Working with Wood

After undertaking the renowned ukfirst Productivity Workshop, Arden Windows have achieved substantial gains in revenue. By analysing the flow and layout of the four manufacturing product lines, the team achieved an output increase of £192,000 per year.

Objectives
- To increase productivity and efficiency
- To reduce part travel distance
- To reduce W.I.P between processes
- To identify and eradicate 'bottlenecks'
- To increase ownership of involvement activities at supervisor level

Approach
Working alongside the supervisor and key skill workers from across the business at Arden Windows, ukfirst put together an improvement team to tackle these objectives. Using proven tools and techniques, the following improvement activities took place:

• Process mapping the manufacturing process using captured data for all machinery including cycle times, batch sizes, downtime and inventory between processes.
• Identification and resolution of a 'Bottleneck' at the sash and frame area.
• A cross functional team determined the current part travel distance of four product lines. 

Results
By using a 'string diagram' the team then calculated the optimum position of the machines to achieve the minimum 'part travel' distance. The team found an average reduction of 46%. The improvement team also utilised CAD to check and finalise the layout. They had a structured relocation programme to minimise the disruption during the move.

 Engineer Feedback
"By allowing the shop floor team to take a step back from their usual roles and concentrate on improving flow in the mill using a structured approach they have achieved significant impact in productivity and efficiency."
Bruce Lovell
ukfirst Master Engineer