NOVEMBER
1996
Volume 2 • Number 3
FOCUSING
ON PROCESS IMPROVEMENT
Have
you changed your product mix over the years? Has cycle time increased?
Are you running less product as a result of increased downtime?
Is scrap and rework on the rise? Are you having difficulty with
older molds, dies and equipment? Are you consuming more raw material
with no greater output? Is machine capacity at a premium? Are
you seeing a reduction in your value-added per employee?
If
you answered yes to any of these questions, it is probably time
to consider PTDC assistance in review and analysis of your manufacturing
processes.
"Convoluted
manufacturing flow, excessive inventory growth, rises in nonproductive
time and increasing costs result from incremental changes made
over time," says Dennis Rosa, CAMP's manager for quality systems.
To help manufacturers reduce cost, enhance processes and produce
more good parts, CAMP and the PTDC offer affordable and unbiased
process improvement assistance. This process improvement support
ranges from a specific product or machine to entire plants.
At
the Enterprise or Plant Level: Process analysis helps manufacturers
understand existing business, manufacturing and quality systems.
Frequently, Rosa says, his assessment of a company's existing
procedures is revealing. "In many cases, a company may meet the
ISO-9001 or QS-9000 standards, but are missing the true advantages
of process analysis and improvement as it relates to the cost
of products manufactured and their bottom line."
Manufacturers
are using benchmarking and gap analyses to provide an initial
assessment of overall business and manufacturing processes. Often,
clients can identify and develop improvement priorities by first
determining where they stand among similar manufacturers.
The
benchmarking analysis used most often by the PTDC for plastics
processors, tool and die makers, and other manufacturers provides
feedback on up to 50 key manufacturing performance measures. This
is completed on a confidential basis using company-supplied data
and compares the subject company to peer manufacturers.
The
gap analysis tools used for process improvement are focused on
manufacturing and quality systems. They are intended to provide
responsive feedback on a company's capability of producing quality
products that meet such standards as ISO-9001, QS-900, GMP, etc.
At
the Product Level: Using a start-to-finish flow analysis,
for example, frequently reveals what Rosa calls the "spaghetti"
of an excessively complicated process. "We have found that parts
and assemblies often travel miles through a plant before they
are shipped," he says. "To further add to the expense, many of
these parts move these distances only to be held for long periods
of time in a work-in-process or finished goods inventory. This
ultimately adds to the cost of the product and ties directly to
a company's competitiveness."
Improvements
to flow efficiencies are frequently attained by reducing the travel
distance via product or process work cells. Cellular manufacturing
offers a number of immediate process benefits, such as allowing
one associate to perform more than one operation at a time, creating
more ownership by associates through additional value-added operations,
minimizing the potential of product being misplaced or damaged
via excessive handling, and reducing the overall cycle time of
a part or assembly through a plant -- all of this is a boon to
quality assurance.
At
the Work Center Level: Within specific primary and secondary
operations, process control techniques and technologies have become
a very important asset to plastics processors. From statistical
process control to highly integrated controllers, manufacturers
are aggressively training personnel, evaluating current processes
and investing in process improvement and control systems to gain
a competitive advantage.
Many
companies have been reluctant to invest in these systems, and
far fewer to invest in automated systems. Of those that have,
many processors feel they have yet to take full advantage of these
process monitoring systems and gain a true return on their investment
through bottom line results.
The
PTDC stands ready to assist you in optimizing your manufacturing
processes. If you are looking at process improvement at an enterprise
level, through an integrated manufacturing execution system, or
a revised plant layout, the PTDC can help. If you are in need
of experienced professionals to assist in enhancing a product
or optimizing a specific process, the PTDC can help. If you are
looking for technical assistance in stand alone data acquisition
or controls upgrade, the PTDC can help. We have the time, talent
and desire to help you become more competitive.
For
more information about the PTDC's benchmarking or gap analyses
or process efficiency, enhancement, or optimization services,
contact George Anthony, CAMP business development manager, at
(216) 432-5366.
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To Top
TWO
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS ADDED TO PTDC STAFF
Two
experienced plastics business specialists have been added to the
PTDC staff.
Jay
Schenck, regional director for the Pennsylvania Technical
Assistance Program (PENNTAP), now works in partnership with the
PTDC in northwestern Pennsylvania. PENNTAP offers technical services
to small businesses throughout the commonwealth under the auspices
of the Pennsylvania Department of Commerce, the U.S. Economic
Development Administration, and Penn State.
Schenck
has worked in industry in consulting engineering, sales engineering
management, production control management, industrial engineering,
process engineering, and manufacturing management. He earned a
bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Iowa State University
and has completed the Management Development Program at General
Electric Co. and the engineering requirements of the Plastics
Engineering Technology degree at Penn State Erie. He is a member
of the Society of Plastics Engineers.
George
Anthony, CAMP business development manager, most recently was
business/program manger responsible for financial, marketing,
and product development for plastics initiatives for Allen-Bradley's
Automation Control Division. Anthony earned B.S. in plastics engineering
from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and has 18 years
direct experience in all major forms of plastics processing.
Schenck
can be reached at (814) 898-6046; Anthony at (216) 432-5366.
Back
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You
Asked For It, You Got It: TWO-YEAR PLASTICS DEGREE NOW AVAILABLE
Due
to industry demand, Penn State Erie has introduced a new two-year
associate degree in plastics engineering technology.
The
68-credit program, which began this fall, positions graduates
for jobs requiring the skills needed to set up and operate plastics
processing equipment, troubleshoot processing problems, manage
a production line, or provide technical service and support.
Hands-on
experience is gained in the R.J. Fasenmyer Building and its primary
laboratory, plastics processing. The processing lab holds seven
injection molding presses, four extrusion lines, a transfer molding
press, a blow molding machine, two thermoformers, and an array
of auxiliary equipment for assembly, decoration, automation, etc.
Adjacent to the main lab are additional labs for water treatment,
testing and quality control, and rapid prototyping.
For
information about the new associate degree, which can be completed
in two years of full-time study, contact the Penn State Erie School
of Engineering and Engineering Technology at (814) 898-6153.
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PTDC
AND EPIC SIGN AGREEMENT
The
PTDC and the Edison Polymer Innovation Corporation (EPIC) of Akron,
Ohio, have signed an agreement to enhance their working relationship.
EPIC
will provide the PTDC development assistance in plastics and polymer
materials technologies. In return, the PTDC will make its expertise
in plastics processing available to EPIC and its clients.
The
agreement will allow both entities to provide referrals and expanded
services to regional manufacturing clients, minimizing duplication
of effort and resources.
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CENTER
FUNDED THROUGH YEAR 2000
The
PTDC has received verbal notification to continue operations through
the year 2000. Notification was received from the National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership
as a result of a successful Aug. 15 rollover review.
Based
on data collected from PTDC clients, the Center's economic impact
on northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio in its first
two years of operation is estimated to be slightly more than $14
million, or a $6 return for every federal dollar invested in the
Center. The largest single area of benefit reported by clients
was increased sales ($6.4 million), followed by capital investment
job creation/savings ($1.2 million), materials savings, capital
avoidance, inventory reduction and overhead reduction.
The
Center is expected to be self-supporting by the year 2000.
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Help!
PTDC NOW OFFERING COMPUTER, WEB ASSISTANCE
Plastics
processing, tool and die making, molding -- none rely on presses
or machines alone any more. Computers drive the technology. But
what drives your computer system strategy?
To
help clients use computer technology more efficiently, the PTDC
recently hired Jeff Readel, an electrical engineer and computer
specialist, to offer computer-related services to small and midsize
manufacturers. What's now available:
World Wide Web Pages: Readel can set up Web pages in a hypertext
markup language (HTML) format using clients' text, video or audio
clips, or still photos.
Local
Area Networks: Want to network all your office computers,
or those on the shop floor? Trying to tie all the computers in
a building together? Readel will examine your computer uses needs,
suggest a strategy for connecting your workstations, and actually
install the network of your choice.
Data
Acquisition Systems: Readel and George Anthony, CAMP business
development manager, are the PTDC's data acquisition specialists.
Together, they can design and set up systems that monitor processing
machines and gather real-time data on temperature, pressure, and
other manufacturing variables. From this data, weaknesses in the
manufacturing process can be pinpointed with accuracy.
The
pair also consult on the use of bar codes to track parts, inventory,
and tools as they travel around the shop floor.
Readel
can be reached at (814) 898-7160.
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UPCOMING
MOLDING WORKSHOPS
Two
highly popular molding workshops will be offered by the PTDC again
this winter.
The
Mold Designer's & Molder's Guide to Part Design: Anticipating
and Avoiding Problems will be held at Penn State Erie from
8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12 and Wednesday, Nov. 13.
John Beaumont, a PTDC-affiliated faculty member and founder of
the college's Plastics C.A.E. Center, will help participants recognize,
avoid, and troubleshoot many of the most common problems found
in the design and start-up on new plastic tooling and products.
Cost is $450; northwestern Pennsylvania residents may be eligible
for tuition reduction through the Northwest Pennsylvania Technical
Institute.
The
Injection Molding Workshop is offered as either four full
days of study or eight four-hour evening sessions. Full-day workshops
begin Dec. 16 and continue through Dec. 19; evening sessions will
be held from 5:30 until 9:30 Dec. 9 -12 and Dec. 16-19. PTDC-affiliated
faculty member Brad Johnson has designed the course to benefit
product designers, apprentice mold makers, mold builders, process
engineers, purchasing agents, project engineers, manufacturing
engineers, materials engineers, CAD designers, sales and marketing
staff, and others who need to understand the basics of an injection
molded process or product.
Cost
is $955; tuition assistance may be available to qualified participants.
For
more information on program content, tuition assistance, or registration,
contact Mike McDavid, Continuing and Distance Education Representative,
at (814) 898-6103.
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To Top
MEMO
TO MANUFACTURERS: Control the Process, Increase the Profit
"We
the unwilling, led by the unqualified, have been doing the unbelievable
for so long with so little, we now attempt to do the impossible
with nothing..." -Author Unknown
This
may sound a bit harsh, but the message seems very clear to me.
Our customers, partners, shareholders, and stakeholders are requiring
more and more from us every day. Compliance to standards, zero
defects, price reductions, short lead times, more value added...it
goes on and on. Simply stated, we are required to produce more
good parts with less of everything else.
What
is a manufacturer to do to get more good parts? One answer: Control
manufacturing processes.
Within
primary operations, tools and techniques to monitor and measure
productivity for plastics processing equipment is wide ranging.
From manual systems and spoken communication to highly sophisticated
and integrated process controllers, many manufacturers have invested
more than they care to remember.
Many
companies have made investments in process control systems to
meet customer requirements; fortunately, many more have invested
in these systems because it was good for their business and ensured
competitiveness. Unfortunately, many manufactures continue to
find that their investments in process controls have not achieved
desired business benefits. Disappointingly, manufacturers are
not reaping full rewards.
Lack
of understanding, lack of training, lack of maintenance, and lack
of integration has left many process control systems either underutilized
or, in some cases, not used at all. I have heard more stories
than I care to remember from processors who have made investments
in integrated controls and "black boxes," only to use them to
monitor shot count or overall machine utilization. There are a
number of processors (I worked for one!) who installed the infamous
black boxes and have since shut them down.
Open
loop or closed loop systems? Real-time process control? On-line,
computer supervised? There are pros and cons to all. Could these
systems -- or, better yet, should these systems -- be integrated
into our management information, manufacturing resource planning,
or manufacturing execution systems?
From
my perspective, the answer is Yes! But there is a big qualifier.
Implementation of these systems requires much more than out-of-pocket
expense. Process controls and process monitoring systems have
great value. I remember one custom molder of commodity houseware
items told me that a significant portion of his profit margin
was directly related to his ability to monitor and control part
weight to a minimum, but keep with a specification.
To
remain competitive, we need to enhance and optimize our processes.
To meet competitive and customer pressures we need to invest in
process control and monitoring systems. These investments must
be looked upon as strategic in nature, and as such, planned, carefully
monitored, and maintained -- we can no longer afford to the impossible
with nothing!
For
more information on the PTDC's process improvement and control
services, call George Anthony at (216) 432-5366.
-
David Thomas-Greaves, PTDC Director
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