Problem:
The demand for orders was forecasted to increase by over 20% within three months. Pre-Production lead times were too long. Many non-value added tasks occurred in the administrative areas before the order went to the floor. The manufacturing order information was not always correct or complete.
Mission:
Map out current customer service process and identify and quickly eliminate sources of non-value added time.
Organize and standardize the work flow utilizing the “best practices”.
Increase customer service capacity by 20% without any additional office area or staffing.
Approach:
Charter a customer service lean team.
Provide lean training.
Create a current state process video.
Map and Measure the Current Value Stream.
Identify the non-value added tasks within the customer service processes.
Redesign the process utilizing the 5S principals.
Lean Techniques Taught and Utilized:
Lean Office
Value Stream mapping
5-S Workplace Organization
Kanban Pull Replenishment System
Office Cell Design
Results Realized:
Increased Capacity > 20%
Increased On Time Delivery to > 95%
Improved Information Quality
Improved Administrative Lead Time
Prevented the need to hire more resources
Prevented the need for more office space