Part of Electromet’s 2014 Continuous Process Improvement Plan called for the addition of several Process Improvement technologies that will serve to eliminate waste in the value stream and that will provide more value to our customers.
These improvements include:
CO2 Laser Engraver – added to eliminate the need for the special technical skills required to setup and maintain the old mechanical equipment previously used in the making of air brush parts marking stencils. The new laser is used to create stencils, engrave directly on parts, and engrave plastics for ink fill marking. The laser can be used for many tasks and it requires only minimal maintenance and virtually no setup. There are no tools or aluminum stencil stock to purchase or maintain. Stencils are made of card stock and once used are discarded eliminating the need to manage, store and retrieve stencils. Basically, the idea is to make them (in seconds), use them, then discard them and remake again on demand as required. This change has produced significant improvements in speed, quality and cost.
Silk Screen Making – In-house capability added for all silk screens used to mark products to customer requirements. The result of this improvement project has been the reduction in turnaround time required for a silk screen from days (outsourced) to hours. The cost to reclaim a screen versus the cost to purchase new is 10-fold less.
Timesaver Grainer – New machine added to replace obsolete model. This new machine has reduced maintenance downtime and increased speed and efficiency (single pass while doing a superior job of graining & deburring sheet metal). Overall, the Timesaver Grainer has significantly improved flow throughout the shop and has reduced variation in product quality.