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The Company
South Wales Forgemasters operates a wide range of press forging, ring rolling and incremental forging plant.

The company has produced quality forgings in carbon, alloy and stainless steel from 0.2kg to 15kg for all branches of industry for over 50 years. Today it specialises in the manufacture of transmission forgings for the automotive and agricultural industries.

  The Issue
 


A forward-looking company, it has had the opportunity to study Japanese methods at first hand through DTI and CBF sponsored benchmarking missions.

'With customer demands increasing,' said Roger Meacham, Managing Director, 'we needed to increase capacity without extra shifts or equipment.'

So the company requested an Industry Forum MasterClass, whose aim was to maximise the existing capacity by minimising downtime and making operators jobs easier.

The Solution
The team assembled in the MasterClass concentrated on a 2000 tonne press, where productivity improvements were likely to affect a range of products and have a major impact on meeting customer demands.

The press was not productive for a significant proportion of its time, and the team was able to analyse its usage. This showed that the Press tool changeover accounted for the majority of unproductive time. So the team took and analysed videos of a tool changeover. Using a structured approach, the team broke down the changeover into different elements.

'They spotted many simple tasks that could either be eliminated or prepared in advance,' Roger Meacham noted. 'These opportunities were listed and prioritised and the team set about implementing solutions.'

Hand tools were organised to reduce time spent looking for the correct tool. The delivery method of the press tools was changed to make it safer and easier for the operators. Air tools and visual controls of heater settings were introduced to reduce physical force and the possibility of readjustments. Each of these solutions was tested for suitability.

On each trial the team was able to identify further opportunities. 'Now that we have separated the necessary from the unnecessary it is easier and quicker to find and do things,' said Roger Meacham. ' I didn't realise how much waste was hidden in the process.'

 
Benefits
The MasterClass reduced changeover time for a press by 60%. The employees' jobs have been made easier as part of the process, and the task is now visibly safer.

'Now we - and in particular our operators - have had first-hand experience of continuous improvement, we are well-positioned to implement techniques we have admired in Japanese companies.'
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