• Pneumatic tooling changed to electric, reducing noise and accomodating modular relayout.
• Secondhand wavesolder purchased & installed. Utilises spray fluxer instead of foam fluxer, improving solder joint quality and reduces cleaning.
• Old wavesolder provides spare parts in the event of breakdown
• Grey cupbards in background provide critical spare parts kanban. 5S ‘Shine’ cupboard holds cleaning supplies and tools for assembly technician team.

Visual management not possible.

• Obstructive shelf design breaks down communication & creates silos.
• Shelves allow clutter to accumulate untidily.
• Pneumatic tooling restricts ease of relayout.

Flow line 2015

• Integrated, real time, in process testing finds defects immediately after unit build and provides immediate feedback loop for the rest of the product run.
• Prepping station in foreground re-designd with ergonomic bench, shadow board and castors for mobility.

Test department

• Test department is to the left in the picture. Untidy and visual management not possible.
• Department was broken down and integrated into continuous flow lines.

U Shape Production Cell

• Accommodates good communication for frequent changeover.
• Accomodates 1.5 changeovers per day on average.
• Designed to facilitate low volume / high variety product range.
• Centralised inventory expediting SMED changeover.

• 5S principles not applied. Untidy area wastes time as technicians must search and find items.
• Partially tested product in foreground. Technicians switching from product to product attempting to satisfy demand from final assembly.

Floor space now occupied by a production cell complete with…

• Digital work instructions.
• Task lighting.
• Kanban.
• Continuous flow line with modular design for easy relayout.

Production floor 2009.

• Work station methodology used in conjunction with kitting.
• Visual management not possible.
• Inconsistent assembly times from technician to technician make attempt at accurate schedule futile.
• Poor ergonomics & low level lighting places strain on operators, in turn leading to defects.
• 5S not applied & undefined shelving leads to untidy, cluttered work area.
• Obstructed walkways lead to mishandling and rework.

Production Floor 2015

• Continuous flow line up & running since 2010.
• Task lighting and ceiling lighting added.
• Ergonomic benches, seating and lighting designed into work space.
• Air conditioning adjusted and controlled. Avoids individual heaters, reducing fire risk & lowers costs.

Production floor 2011

• Work station methodology being transitioned in preparation for production cell. (Left of picture)
• Flow line 1 fully operational. (Right of picture)

 Production Floor 2015

• Production cell to the left. Flow line to the right.
• Continuous improvement in action. to the right, extraction units added & safety cover preventing flying leads.
• Clearly defined thoughway with adequate spacing.

• Island workstations.
• Undefined pathways for movement of people, parts & assembled product.
• Inadequate provision for raw material & workspace.

• Clearly defined pathway.
• U shaped cells running alongside windows, with a standard footprint & making use of natural light.
• Kanban inventory centralised, along with department supervisor for good communication & visual management.
• (Note: Picture taken very recently after relayout. Significant room for improvement: cables foreground to be tidies & secured. Excess raw material)

• Raw material resting on floor
• Causes damage.
• Poses tripping hazard.

• Kitting trolleys being phased in.
• Allocates known location.
• Prevents damage.
• Prevents accidents.
• Increases technician value add time.

• Insufficient workspace.
• Undefined tooling & component locations. Leads to waste, defects and potential accidents.
• Work area being used as a throughway.

• Larger footprint provides a sufficient space to work.
• Technician provided a computer allowing access to the following – Digitised Work Instructions. Standard Drawings. Department schedules. Email communication for customisation details.
• U shape maximises floor space and includes soak test area (left of photo).
• Travel to soak test area eliminated, saving time and prevents accidents.
• Work area cannot be used as a throughway.
• 5S principles yet to be fully applied – shadow board & defined component locations.
• Strategically designed for trialling a flow line assembly concept. See CAD video.

• Island workstation. Walkways all around and often used as throughway.
• Partially completed product sitting on bench in danger of being knocked over either by assembly technician or passing foot traffic.

• Newly designed workstation confirgured in standard U shape footprint at cell level.
• On a larger scale, the final assembly area was designed in U shape format making use of the natural light from windows.
• Component inventory centralised as Kanban for fast, easy access.
• This establishes clearly defined walkways, very important when being used to transport bulky goods.
• Large items from stores can now be pre-kitted and delivered through these paths.

• Shelving not fit for purpose wasting space & gathering clutter.

• Kitting trolleys being phased in
• Allocates a known, safe location for components.
• Prevents damage.
• Prevents accidents.
• Pre kitting prevents high value technician looking for components & keeps production flowing.