Time quest
Fourteen Midwest manufacturing firms are learning how they can reduce lead time by 75-95 percent while improving product quality and reducing costs, thanks to a study conducted by the College of Engineering Center for Quick Response Manufacturing. The center's findings suggest that firms should pay more attention to factors such as set-up, order processing and down time - which can make up more than 90 percent of the time from order to product completion - in organizing work time. Researchers also have demonstrated the time and efficiency gains of work cells - products with similar manufacturing operations are produced in a "cell" consisting of all the necessary machines and staffed by multi-skilled workers. At nine of the firms studied, it was found that a cellular production system could slice lead time by as much as 80 percent, in addition to providing such benefits as reducing scrap rates. The study also found that a key factor in saving work time was a willingness on the part of a company's management to invest in training, education and production capacity, and to give employees responsibility and authority.