Higher productivity is on every company agenda, but how do you set up a production that is both customers focused and lean?
Johnny from Graniten summarizes the first year in the new production site in Uddevalla. He shares his knowledge and tips on how to stay customer focused and productive at the same time.
The goals and purpose of the new production site with its workshop.
The workshop shall handle a five-time increase in production volume, support the production flow and increase customer satsifaction.
To start from nothing in an empty huge hall is both a big advantage but also a challenge. Where to start? Johnny planned from a customer perspective.
The layout is inspired by the Japanese “5S theory” and lean. Each area is clearly marked on the floor and the shop is planned after the working process of how a product is being built to being shipped. All with different perspectives.
– First of all, let me just clarify one thing. Anyone who is in contact with us in the workshop is important. It can be a supplier, co-worker, colleague, supplier, or consultant. Everyone should feel like a customer and that the layout and routines are working for them.
Johnny Lehto, Development technician at Graniten
The co-worker perspective
The co-workers have a dedicated area for their start-up meetings. Every day they start off with a so called “Pulsen” meeting, to keep the communication lines short, effective, and structured. Communication must be lean- who does what and when increases co-worker engagement and efficiency.
Internally co-workers have had trainings so that they understand the workflow, the training is also a part of the company onboarding process.
The supplier perspective
To increase efficiency for the suppliers and other visitors a “welcome to Graniten”-email with information is sent out explaining where to find what on the site and what to expect. This is important for all from a safety perspective. The supply entrance is clearly visible and the loading and unloading area with the storage shelves is next to the charging of the trucks. To keep the distances short.
The assembly and quality perspective
The assembly area has everything within reach- the storage units, machinery, 3D printer, recycling station, tools and other needed material. There are also several lifting tools to increase ergonomic and safety in the workshop. A commissioning area for test and validation is marked out to keep space free during Final Acceptance Test (FAT).
The safety and secrecy perspective
During these FAT, the number of visitors is large and to keep everyone safe and keep curious visitors away from secrecy area’s wall dividers are being used. They can easily be moved around to create clear walking paths and block other areas. In this way everyone keeps safe and are not interfering with the ongoing production.
The training persepctive
Finally, there is the training area that is used by customers and co-workers. Nothing is better than learning by doing!
– Sometimes we have a lot of visitors, and the workshop needs to be structured and safe also then. Moving walls are an uncomplicated way to keep everyone on the safe side and secrecy, if intellectual property needs to be protected.
So, the learnings from this first year?
Make more space for the assembly area, as it tends to grow and you need more space than you think.
Keep everything to standard and very neat and tidy, every day, every time. On each cabinet we have a sign showing what’s inside. This is a small effort to implement but saves so much time and energy for us.
We also have a digital inbox for ideas that can improve our processes and routines, everyone at Graniten can access this- which is perfect for the continuous improvement of our workshop, our routines and for our company.
And the last tip:
Always consider “Who is the customer here”?
Facts Graniten
Graniten is a global provider of machine solutions to the pharmaceutical manufacturing and healthcare automation sector. At Graniten, the core purpose is to empower customers and help them improve their production and workflow to continuously improve patient care and security.
The aim is to become a business leader in technical solutions & innovations within the scope of manufacturing and engineering and achieve:
- Staying ahead of industry challenges and customer needs and creating user-centric solutions
- Leveraging creativity and implementing new innovative technologies
- Limiting environmental impacts through optimization, sustainability, and small footprint products
