Railcar Manufacturer
SITUATION
Rail car manufacturer had the capacity to produce 20 rail cars per day but needed to be at 36 per day.
DRIVER GOAL
- Achieve a fabrication capacity run rate of 36 car sets per day and 100% material availability with a 4-day buffer with no capital expenditure or addition of labor by the end of 6 weeks.
RESULT
- Achieved $5,760,000 annualized labor improvement.
- Achieved production level of 48 cars per day.
Case Study
Implement Lean & Increase Throughput
Issue
A rail car manufacturer had the capacity to produce 20 rail cars per day but needed to be at 36 per day. The Highland Group was asked to implement lean manufacturing techniques to increase production to meet the demand without additional capital investment.
Highland Approach
The Highland Group engaged client personnel in a visual mapping exercise to identify, quantify and prioritize opportunities for improvement. Targeted teams utilized a variety of Lean tools and methods to remove waste from the process and increase capacity. A structured management system served to link Driver Goals to manufacturing floor performance and engage the workforce in the continuous improvement process.
Actions Taken
- Implemented Lean Manufacturing in all production areas.
- Just-in-time inventory procedures and quick changeover techniques.
- Redesigned the production planning and scheduling process.
- Implemented a System For Managing the production operation.
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