Reducing window assembly time from 11 days to 38 hours
For a manufacturer near Bochnia, we changed the delivery planning method and the assembly line layout. We eliminated waiting for components.
The company Okna-System Bochnia was drowning in orders, but customers waited nearly two weeks for the finished product. The hall was cluttered with semi-finished goods, and workers ran in circles looking for missing seals.
The challenge
In March 2024, we measured that a window spends an average of 267 hours in production. Of that, someone was actually working on it for only 4 hours. The rest was waiting for a profile, waiting for fittings, or looking for a forklift. A bottleneck at the welding stage blocked the rest of the floor. Additionally, errors in order picking forced reworks in 7.4% of cases, generating losses of 12,430 PLN per month.
Our approach
Our team of 3 consultants spent 11 business days on the floor, observing every move of the workers. We didn't sit in the office. We used simple process mapping to show the owner where money was leaking. We focused on eliminating unnecessary walking – assemblers covered nearly 4 kilometers a day just to bring small parts from a warehouse 45 meters away.
The solution
We remodeled the hall layout, creating production cells instead of a long, broken line. We introduced a Kanban board system so everyone sees what they need to do an hour ahead without asking the manager. The fittings warehouse was moved directly to the assembly stations, and every screw got its labeled place (5S principle). We also implemented a short, 7-minute morning briefing to catch problems before the machines start.
Results
Thanks to the changes, production took off without hiring new people. The company regained financial liquidity because it issues invoices for finished goods faster.
Timeline
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March 2024Stopwatch measurements and audit of 14 workstations
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April 2024Hall rearranging and 5S system implementation
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May 2024Training the crew on new work standards
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June 2024Process stabilization and final performance tests
"I was skeptical about changes on the floor because we've produced this way for years. It turned out that through silly running for seals, we were losing a wagon of money. Now there is peace on the floor, and windows leave for the customer in less than two days."