Project Examples: Advanced Manufacturing Services  
       

For ISG Lackawanna Inc. (formerly Bethlehem Steel’s Galvanized Products Division), our team documented and mapped existing processes and evaluated virtually every facet of production for material handling bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement. The movement of steel coils was carefully traced and actual material miles calculated. Material handling practices were evaluated for their effect on coil damage and scrapped material, on overhead crane operation, on storage constraints and under-utilized space, on manpower assignments, on shipping/receiving operations, and on overall throughput at the plant. Our report featured a range of layout optimization alternatives that could reduce overall material movement by up to 7 million part miles annually.

Markar Architectural Products looked to TCIE to support consolidation of three manufacturing divisions (door, hinges, and door components) at one site. Under the direction of Industrial Engineering Department faculty, the project team used Systematic Layout Planning Procedures to generate three block layout alternatives for production facilities. Work included plan capacity analysis and planning, flow analysis, review of production/logistics efficiencies, and development of from-to matrices to measure and optimize material movement.

 
Work for Niacet, a metal acid salts producer, included a full range of services for ISO 9000 implementation: management awareness training, internal auditor training, documentation coordination for all five quality elements, and support for final registrar approval processes.
 
For Graham Corporation, a manufacturer of vacuum and heat transfer equipment, we teamed with UB’s Global Enterprise Management Center to deliver a manufacturing operations assessment. The study evaluated production flow, scheduling accuracy, and overall operational efficiency with a focus on cost and cycle time reduction.
 
For 16 key suppliers to Delphi Thermal, we developed an 18-month program to deliver lean manufacturing training and implementation support. Our team also administered a $412,000 grant from Empire State Development that funded the training in full. Participating companies received general lean enterprise training, assistance in process mapping and self-audits, and company-specific kaizen events to realize actual productivity improvements and instill lean approaches and philosophies.
 
The Center for Industrial Effectiveness received a NAMTAC 2001 Project of the Year Award in recognition of support for extensive process improvements for Quebecor World Buffalo’s printing operations. Services included introduction of lean manufacturing principles in the bindery operation, development of custom production scheduling software, and troubleshooting for book adhesives performance.
 
For the area’s top food producer, Rich Products, TCIE assisted in the development of a comprehensive Quality Management System. The TCIE team developed a policy manual for documenting hundreds of operational procedures in a standardized and controlled format. Work also included extensive revisions of existing work instructions to conform to the new format, and a coordinated process of reviews and revisions in cooperation with designated subject experts within the company.
 
   
The Center for Industrial Effectiveness · 1576 Sweet Home Road · Amherst · New York · 14228
· Suite 212 · Phone: 716-636-2568 · Fax: 716-636-5921 · www.tcie.buffalo.edu
 
   

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