NEWS RELEASE
COMPANY DEMONSTRATES COMMITMENT
TO CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
SEYMOUR, Conn. — RAF Electronic Hardware has a
long-standing reputation as a
high-quality supplier of electronic
hardware used in computers, telecommunications equipment,
medical products, military/aerospace
applications and more. The company
recognizes the importance of
continuous improvement as a key
factor in its ongoing success. “Our
ability to provide world-class
customer service has increased
significantly since the company-wide
continuous improvement initiative
commenced,” says Dave Granger,
director of sales. Always on the
cutting edge in terms of machine
tools and related equipment, RAF
Electronic Hardware is now
undergoing a transformation in the
way it uses its equipment to achieve
high levels of customer
satisfaction. The company is
committed to improving everything
starting from the way it receives
and processes customer orders, to
how these orders are ultimately
shipped.
One of the first steps in the
company’s transformation was
recognizing the need for greater
employee empowerment. To meet this
need, teams of employees were
created with the sole purpose of
evaluating and improving various
aspects of the business. One of the
first teams created was a finished
goods inventory team. This team
started to look at what it had in
inventory and whether these parts
were really what its customers
needed. In a relatively short period
of time, this team did a remarkable
job of developing workable criteria
for selecting items that needed to
be on the shelf and available for
quick shipment, as well as those
that could support a longer lead
time.
Another team was created to
improve the current production
process for one of the company’s
most important product lines. This
team, with representation from all
major business segments, developed a
value stream map to see exactly
where value was being created and
waste was being incurred. This map
was an accurate representation of
current business practices, and it
revealed some interesting
opportunities for improvement. For
example, the map showed how parts
were building up at certain steps of
the process. The team cited reasons
for these “bottlenecks” as well as
solutions, which included a list of
action items and assigning team
members to specific
responsibilities. The team agreed to
meet on a regular basis to review
progress on the action items,
assuring that the objective of
improving the production process for
this product line would be achieved.
On one product line, the team
found that automatic screw machine
operators spent a great deal of time
locating needed tooling and
supplies. This not only delayed
production in general, but it had a
major effect on screw machine
change-over times. A department-wide
organization improvement effort was
needed and another team of
cross-functional employees worked
together to identify the tooling and
supplies needed in the area, and
what could be eliminated.
Unlike a typical workplace
organization effort where a few
unnecessary tools and supplies are
identified and removed from the
workplace, RAF Electronic Hardware’s
organization effort started by
identifying machines that were not
used regularly and were occupying
valuable floor space. The team
removed these machines and replaced
them with the needed ones. This
provided more room and a better work
environment for all operators.
The focus then shifted to
organizing tools, equipment and
supplies so they could be found
quickly. The team wanted to make
these items as visible as possible.
Cams were hung on boards and clearly
labeled for easy reference. Clamps,
tools and gages were placed in the
most convenient locations and
labeled so everyone knew where they
should be returned after use. This
organization effort reduced
change-over times, and operators now
have an easier time keeping the
automatic screw machines running and
producing quality parts.
>RAF Electronic Hardware continues
to review its current procedures and
has made the need for continuous
improvement part of the company’s
culture. Empowered employees are
trying different approaches to
eliminate waste in their processes.
Many are seeing immediate
improvements as they devise new and
clever solutions to old problems.
Employees also have a broader
appreciation of the importance of
keeping customers satisfied to keep
them coming back. “Response times
are quicker, lead times are shorter
and every department is running more
efficiently,” Mr. Granger says.
“Most importantly, the customers
have taken notice.”
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