Door kitting process reduces line-side stock, creates space and increases productivity

13th July 2012

The overall requirement began as a concept which would see the customer create line-side space in a manufacturing area within its plant by dramatically reducing line-side stock levels and the area where a major kitting operation was carried out.

As with any large scale Automotive manufacturing process, line-side manufacturing space and the activity which is carried out by both production and logistics operatives within it, is an element which is always under scrutiny for efficiency and improvement. The amount of space that is made available in a particular process area can have a significant effect on the productivity of manufacturing operatives and the subsequent overall performance of the plant.

The initial stages in the project involved the customer sharing the change requirement as a concept with the Rudolph and Hellmann Automotive project team. At a high level the concept involved a major manufacturing process being changed within the plant. Previously the process involved a number of door components being delivered to a particular area within the main manufacturing facility and then assembled and fitted to a vehicle as individual parts.

Rudolph and Hellmann Automotive proposed a kitting process which would see their operatives ‘kitting’ the door parts and delivering the completed kit to the relevant fit-point within the manufacturing facility.

Once the calculations on the benefits of the revised process had been finalised the next stage was to design and implement the new process along with the entire supporting logistics process. The responsibility of designing, trialling and implementing the logistics element was given to the Rudolph and Hellmann Automotive project team.

The team were given a 4 week period to complete the entire task which had to be completed to a satisfactory standard without disrupting the manufacturing process. Within this period the team mapped out the revised logistics processes and also identified the relevant logistics area situated outside of the manufacturing area within the plant to carry out the new kitting process. Once this had been agreed, a number of simulations were carried out to ensure that the revised logistics processes were robust enough to deliver the required level of service. Where applicable changes were made and re-assessed until the desired outcome was achieved.

Following this the project team were tasked to recruit and train the workforce that would execute the new kitting process. In total, Rudolph and Hellmann Automotive introduced 8 new members of staff per working shift to carry out the new process in-line with the customer's expectations.

As planned, the transition between processes was seamless with no production losses being attributable to the change. Another key success was that the entire project was delivered within short timescales stipulated and required by the customer. As an overall benefit the customer saw an increase in line-side operating space due to reduced track-side stock-holding, as well as resource and staffing synergies in the assembly area.

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