Case Study 160 - Industrial Engineering ONLINE Course.
Industrial Engineering Case Studies Collection
September 2021
A Presentation on the company - JR Machine Inc.
https://www.slideshare.net/JakeSleger/why-choose-jr-machine-for-your-machined-part-needs
To best serve customers, JR Machine Inc. implemented work cells in its machine shop as part of a lean manufacturing initiative.
JR Machine was founded in 1992 with a focus on producing bushings and pins. Now it makes parts that for a host of industries, including heavy machinery, hydraulics, energy, medical, defense and fire suppression. , are not necessarily complex from a geometric standpoint but rather from a supply chain standpoint. JR Machine provides complete supply chain services, such as post-machining services and procuring all types of workpiece materials, including cast and forged ones needed to produce parts. During the pandemic, TumanicJR Machine earned an AS9100D certification for the aerospace industry. The manufacturer now machines a sizable amount of high-temperature superalloys.
JR Machine machines parts from 25.4 mm to 254 mm (1" to 10") in diameter and up to 711.2 mm (28") long and these can be machined by a certain size of machine tool. DMG Mori NL 2500 platform is their choice machine tool.
It has 12 work cells.
When they make machine tool purchases, they buy cell of two machines. Typically, each cell has two machines with live tooling, which gives less lead time. They machines are multitaskers and all operations are completed in one cell. In addition to machining, the cells are configured to add further value to parts. Options include marking, cleaning, packaging, labeling and assembly. The cells have a computer station to enable workers to have everything they need to operate each cell. They can download programs from the server, print labels with all the required information, refer to the employee handbook and even request time off. “They can do everything right from the cell and the movement of the operators is very limited,
The shop continually tries to reduce setup times. The necessary cutting tools for a job are always available and nearby. Badger Mill Supply Corp. in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, manages its tooling inventory system. In addition, JR Machine purchased custom shop benches and cabinets, which are identical from cell to cell. Each drawer contains specific tools needed to operate a cell, and each arrangement is universal throughout all cells to minimize the time needed to locate tools. Searching for an item is the biggest time waste in many shops that increases setup time.
The shop replaced two NLX 2500 turning centers with two NZX 2000 turning centers when the older machines with one spindle and one turret hit their replacement age. The replacements have dual spindles, three separate turret stations with live tooling and a gantry loader, and the machines turn parts up to 320.04 mm (12.6") in diameter and up to 810.26 mm (31.9") long.
The third turret helps balancing the processing times. For example, if one spindle produces the needed features on a part in three minutes but the other spindle takes five minutes to perform machining, the third turret is used to reduce the time on the spindle with the longer cycle.
JR Machine employs 35 people to handle two shifts Monday through Friday.
Employees are rewarded financially on a quarterly basis for continuous improvements made over the baseline. Improvements might come from reducing tooling supplies or cycle times, as well as other variable expenses.
Cellular machining starts with identifying the part mix that best lends itself to such an arrangement. JR Machine developed a part matrix in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to characterize part features and the opportunities for increasing productivity with work cells. You have to decide the parts you can put through a work cell. The company executive says, there is no finish line when it comes to cellular machining. They are refining it, making it better, making it better, making it better,” “It’s a continuous improvement journey. It never stops.”
You can see more about JR Machine in www.jrmachine.com.
Another long article on productivity index calculated by JR Machine
https://www.mmsonline.com/articles/why-tie-payroll-hours-to-machine-tool-hours
https://www.greatergbc.org/media/3807/2-28-19-wi-manufacturer-of-the-year-awarded-to-jr-machine.pdf
https://www.ctemag.com/news/articles/work-cells-made-serve
https://www.linkedin.com/company/j&r-machine-inc/
I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.
ReplyDeleteLeading automotive fastener manufacturer in Nashik