Stationary assembly was yesterday. Since mid-January 2019, the final assembly of Agathon grinding machines is clocked and runs smoothly.
In mid-January 2019, after a changeover which lasted only a few weeks, Agathon replaced the previous stationary assembly with clocked flow assembly. The corresponding conversion work was mainly performed in parallel with the ongoing work. In a figurative sense, they made an extremely ambitious operation on the open heart. The final assembly was only interrupted in the first two weeks of January.
«The flow assembly was scheduled to start on January 14. And that was the day it started», says a satisfied Marcel Trüssel, Head of Assembly at Agathon in Bellach. The heart of the Agathon flow assembly is the central unit for the energy and coolant supply, which was designed in the company and implemented together with external project partners. «There is no off-the-shelf solution for such a unit», explains Agathon Lean Manager Boban Djordjevic. The individual flow assembly cycles are located around this unit and all machines under construction can be connected to the power supply and via a quick-connect coupling to the coolant supply.
«With the introduction of the flow assembly, we can assemble twice as many machines on the same available space than before», Marcel Trüssel explaining the reasons for the changeover. After all, space at Agathon is a limited commodity, as is the case in most companies. In addition, customers rightly expect machines to be delivered within a reasonable period of time, even and especially during periods of strong economic activity. The introduction of flow manufacturing is part of a package of Lean Manufacturing measures that have been and are being implemented in the assembly areas. In this context, not only the final assembly but also the pre-assembly has been reorganized; since then, the individual assembly groups have also been manufactured at the rhythm of the final assembly cycle and then immediately processed further in the final assembly department. To ensure that this rhythm is maintained, additional places were created in the pre-assembly area. However, no additional space was required for this, because the individual workstations are now even more ergonomic and target-oriented, and less material has to be stored there than previously.
The introduction of Lean Manufacturing benefits not only the company, but also its employees, who now work at state-of-the-art workplaces. The work has also become even more varied. «I attach great importance to the fact, that my people are in a position to master a wide range of work with highest quality as possible», explains Marcel Trüssel. A flow assembly that does not flow is not a flow assembly. This means that if an employee is absent due to an event or holidays, another employee has to step into the gap in order to keep the flow. Employees would therefore also rotate between pre-assembly and final assembly.
However, the greatest benefit is for the customer. On the one hand, the acceptance of the machine on site in Bellach is more convenient for him today because a new, separate and modernly equipped area has been created for this outside the final assembly. Much more important, however, is that Agathon grinding machines can be delivered even faster. Finally, there are many applications where the customer does not want to do without the quality standards and versatility of an Agathon machine. This has been the case ever since a competitor left the market in 2017. The corresponding customers can therefore always count on receiving an Agathon machine when they need it.
Agathon is supported in the introduction of Lean Manufacturing by Illing GmbH, in particular by Holger Illing himself and his freelancer Patrik Kamber. Illing GmbH offers services and training in the areas of Lean Management and Shop Floor Management. Illing GmbH is one of the leading Swiss consulting companies in these areas and has successfully supported and implemented around 300 such projects for customers in a wide variety of industries. The team around the graduate engineer and graduate economist Holger Illing works methodically according to Lean principles, but mainly problem-oriented. «There is no single drawer solution», explains Holger Illing.
Patrik Kamber is Senior Expert in Shop Floor Management and, in addition to his involvement with Illing GmbH, also handles his own mandates.
