Roeslein received a grant for a full day of lean training for 20 employees led by IMEC. This interactive workshop combined comprehensive classroom instruction with the simulation of a production facility. IMEC specialists introduced the basic concepts of lean manufacturing to the Roeslein team and demonstrated the tools and methodologies necessary to implement lean effectively in operations.
Working in a “mock” manufacturing facility, participants applied lean tools to their workspaces and across the entire product line. Over three “shifts,” this learn-do technique illustrated cause-and-effect relationships for each of the lean tools presented.
Roeslein participants reviewed methodology and lessons learned from previous shifts, deciding what and how to implement while working with realistic constraints such as available resources, budgets, and resistance to change.
Additionally, Roeslein’s new Products group recently took lean manufacturing methods to the shop floor at their first group tagging event in Red Bud, IL. Employees on the shop floor, across all disciplines, focused on product innovation and continuous improvement. They were given blue and white tags, white being high-priority, and asked to tag areas for value stream improvement.
Focusing on Roeslein’s Coolant Filtration System, the team spent 30 to 45 minutes identifying opportunities based on internal and external feedback that they had received. The event allowed employees from multiple disciplines to collaborate and share ideas on how Roeslein can improve products and processes.
This lean tagging event is just one of Roeslein’s many efforts to take a structured approach toward product development. The event allowed the Products team to capture feedback from the people who build the products and have years of experience with this equipment. They listened to their ideas on improving design for manufacturability and streamlining Roeslein’s products. The design and field teams, who spend their time with the customer during installation and start-up, all collaborated to agree on priorities.
This event was one of many that the company’s newly chartered Products group will hold to focus on continually improving Roeslein’s current featured products. Roeslein has many leading production and support equipment products, such as the Ultra-Violet Bottom Coater, Coolant Filtration System, and Decorator Cooling System. For more information or to contact the Products group, email [email protected].