Modern production at HORA: optimized processes through cell ...

COvER STORY PROGRESS
Organizational Structure
“Group work“ is the official terminology for cell manufacturing
in a work organization. Within a defined task area,
a group of employees independently manages the division
of tasks in a particular production process. After all, employees
directly involved in production are in a better position
to evaluate and carry out work steps in their own cells. An
autonomous manufacturing cell can manage itself. And it
functions on the basis of a customer-supplier relationship:
every cell has the status of a supplier that delivers parts to
an internal customer – for example, the cell that carries out
the next step in production. On-time delivery plays an important
role here, too, because at the end of the process,
power plant customers expect the products they ordered
to be shipped on time.
Roland Liedtke joined HORA in 2009 as Director of Manufacturing
right in the middle of the ‘hot phase’ of this
transformation, and the cell concept was implemented
under his leadership. “At the beginning, some of the employees
were naturally resistant to the new approach and
uncertain about it,” says Liedtke. “But we were convinced
that a more structured work method would optimize our
production processes. We actively involved the employees
in the project phases, because their experiences were extremely
important for layout planning and the design of
the work stations.“
PT’s new approach to production also led to a new factory
layout and the HORA order management center, so that
the project would have a framework that enables its success.
The order management center synthesizes the organizational
output of all HORA‘s departments as efficiently as
possible, and controls order planning with view to quality,
cost and time. A daily cross-departmental order management
meeting at 1:00 p.m. makes sure that all the necessary
decisions can be made together on the spot.
The assembly and pressure testing cells have moved to a
new location. “The new hall has a much higher ceiling,“
says Reinhard Kruse who operates the pressure test facility.
“It’s much easier to use the crane to mount large valve
bodies in the test bay.” Moreover, the four test stations
allow tasks to be divided up much more sensibly. The result:
“Pressure testing is now simpler, faster, and physically
less demanding,“ explains Kruse, “and that means we can
generate higher unit numbers.“
In spite of an investment of approximately three million
Euros, Director of Manufacturing Roland Liedtke still isn‘t
quite satisfied; instead, he’s committed himself to ongoing
further developments and improvements with the goal
of increasing productivity. Internal workshops are taking
place in 2011 in order to identify and maximize potential in
the cells. We plan to order submerged arc welding equipment,
for example. With its expertly trained employees,
modern equipment and professional methods, HORA is
able to master the complexities of high-end valve production
and ensure the cost-effective, lean execution of even
the largest projects.
The introduction of the 5S method was an important element in restructuring
production. The principle “order and cleanliness” is based on the Japanese
production philosophy: seiri (sort), seiton (place in an orderly fashion),
seiso (clean), seiketsu (standardize) and shitsuke (practice self-discipline).
The result is visible everywhere in the production areas. Manfred Krypczyk
opens a drawer at his work station. The blue background space indicates
that a tool is not at its place.
Upcoming projects revolve around efficiency
Efficiency is a major topic for the production
team at HORA. Harald Wick,
Director Operations, explains: “Efficiency
is all about doing things right.
We are always looking for ways to
optimize time and efforts used for the
intended task or purpose.“ The production
team is currently working on
a few projects to improve efficiency:
1. Advance actuator assembly to save
time
2. Design for optimized production to
lower manufacturing costs
3. “Cell-hopping“: better allocation
of the components to the cells
4. Work queue per cell: hedging the
3-day horizon
During the first quarter of 2011, students
from a local college in Bielefeld
spent eight weeks at HORA working
on their technical theses. They improved
the planning and control of the
annealing process after welding in
order to achieve greater process efficiency.
Harald Wick looks into ways
to continue this transfer process with
universities over the course of the
year. An additional project is to increase
the machine availability. Total
productive maintenance (TPM) is a standardized method
to increase machine availability and to reduce unplanned
idleness during production processes to a minimum.
A new device called “EnergySave” now shifts four Gildemeister
lathes automatically into power-saving mode during
unproductive hours. The yearly energy savings from
EDITORIAL
Matthias Dirbach and Harald Wick
Dear Partners and Customers,
Last November we met with many
of you at the HORA Sales Meeting in
Schloss Holte. Your feedback was very
positive. We were impressed by the
in-depth technical conversations and
The portable 3D measuring arm is an example for investments in greater reliability enabling great
measuring accuracy and improved quality. Tobias Ottensmeier, industrial engineer in PT Production,
with the new measuring machine, which has a range of 2.5 meters. The portable 3D measuring arm
enables a high degree of accuracy in the manufacturing process, even in spots that are difficult to
reach.
the ideas and experiences you shared.
It makes such a difference when we
“come together to grow together” –
that was our slogan for the event and
it proved to be true!
HORA Power Technology needs your
input to continue to develop reliable
and innovative high-end products.
Our goal is to improve our processes
to better serve your needs. Exciting
things happen at HORA: here you’ll
read more about our improved production,
our new logo and web site,
and new products.
We’ve had an exceptional year in
2010 and are going strong in 2011 as
this step amount to around 45,000 kWh. A new clamp used
with the EX-CELL-O machining centre helps reduce machining
costs for angle valve bodies by around 50%. “There
is a special aspect of this project,” stressed Wick. “Our
trainees from the engineering and manufacturing departments
were involved in its implementation. Improving efficiency
is a cross-departmental effort.”
well. We are proud to present to you
the second edition of our newsletter
HORApower. Don’t hesitate to contact
us with any feedback or questions
you may have! We look forward
to continue our partnership.
2 3
Best regards,
Matthias Dirbach
Director Sales
Power Technology
Harald Wick
Director Operations
Power Technology