SMMT : Industry Forum Master Class Case Study : AB Automotive Electronics Ltd


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The Company
With three major sites in the Cardiff area, AB Automotive Electronics Ltd employs 360 people. Its Gellihirion site manufactures printed circuit boards, and these are assembled into control modules for vehicle systems at Forest Farm. The components are mostly used in air-conditioning units and body electrical systems by the motor industry..

The Issue

'With new production lines planned at Gellihirion, we were keen to implement Continuous Improvement to create more effective and efficient work processes,' explained AB's David Oates. 'We requested an Industry Forum MasterClass so that we could learn these techniques through practical exercises.'

The initial analysis by the MasterClass found two problems worth investigating:

	quality failures caused by components missing from certain circuit boards
	lost production caused by excessive changeover times between different part numbers

The Solution
The quality team ran a problem-solving exercise to understand the root cause of missing components. 'Their systematic approach proved the source to be a badly-fitting fixture at one critical stage of the process,'David Oates reported. The team altered the fixture slightly and introduced a simple checking system to prevent recurrence.'
To back this up, a system was devised for fast-track reporting of any quality issues direct from each inspection point. This meant increased chances of stopping a quality problem at source.

The team investigating lost production closely examined the changeover process when the production line was set up for a new run; each operation was analysed in detail. This study enabled the team to create a set of adjustments aimed at making the process quicker and more efficient. This included improving the overall organisation of the production line. Additionally, essential equipment was relocated to reduce time lost looking for tools.

'The team's analysis also found that changeovers were often delayed by faults with the mechanical feeders used to supply parts to the production line,' added David Oates. 'They solved this by improving the checking system for each feeder prior to each production run.'

Benefits
The quality exercise immediately reduced the failures caused by component loss to zero. The other team reduced changeover time by 50%, cutting total lost production time by 10%.

'Because these exercises were well-chosen in the first place they've made a significant impact in other parts of the company. Small things can make a big difference - now we know how to look out for these.'


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