Flightcase Warehouse: MTC design on the case for quick returns

The MTC implements Design for Manufacture with Flightcase Warehouse, leading to the cost of the project being recovered within the first two months.

The challenge

The MTC were approached by Flightcase Warehouse to improve the productivity of their company and up-skill their production team to become empowered, high performing and self-managing. Manufacturing throughput was lower than needed and lead times were too long, causing significant lost sales.

MTC's solution

The first step was to identify and agree Flightcase Warehouse’s areas for production improvement. Working closely with the Operations Director and Operations Manager, products to be manufactured were re-classified as Standard, Late Configuration or Special products. Having carried out a Flow Process Map, the current state was established. A data driven approach enabled production to be re-sequenced. Design for Manufacture principles were employed to re-design key Standard parts. Components were re-engineered and sourced, ensuring they were available for build.

The outcome

• The new product based scheduling system has improved team working and empowerment
• Design for Manufacture principles have improved right-first-time build quality, reducing build times and helping to increase throughput by 30 per cent
• Manufacturing is in greater control of their processes and focused on the key driver of throughput
• As a result the lead time through Manufacturing has been reduced by 40 per cent and lost sales have been virtually eliminated

Benefits to the client

• One month after implementation a record number of units shipped was achieved
• Reduced lead time is yielding increased sales for the Standard product
• Within two months, the cost of the project has been recovered with further sustainable benefits to be realised
• With a future state in place, Flightcase Warehouse is now able to consider a new manufacturing layout using the MTC’s Virtual Reality CAVE