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Boeing Supplier Sees Significant Improvement on Production Line, Eliminates Waste
Carson, CA - Ducommun Technologies’ Carson, California plant provides critical aircraft equipment to Boeing, the world’s leading aerospace company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined. Specifically, the company makes lighted panel assemblies for the F/A-18 program, built on a traditional assembly line. The company knew they needed to produce multiple panels in a short amount of time, and was looking for a way to do that as efficiently as possible.
Recently, Boeing contracted with Time Wise Management Systems (TWMS) to pilot a program for a small number of key suppliers, including Ducommun Technologies, to partake in a supplier integration process improvement program. This program included a Time Wise Value Stream Management Systems (VSMS) mapping session to show each factory’s product and process flow. This helps a company determine a more efficient layout. Each company then performed Kaizen events, short bursts of activity to make small improvements with a goal of making large gains in efficiency and productivity.
"We knew we wanted to reduce the cycle time and waste, and keep up with on-time deliveries to Boeing, so this was a great opportunity for us," said Terri Robins from Ducommun Technologies.
To start, Diane Morrissey of TWMS trained 23 key employees on the Time Wise Principles of Lean Manufacturing. Lean Manufacturing is a technique that uses basic but effective concepts to identify and help reduce waste and increase productivity.
"We began with a VSMS session of the shop floor. Immediately, we were able to identify some "just do it" tasks, as well as 16 Kaizen opportunities, and 20 longer programs," said Morrissey. "We were able to reduce wasted space by 20 percent and make better use of the storage area on the floor, reducing travel time between stations."
Ducommun Technologies has also reported a 30 percent inventory reduction, a 10 percent on-time delivery improvement to Boeing, and a 10 percent improvement in throughput, which is the rate the company receives data on the assembly line.
"We definitely plan on following through with these Lean events on other aspects of our production line, and continue with training throughout the organization," said Robbins. "The Time Wise Management System has really helped us improve on every aspect of production to date, which will in turn mean improvements for Boeing parts as well." (For more information contact Terri Robbins at 310-513-7203.)