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MCA Case Study #082808
ToolingDocs
was recently called in to provide a Maintenance Capability Assessment
(MCA) for a proprietary molder. Below is an overview of the company along
with:
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Specific
objectives expressed to ToolingDocs prior to the MCA
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Final
observations, recommendations and conclusion
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Final MCA
Score in the 7 Key Performance Indicators and Best Practice Shop Level
Designation
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MPP (Mold
Pull Pace) Cost Savings Chart
Company Overview
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Company:
A midwestern proprietary
molder
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Product Type:
Blow
molded liquid containers
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Production Environment:
Very old
plant, fragmented operations located in adjacent buildings
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Press
Metrics:
45 total
from 55 to 440 ton with an avg. age 10 -15 years old.
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Mold
Metrics:
300
active, mostly 4 to 8 cavities, 80% hot drops weighing about 5,000 lbs
or less. Many molds 20 to 30 years old
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Average Daily Cavity Count:
260
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Average Daily Cavity Efficiency:
Estimated (unable to verify) to be 85 to 90%
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Presses:
55 total
from 125 to 750 ton, avg. age 8-10 yrs.
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Resins Run:
PE, PP
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MPP
(Mold Pull Pace):
5 – 7
per day – no tooling or commodity change-overs
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Shop
Metrics:
6
full-time repair technicians (2 toolmakers, 4 repair techs) working day
shift
1,500 sq ft. shop has an “L” shaped layout about 25’ x 45’ on the long
leg where 5 mismatched benches reside along with a mold rack at the end
of the shop. The short leg is 15’ x 25’ and is used to store more metal
working equipment.
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Documentation System:
Typical
plant ERP with standard work order maintenance module (single text field
for entering work required and another text field to document work
performed). Other in-house designed systems (manual worksheets)
collecting various mold data that is fractured and basically unusable.
Administrative Objectives
Company
Objectives:
To find out how can we reduce unscheduled breakdowns, be more pro-active
and get new employees
trained more efficiently. The company is concerned about several older
employees retiring soon and taking valuable knowledge with them.
Shop
Supervisor Objectives:
Supervisor wants to know “just how bad we are” compared with the rest of
the industry in terms of
mold maintenance bench practices and machine tools equipment. He is
considering requesting a major
shop overhaul.
MCA Observation Summary
Shop
Metrics:
A good
sized shop chocked full of old, dilapidated equipment and 30 years worth
of obsolete product tooling. Five poorly constructed steel mold benches setting
randomly about the shop were hand made by different mechanics and it
shows. Shop is filthy with much clutter and old tooling lay everywhere.
Excess machinery (mills, surface grinders, etc.) is taking up valuable
space and not being utilized since major repairs are sent out.
No salvage
tooling practices and did I mention housekeeping? Repair shop
skill level adequate for these types (non-complex) of molds and experience
(years at the bench) were excellent. Shop headcount more than adequate to
handle Mold Pull Pace (MPP) duties. Some molds scheduled for 1,500-hour
PM – not adhered to.
Documentation Metrics Overview:
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Data
Collection Methods and System:
Active
work orders staged on a table in the shop. When repair techs were ready
for a mold they chose one from the stack. No flash measurements are
being taken or recorded by Q/A. Good part/bad part decisions completely
subjective.
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Data
Utilization Practices:
Minimum utilization by supervisor or repair technicians. Work orders
filled out by hand and stored in a file cabinet. No standardized
reporting, defect targeting, mold performance or maintenance analysis
conducted. Mold cycle counters on mold but not utilized.
MCA Conclusions and
Recommendations Summary
This old
facility has seen better days. It is apparent through
the observance of many “home-made” devices, outdated and broken equipment
and layers of grease and grime that the term “lean” has taken on a new
meaning.
Working in
this type environment can, over time, foster a culture where important
functions are completed “half-way” or “just good enough” and where pride
in one’s craft mirrors the lack of order and cleanliness level of the
facility.
Years of
“lean” practices have filled this shop and other departments with outdated
and broken equipment
and layers of grease and grime. Unfortunately, mold maintenance efforts
suffer greatly with unscheduled downtime being a major factor in excessive
tooling and labor hours. They seem to be just waiting to go
to China.
Shop
efficiency, workflow and morale would improve greatly with a weekend or
two being spent to clean up and organize. Also needed is a new
documentation system to make data entry easier and collect more usable
information from the molding and shop floor. Looking at the MPP
spreadsheet designed for this company reveals that $128,000.00 per year
can be saved by simply eliminating 1 or 2 breakdowns per day.
Many of
the above noted breakdowns concern molds returning to the shop for missing
tooling, water leaks bad heaters etc… A Final Check procedure is needed
here to verify a mold has been repaired and assembled correctly and is
indeed “production ready”.
Final Scores
and Shop Designation Level
MPP Cost Savings Spreadsheet
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