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Maximizing Gas Cavity Line Process Improvement

About

Viking Range, LLC is a premier, made in USA high-end appliance manufacturer. They design, engineer, manufacture, and service high-end appliances for the home. For over 27 years, Viking Range, LLC has provided their products to satisfied customers all over the world. Viking Range, LLC produces the majority of their products at three locations in Greenwood, MS.

The Challenge

Viking Range, LLC produces, welds and porcelain coats gas cavities for all ranges produced in the plant. Viking was producing six gas cavity units per hour. This was a problem because Viking needed to produce eight or more gas cavities per hour.

Through the efforts of the MMA-MEP Center at MSU-CAVS-E team, our ability to increase production of gas cavities for the cooking products plant has more than doubled. Prior to this team working with us, we were attempting to increase production through methods that were not very lean, including adding people to fix the problem. From the lean manufacturing principles that MMA-MEP Center at MSU-CAVS-E implemented, along with time studies, the number of people didn’t have to be increased to increase production. Showing that this area could reach a goal based on hard data was the measure needed to get employees to believe they could produce more with the same headcount. Our units produced per day increased, the employees were happier and gas range line was glad to be receiving a steady flow of parts.

— Howard Alderman, Director of Manufacturing Efficiencies

MEP's Role

Viking Range contacted the MMA-MEP Center at MSU-CAVS-E to determine the Takt time.  Next, the focus was on reducing the walk time and the double handling of parts, and finally to rebalanced the work between the operators.

Created June 2, 2020, Updated July 21, 2022