Action Industries Reduces Set Up Time and Costs with 5S
Action Industries manufactures precision aluminum, plastic and ferrous metal parts primarily for the semiconductor and aerospace markets. Founded in 1981 by W.T. Bathurst Sr. in Denver, this family-operated small business is now led by his son, Bill Bathurst. Action Industries’ 18 employees dedicate themselves to the company mission of excellent customer service and thorough responsiveness.
Action Industries found that although they were able to meet customer high-volume demands on time, they spent valuable time looking for tools and materials to complete their custom jobs. They needed help in organizing their workplace. Bill Bathurst, President of Action Industries, turned to his network of local manufacturers to find the best manufacturing resources for continuous improvement, and three colleagues referred him to Sumer Sorensen-Bain, CAMT Regional Director in the Denver Metro Area.
CAMT took Action Industries through a 5S project of its tool crib. The 5S philosophy focuses on simplifying the work environment, reducing waste, and improving quality and safety through the implementation of five steps: sorting, setting in order, shining, standardizing, and sustaining improvements.
The CAMT instructor started with a simple exercise of asking the Tool Crib Manager to find two random tools known to be in the tool crib. It took the employee 20 minutes to find the tools. After the training and application of the 5S system to the tool crib, it took the Tool Crib Manager less than one minute to find the randomly-specified tools. What occurred in between was a revamp of tool sorting and reorganization, including disposing of unnecessary tools, labeling unidentified tools and their home when not in use, and placing them in easily accessible locations. This overall process took two full days to complete.
With 5S, Action Industries made an immediate change that profoundly affected their productivity. With visual labels to ensure every tool had a place, as well as audit sheets to regularly monitor the system, Action Industries has been able to sustain 5S for the long term.
"The implementation of a 5S project through CAMT profoundly enhanced the organization of our tool crib which, in turn, significantly reduced our setup time and job costs." -- Bill Bathurst, Jr., President.
Results:
- Cost Savings: $5,250
- Retained Sales: $10,000
- Investment Impact: $19,750
- Jobs Retained or Created: 2