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Civilian Repair Depot for Military Aircraft

Lean Manufacturing Transformation

Challenge:

	Institute staff work closely with manufacturers to increase their competitiveness through process improvements.

Unique civilian / military workforce collaboration. Service repair environment obscured identification of repeated tasks. Intense war-time performance pressure. Multiple facilities with large site workforce. Full jet-size unit being repaired.

Solutions:

• Direct leadership of small groups via focused kaizen events.

• Classroom training that emphasized small pilot group success and motivated full-scale deployment.

• Cycle time reductions of 30 to 50% in specific operational areas.

• Significant reduction of operating expense, per-unit labor and floor space.

Aerospace Proprietary Materials Fabrication

Lean Manufacturing Classroom Introduction

Challenge:

	SwRI's proven methodologies help decrease lead times, increase throughput, reduce cost and improve quality.

Unique industry requirements.

Solutions:

• Instructor with FAA certification in composites and specific industry experience leading Lean Manufacturing projects.

• Modified introductory curriculum to include specific industry terms, relevant case examples (with photos), and the firm's current status for planned deployment.

Metal Plating Chemistry

Software Implementation

Challenge:

No downtime transition from paper logs to full use of software reporting.
 

Typical results include productivity increases of 25 percent, work-in-process reductions of 75 percent, inventory level reductions of 50 percent, and floor space reductions of 50 percent.

Solutions:

• Developed exercises to enable practice with software data entry and reporting.

• Developed standardized format for trainees to write group "reminder guides" for those tasks performed infrequently.

Electro-Mechanical Instrumentation Manufacturer

ISO 9001:2000 System Development

Challenge:

	Using the lean-manufacturing approach, experienced SwRI engineers apply tools and methods that enable client personnel to remove waste.

Previous attempts to integrate a continuous improvement culture have floundered among the established firm's high percentage of long seniority personnel. President's strength is in sales and development of outside strategic alliances.

Solutions:

• Improved trainee relevance through elimination of "exercises" – instead trainees produced actual documented work products for use in their functional area.

• Limited training session participants to 1-3 persons from each functional area, with direct feedback on their implementation progress to improve accountability.

• Developed executive coaching for President to identify improvement opportunities through his systematic and direct internal auditing of specific operations.

For more information about workforce development success highlights and capabilities at SwRI or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact Bill Rafferty at wrafferty@swri.org or (210) 522-5865.
 

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Southwest Research Institute^® (SwRI^®), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a multidisciplinary, independent, nonprofit, applied engineering and physical sciences research and development organization with 12 technical divisions.

November 12, 2009