IMEG was hired by a startup Electric Commercial Truck manufacturer to propose and implement a line balance to increase throughput. This customer’s assembly line had 15 stations in a 200,000 ft2 facility.
THE PROBLEM
Stations had an imbalance of process time, hindering production efficiency
Physical constraints, such as fixed equipment and the size of the product limited movement of process steps
Budget constraint of $0 for line alterations and improvements
A tight timetable for implementing necessary improvements
THE PLAN
Observe & study the current assembly process
Collect time data to inform the proposed balance and estimate the outcome
Calculate the ideal takt time based on customer goals
Calculate an efficient operator manning plan
Develop & implement additional process improvement strategies
implementation
THE RESULTS
line balance development & implementation
Delivered a comprehensive plan to line balance with a target improvement of 20%
Successfully implemented a plan, before the due date, with a throughput increase of 35%
Balanced assembly processes across 15 stations, optimizing flow
Developed and executed other process improvement initiatives that reduced total process time
Provided a manning flex plan to allow for reaching customer goal’s without additional manning
Positioned the manufacturer to reach future goals and further increase productivity
