By JP Lambiase, design engineer, Custom Electronics, Inc. (CEI) -- When a person slims down, he gets rid of the unnecessary parts – the love handles, the beer belly, the double chin. Going lean does not mean dropping vital organs, but rather, shedding the excess weight that can negatively affect one’s health and productivity. The process is similar in manufacturing.
Lean manufacturing is a practice that reduces waste without compromising value, and it’s being embraced by companies around the world.
Traditional processes are not always preferable
Traditional manufacturing counts on a great number of people and processes for the completion of singular tasks. This breeds defects, overproduction and obsolescence. However, these obstacles can be easily avoided with the use of lean design implementations and components, which serve to eliminate unnecessary steps. In many manufacturing processes, waste goes unnoticed. Simple issues – including unnecessary shipments, unused equipment and tools, time-consuming assemblies and inconsistencies – can rapidly add up to significant depletion of resources, time and money.
Manufacturers who recognize these issues can alleviate them by implementing lean manufacturing processes. By using lean components from the beginning of the design process, companies will see immediate ROI through financial savings, improved safety, quicker delivery and increased product and process quality. Lean components, therefore, present a huge opportunity for manufacturers seeking to improve their overall businesses.
The benefits of a leaner lifestyle (in manufacturing)
A person dropping unnecessary pounds will see the benefits in the way his clothes fit and the ease with which he walks up a flight of stairs. A manufacturer shedding waste will see the benefits in the bottom line and throughout nearly every department of the business. This includes:
Shorter design process: Companies can save time and money in the design process’ by condensing multiple assembly components into one larger component. Bus bars, which are thick strips of copper or aluminum that conduct electricity within an electrical apparatus, carry large currents or distribute current to multiple devices within switchgear or equipment. These components are particularly good examples of lean elements that can be used for a vast number of electrical applications. Their quality, reproducibility, consistency and relatively simple design make bus bars highly efficient, which has been shown through their reliability in the reduction of human error, the lowering of inductance and the increasing of electrical efficiencies. Bus bars transform a complex mess of cables into one strong, simple assembly, and can fulfill almost any power distribution requirement.
Performance efficiency: In terms of reducing necessary wires, bus bars mitigate installation and set-up times while reducing the risk of human error. Minimizing the handling of materials leads to reduction of unnecessary operations, and since lean components cost and weigh much less than wires and cables, the use of bus bars leads to complete performance efficiency. Additionally, bus bars’ larger surface areas enable them to remain cooler than wires and cables, allowing heat dissipation to be more efficient and safe.
Reduction of human error: Bus bars undergo a variety of manufacturing stages in a single condensed form, rather than in multiple parts. This prevents missing parts and the need for guesswork and accelerates design-verification by requiring fewer steps. In addition to shortening process development through the vendor’s assembly of the block, it eliminates the possibility of incorrectly connecting or wiring the assembly. A simplified installation translates to fewer manufacturers completing fewer steps, therefore lessening the odds of human error.
Simplified procurement and receiving: “Block” products refer to components such as bus bars and integrated electronic assemblies to become one larger assembly in order to simplify and improve fit and functionality. Block design benefits procurement by incorporating multiple vendors together for one assembly, as opposed to a long list. This way, manufacturers are able to order single rather than multiple materials, eliminating the use of multiple part files that can hinder communication. The block design technique also applies to receiving, removing the need to travel to multiple vendors to inspect components individually in a customer source inspection. In the event that follow-up is necessary, it will require significantly less effort than it would if numerous components were in question. Additionally, customers are able to conduct source inspections at one vendor facility rather than traveling to many locations for different answers.
Tighter inventory control: The block approach leads to simplified inventory control, allowing the creation of a single, rather than multiple inventory part numbers. If the block design was separated into its individual components and assembled in-house, more separate components would need to be inventoried to compensate for expected manufacturing loss, usually estimated at 20 percent. Furthermore, the average block assemblies are subjected to pre-tests before delivery and then sealed, therefore not requiring the same careful handling and storage as disconnected, sensitive components.
Lower process engineering: Because prior steps towards the assembly of the block have already been completed by the vendor, the manufacturing of components like bus bar blocks require much less process. Bus bar manufacturing reduces the risk of improper wiring and increases efficiency in the installation process due to its static geometry and definable terminations, which result in the reduced need for manufacturing personnel and process instructions. Engineers can enjoy the reassurance of fit and function due to designers’ lean techniques. Through various inspections in the beginning stages of design, block assemblies guarantee precision and cut many steps in the manufacturing process.
Lean manufacturing: Tastier than diet drinks
The benefits to going lean in manufacturing are extensive, and slimming down wasteful practices is a straightforward matter. Manufacturers eager to cut the fat adopt block design and see the results in improved safety, time-to-market, cost savings and resource allocation. By replacing cables and multiple, unassembled components, manufacturers gain a competitive advantage in every aspect of the industry. And they don’t even have to stomach chalky diet drinks or long hours in the gym to get lean.
JP Lambiase is a design engineer at Custom Electronics, Inc. (CEI). His work entails design and assembly for bus bar components, incorporating lean practices throughout its processes.
