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Lean Initiatives Lead to Efficient Processes

About

Magline, Inc., is a family-owned and professionally-managed company located in Standish, Michigan, with 140 employees. Founded in 1947 by Don Law, the company currently has 2nd-generation owners with 3rd-generation involvement. For more than 75 years Magline has been a leader in the material handling industry and committed to creating innovative solutions to help people transport materials more safely and efficiently.

The Challenge

 In July 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Magline reached out to the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (The Center), part of the Michigan MEP and the MEP National Network™, to help their warehouse operations and shipping of carts. Sales had grown much more than anticipated and orders were cancelled for not meeting the expected lead times. At one point, more than 2,100 orders were past due. They needed help managing orders and preparing shipments for assembled hand trucks. The Center visited Magline and scoped a project to help resolve the disorganization, congestion, backlog of past due orders that were increasing, inefficiencies in processing the orders, and cellular layout. 
At Magline we take pride in relentlessly pursuing continuous improvement.  Partnering with The Center’s lean experts has helped us drive lean principles, increase efficiencies, and eliminate waste. We look forward to this continued partnership as we strive to always provide the best customer experience in the market.
— Russell Law, Continuous Improvement Specialist

MEP's Role

After scoping the project, The Center proposed 8.5 days of mentoring and hands-on Kaizen work to help the Magline team. The Center started with departmental training in Lean Manufacturing by conducting a simulation, then went into the deeper aspects of the project. This included 5S visual management mentoring for sales orders and product labeling, improving layout for process flow optimization in the shipping area, and improving travel for products and people within cells.

Following a timed study, it was found to take approximately seven minutes and 30 seconds to locate and process one order. There were difficulties matching sales orders to physical products and shipping carriers. By changing the process and adding some visual management cues, Magline was able to increase their efficiency and decrease errors. Magline also added a second overhead parcel door. This allowed orders to be loaded throughout the day, which relieved the area of congestion and improved work cell flow.

Created October 10, 2024