The Felters Group - Roebuck, South Carolina
Lean Manufacturing
THE OVERVIEW
In operation since 1890, The Felters Group of Roebuck, SC, manufactures custom felt parts for industrial applications in multiple markets. Fabrication and sewing operations are located in the Roebuck plant. The company has a second facility in Gaffney, SC, which is the hub of the felt rollgoods manufacturing operation. The two facilities employ about 200 workers. The Felters Group's 700+ customers range from the automotive to home appliances to orthopedics industries. The company manufactures 2,300 different products, plus customized felt goods upon request by its customers.
THE CHALLENGE
Roger Fehrman, president & CEO, became interested in lean manufacturing and believed that his facilities could employ lean techniques to reduce both the manufacturing time of felt products and waste in the production process. Fehrman was aware of the South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (SCMEP) through his work in the community and called on SCMEP manufacturing specialist Larry Jolly and consulting firm Premier Source Lean Manufacturing Group to help.
The Felters Group needed to learn and understand the basics of lean manufacturing, in order to determine if those techniques would work in its facilities. Of particular interest was how lean techniques could be applied to the company's sewing areas and the fabrication (die cutting) department in order to improve product delivery times to customers and reduce non-value adding costs.
THE SOLUTION
As a starting point, SCMEP conducted a one-day Lean Manufacturing 101 workshop for employees of both the Roebuck and Gaffney plants. From instruction and simulation exercises, employees learned how to study current manufacturing processes in order to further reduce costs and cycle times. As a result, the SCMEP developed a road map of where The Felters Group needed to go in order to accomplish its goals. Three key areas were identified in the road map as needing work: Sewing Cell #1, Sewing Cell #2, and Fabrication.
In Sewing Cell #1, a team of employees and consultants studied sewing assemblies for felt parts used as air seals and bearings in clothes dryers. Using 5s techniques of lean manufacturing, the team reworked how the cell operated over a period of seven days, organizing and cleaning up this area of the plant. The goal was to increase space and productivity, and decrease processing time. The process was repeated in Sewing Cell #2, which produces a different type of dryer seal. In addition, the team was striving to decrease work-in-process (WIP) in this cell's production system.
In the Fabrication Area, SCMEP performed a Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) event, where the goal was to improve the change-over time of dies. The Fabrication area die-cuts the felt parts that are then sewn into air seals for clothes dryers in Sewing Cells #1 and #2.
During all of these projects, SCMEP and its third party consulting firm actually worked side by side with The Felters Group's employees to transfer their knowledge of lean techniques.
THE IMPACT
The Felters Group realized productivity enhancements, improved production times, and reduced waste in each of the three areas of its facilities.
In Sewing Cell #1, the company experienced:
- A 17% reduction in floor space used
- A 22% improvement in productivity
- A 67% reduction in WIP
- A 39% improvement in product lead time, and
- A 61% reduction in product travel time.
In Sewing Cell #2, there is:
- A 36% reduction in floor space used
- A 20% improvement in productivity
- An 87% reduction in WIP
- A 94% improvement in product lead time, and
- A 30% reduction in product travel time.
In Fabrication, The Felters Group reports:
- A 63% reduction in set-up time.
All impacts are directly attributed to the lean work performed by SCMEP, Premier Source, and the Felters team during late 2001 and 2002.
