Most experts believe, a Lean enterprise program will only be effective with an undying willingness for it to succeed from top management, and most failures are caused by top management’s failure to drive a lean culture throughout the organization.  Oh it starts off great.  Management announces we are going to have a lean program, there may be a kick-off celebration, a lean committee is formed, and target areas are identified for lean initiatives.  So why does it sputter.  I say the problem is much more basic than lack of top management support.  It comes down to strategy or a lack of a strategic plan.  Every company is unique, has its unique problems, and a solution for one company may not be the best for another company.  What are the company’s financial objectives?  What are the company’s market objectives?  If the people who do the work in the organization don’t understand what these are, how can they be expected to make informed decisions and engage in lean initiatives that make a difference?

We at L&H are living through an example of this currently.  Our largest supplier developed a strategy that they had to increase capacity in order to meet customer demand, and that was more important than keeping prices low.  The organization has succeeded in reducing its lead times, through expansion, but we have seen unprecedented price increases even in these times with an uncertain economy.  The point is, the organization had a strategy, focused its resources at attaining the goal, achieved that goal, but at the expense of other market considerations.  Time will tell if that was a good strategy.

Where do your strategies come from?  They come from the people who will benefit from your products and services.  Notice I said will benefit.  You have your customers, and it is important to keep them happy, but how can get your competitors customers.  That’s what separates you from the competition.  Is it lead-time, price, quality, exceptional customer service, product features, engineered solutions, on-time delivery, time to market, or some combination?  Decide what you want to accomplish and run with it.

You can’t form these market strategies in a vacuum.  This is where the financial end of the business also must be considered.  What are your financial objectives?  These must be considered when forming your market strategies.  If your goal is to have the lowest price, you better have an exceptional cost reduction program in place.  If engineered solutions is your goal, you better be priced to cover the cost of a large engineering staff. 

Don’t make the strategic plan too complex.  Remember you only have limited resources to make things happen, and if you have too many objectives, the same objectives will be competing for the same resources, and you may not get the results you need.  Make sure objectives are measurable.  Don’t be alarmed if the measurements show poor results.  Remember this is a process improvement program, so the trend is the important thing.  Don’t expect instantaneous results.  Expect steady methodical and long lasting results.  Empower the people to make improvements.  Results will be long lasting if the people doing the job embrace the changes.  The goal is not to just meet business objectives, but to develop leaders as well.

Since the advent of the digital drive, few new technologies are changing the motion control landscape faster than the integrated servo motor and drive. By integrating the servo motor and drive into one package, the overall motion system changes dramatically. Smaller control panels, fewer cables and lower cable management are some of the obvious benefits. But, not all integrated technologies are the same. The leader in this technology with the greatest advantages is Bosch Rexroth IndraDrive Mi.

Bosch Rexroth introduced IndraDrive Mi in late 2005. The Mi product is an extension to their market leading IndraDrive product line. Several integrated motor and drive packages are available from other manufacturers but IndraDrive Mi presents the following advantages over the competition:

• 50% less space than conventional drives
• Minimal additional footprint over standard motor
• Only one cable for both power and communications
• Multiple units can be daisy-chained
• IP65 protection rated
• Highest functionality
• Integrated Motion Logic via IEC61131-3
• Optional holding brake with integrated control
• single - and multi-turn absolute encoder available
• Elimination of wearing parts (e.g. fans, relays, electrolytic capacitors…)

By implementing IndraDrive Mi in motion control applications, the following benefits can be realized:

• Reduced direct cost of …
  • Project Engineering
  • Assembly Wiring
  • Components
• Reduced control cabinet size up to 40%
• Reduced cabling up to 75%
• Reduced cabinet cooling (AC)
• Reduced plant floor space
• Reduced spare parts
• Increased flexibility
• Compact design
• High power density
• Rapid installation
• Simple commissioning
• Simple expansion of axes

Given these advantages, major OEMs and end-users alike are standardizing on IndraDrive Mi regardless of industry. By implementing this technology, machines can become more modular. Expansion of existing systems becomes simpler. Floor space and machine footprints shrink. Cable management becomes a non-issue. Motion control systems truly become “Lean”!

For More Information or to Contact Mel, email us here.

Having sat on the board of SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineers) Chapter 107 for several years now I’ve had time to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks to belonging to a professional society. So you may be saying, “why should I belong to a professional society, there’s nothing in it for me?” I truly believe that anyone in today’s economy striving to stay on top of their game could benefit from being a member in at least one of the many organizations. There are a number of societies out there, but I think these should be evaluated carefully before just jumping into one. It helps if you already have some contacts within the society, but it’s not a must. If you already are in one I’d love to hear about what you guys are doing so we could possibly share some ideas. Right now I’m presently in the process of starting a new student Chapter at the University of Tennessee. One thing that this does for students is it gets them out into manufacturing while still in school and allows them to possibly make contacts that may be valuable after graduation.

As Chairman of our local society it’s part of my responsibilities to set up an event for us each month. Typically we do plant tours and occasionally we’ll have a technical presentation. Here are some of the places we’ve visited and some of the technical presentations we’ve had: Siemens molecular imagining, Carlex Glass, Atlantic Research, Gerdau Ameristeel, Yale locks, Alcoa Aluminum, Smalley Manufacturing, PBR Automotive, The Spallation Neutron Source, TN watercraft, presentations on Iconics, PC based controls, New age plastics, Pros and cons of relocating your businesses in China and many more. As for me personally, it gives me a tremendous opportunity to meet many people in companies that I would never get to meet otherwise. It also gives me the opportunity to see their entire process through their eyes and where they may be experiencing bottle necks or other issues. I’ve also been invited into accounts with SME that I’d had trouble getting into as “just another salesman”.

The items I’ve mentioned above typically only appeal to the Industrial focused individual, but there are other great societies that focus on Business, Marketing, Public Relations, Machining, Logistics and many, many more. With the start of 2009 you may have made a New Years resolution that may include bettering yourself professionally, well this could be just what you need to give yourself a kick start!

Johnny Crowell CFPS

Territory Manager

Chairman SME chapter 107