Augos Factory / Proof / Steel processor
Case study · Metals
Same coil change, 7 minutes or 40. Now it takes 9.
Changing a steel coil took 29 minutes on average. Some changes took only 7. The gap was in the process, not the machine.
The problem
A routine job nobody had timed
The plant processes large steel coils for major manufacturers, across many lines and high volumes.
Coil changes are routine, so nobody questioned how long they took. Without a number, there was nothing to hold the job against.
What the record showed
The same job, from 7 minutes to 40
Every coil change was timed. The average was 29 minutes, but the spread was wide: some changes took 7 minutes, others 40.
Same job, same machines. The difference was how the change was done.
The suggestion
Find the shift that changes coils fastest, and make its way the standard. Then time every change against it.
The fix, and holding the standard
The fastest team trained the rest
The plant used the record to see which shift made the fastest coil changes. That team then trained the other teams.
The average coil change fell from 29 minutes to 9. That takes 20 minutes out of every change.
Every coil change is still timed against the 9-minute standard, so a slow change shows up the same day.
Questions
This case, answered
Why did the same job take 7 minutes or 40?
Each shift did it differently. The record showed which shift was fastest, and that team trained the others.
How was the 9 minutes measured?
The same way as the 29: the stop record times each coil change from stop to restart.
What does this case leave out?
A rand value, and the plant and customer names.
Find losses like these on your own line.
Thirty minutes with a manufacturing specialist, on your own lines and products.
- Every stop timed and given a reason
- Read by your own team
- Prices in rand, ex VAT
A manufacturing specialist replies within two business hours to set a 30-minute call.