Factory Building Symposium on Lean Production January 29

Factory Building Symposium on Lean Production January 29, 2007 Austin, Texas

Leveraging Lean Chelsea Modular Homes Marlboro, NY Kenneth Hutchings, Lean/Safety Manager

Chelsea Modular Homes Started: Location: Home type: Price point: 1986 Marlboro, NY Modular Mid to high-end Design: Production: Extensive customization 3 to 4 floors/day Market area: Northeast US

Spackling: Problem Value stream mapping identified in framing Initial RPIs met with limited sustainable successes Targeted spackling Poor quality at inspection

Spackling: Causes Lack of cross-departmental coordination and cooperation Teams not taking responsibility for work quality Pervasive “not my job” attitude Process and product issues not addressed

RPI process > > Form RPI team Meet half days for a week Divided time between plant conference room Conclude with presentation to management Team members take responsibility > > Kenneth Hutchings, lean manager (leader) Santos Laboy, touch-up crew Miguel Lora, sidewalls Randy Mc. Gee, mid-line supervisor Bryon Sharoh, yard supervisor Dennis Veseley, spackling group leader

Changes Process changes Equipment improvements New work rules Standardize work Organizational changes Product changes Lean principles: The “ 5 why’s, ” stop and fix, standardized work

Results Defects/rework cut by 85% Fewer touch-up workers needed QC spends less time on drywall Results visible to entire plant

Highlights No-cost changes Workers understand production as a system Improved morale Lean is forcing Chelsea to confront critical issues Lean providing a forum for management to converse with workers Lean tapping into worker commitment to the company

Going forward Regular major RPI events Frequent smaller 5 S events

Lean Symposium

Factory Building Symposium on Lean Production Manufactured Housing Research Alliance Jordan Dentz (212) 496 -0900 x 13 jdentz@research-alliance. org www. mhrahome. org