Success Lean Process Implementation

Island Components Group is a Long Island manufacturer designing and manufacturing the highest-performance motors, electromechanical servo-actuators and rotating components in the precision motion industry. Based in the Hauppauge Industrial par, they provide aerospace, defense and space customers with advanced design capabilities and superior customer service.

The client's department, initially laid out in a quadrangular configuration, house various sub-assemblies each responsible for producing 75 units daily to complete an electric motor assembly, followed by testing. Despite meeting production targets, the overall equipment effectiveness system indicated an over inflated work-in-process inventory number and there were many inconsistencies in first pass yield data and deferred defect reviews revealed efficiency gaps. 

LIMEP, the Manufacturing  & Technology Resource Consortium at Stony Brook University, part of the New York MEP and the MEP National Network™, was enlisted to apply lean principles to enhance productivity within the constraints of the current workforce, processes, equipment, and space. The Island Components team received extensive training in the Toyota Production System, concentrating on just-in-time, Jidoka, and standard work principles. Kanban systems were established for feeder lines, ensuring seamless sub-assembly replenishment at workstations. Additionally, the materials/purchasing manager received a plan for every part template and training, essential for sustaining just-in-time material replenishment without disrupting the flow of work. The overhaul culminated in an output surge from 75 to 120 units daily and a dramatic WIP reduction from 717 to 156 pieces, attributed to the adoption of one-piece flow and strategic bottleneck management.