HVAC Manufacturer Sweeps Up Big Savings & Sales Through 6S Efforts

MESTEK, Inc. is a world-leading manufacturer of HVAC solutions for industrial, educational, warehousing, commercial (hotels, townhomes, condominium complexes, etc.) and other large-footprint building applications. Their components are used in the cooling and heating systems and conduits that run from the mechanical basement of structures all the way to the rooftop. Under the Arrow United Industries brand, MESTEK manufactures a full array of louvers, dampers, air-control devices, walk-in access panels and other products used in custom-made installations and applications. The company operates within the rural Northern Tier community of Laceyville, Pennsylvania, in Bradford County.

As a way to increase workplace safety, increase throughput, allow the company to more profitably accept short-run and one-off custom products and clear up floor space for eventual expansion, MESTEK management decided to embrace Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement methodologies. They felt that the Continuous Improvement concept of “6S Workplace Organization” would benefit the company from safety and workflow perspectives while the concept of “Workplace Standardization” would reduce product variability, shorten new worker training times and result in more consistent production. Thus, they retained NEPIRC for the provision of a hybrid “6S Workplace Organization & Standardization” training and implementation engagement.

Through this engagement, NEPIRC trained 45 MESTEK associates in the discipline of 6S Workplace Organization and worked with the client to create standardized work instructions for critical manufacturing tasks and processes. These associates came to realize the value of having work cells set up in the same way each shift and the importance of maintaining a clean and safe environment not just from a safety standpoint, but from a productivity standpoint as well. Within a year following the engagement, MESTEK management started to see the results of their 6S training and implementation project. More specifically, the company quantified $85,000 in cost savings and $75,000 of revenue growth as a result of their engagement, primarily through the reduction of waste and scrap product and the securing of additional jobs because of new-found flexibility and production capacity. The company also believes that 12 jobs were retained as a result of the project due to higher levels of productivity and worker satisfaction.