dBusiness News reports that a lean manufacturing initiative at LAI International has reduced the cycle time on a critical aerospace product by 25%.
How did LAI do it?
The LAI facility has trained 57 percent of its employees in Six Sigma practices, including technicians, engineers and quality managers certified as Six Sigma Black Belts. LAI has created seven project teams as a result of lean production initiatives, which focus on eliminating waste from processes. A recently completed lean project reduced data-entry steps and set-up times for a production sub-assembly, producing projected savings of more than $100,000.
But LAI did not only rely on Six Sigma. The company also went into lean at all of its production facilities, including adding visual management tools and implementing audited 5-S programs, and Kaizen.
What happens at LAI International is another example of a company that is serious about process improvement. If one methodology is not enough to bring about all the changes you want and the improvement you need, a good combination of initiatives is definitely good, too.
[…] Early this month, LAI International reported that the company was able to cut its cycle time on a critical aerospace product by 25%. […]