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Success Stories
MassMEP Time Wise Principles of Lean Manufacturing Also Help Improve On-Time Delivery
If you’ve driven a Ford lately, drank a bottle of Bud Lite or used self-adhesive postage stamps, you have come into contact with products made by FLEXcon. At its main plant in Spencer, Massachusetts, the 50 year-old company manufactures pressure sensitive films and adhesives for more than 1,000 products.
Determined to make the future of FLEXcon as successful as its past, top executives from the company are always looking for ways to maintain their competitive edge. After attending Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP) Time Wise Principles of Lean Manufacturing simulation training, FLEXcon’s management team decided to implement Lean Manufacturing at the company.
In manufacturing, materials and energy costs can have a dramatic impact on a company’s bottom line and the savings FLEXcon experienced couldn’t have come at a better time, helping to offset business expenses that soared along with rising energy costs.
"The timing of FLEXcon completing our Lean initiatives coincided with skyrocketing energy, raw materials and fuel costs. Had we not implemented Lean Manufacturing when we did, the increasing prices would have hindered our business substantially," said Tom Kubacki, FLEXcon director of coating technology and production control.
Using Time Wise® Value Stream Management System sessions, FLEXcon identified several areas to make upgrades that would improve delivery time. The process helped identify a lack of visual scheduling of production needs that led to bottlenecks and delays.
Several other Lean projects are now underway in other departments at FLEXcon, and the company is planning to implement Lean at its Nebraska plant.
"Lean Manufacturing has been great for FLEXcon because it is often so simplistic that many of your answers were right there in front of you," said Howard Letendre, Director of Finishing Technology at FLEXcon. "The MassMEP helped us identify and implement improvements that have had a positive result on our work and the bottom line of our company."