Innovation Success Story

Implementation of Time Wise® LEAN Techniques for Composite Sorter Product Line

Globe Composite Solutions, Ltd. (“GCS”) designs and produces specialized components using cost-effective, high-performance composite materials. The company has a broad base of “blue-chip” customers targeting five key business segments: military, medical, oil field equipment, material handling/RFID and marine products. GCS developed a versatile tilt-tray sortation system that is the first to be made completely from Brandonite™ high-performance composite materials. All major components are made with synthetic materials that are lightweight, require significantly less maintenance and are easy to install. The end result is a cost-effective non-metallic delivery system that is lightweight, modular, durable and quiet.

After four years of testing, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) adopted the Enduro-STS™ to replace its aging metallic-based sorter systems throughout the entire bulk mail center distribution network.

The manufacturing process was extremely labor-intensive and resulted in assembly bottlenecks due to the short lead-time usually associated with the USPS. The assembly process only allowed for the production of approximately 50 carriages per day using four FTEs. Additionally, the assembly plant was configured in a fashion that prevented additional expansion capacity.

GCS was faced with the issue of acquiring more space, hiring additional staff and carrying extra inventory to accommodate the USPS orders, which would be expensive, time-consuming activities and place an unnecessary cash constraint on the company.

GCS engaged Time Wise Management Systems (TWMS) and Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP) to conduct an enterprise-wide assessment of their business. This process benchmarked the company’s business practices, production processes and technology core competencies. The Innovation Program project team consequently developed a technology roadmap and professional workforce development plan for the organization.

The company received an H-1B high skills workforce development grant funded by the US Department of Labor and administered by the Central Massachusetts Employment Board. As a result, GCS embarked upon training the entire workforce on general Time Wise lean principles. An intense review of the work flow, facility layout, inventory control processes, equipment utilization and production scheduling tasks was conducted.

The implementation of Time Wise lean trainings resulted in significant improvements:
     •  Reduction in travel distance for carriage assembly and personnel by more than 98 percent;
     •  Reduction in carriage assembly area by more than 95 percent; and
     •  Reduction in the space occupied by the entire USPS product line by more than 85 percent.

The implementation of “quality at the source” increased first pass yield to more than 99 percent. As a result, GCS has been able to meet demanding production schedules set by the USPS as productivity was increased more than 60 percent using the same staffing.

In addition to the financial savings and increased efficiency, the successes achieved by this team have served as a visible and positive platform from which other teams at GCS have been inspired to start to implement Time Wise lean principles and 5-S in their respective work areas.