Hansatech EMS Reduces New Product Introduction (NPI) Cycle Times by 40%

XR Training & Consultancy was selected to deliver a 20-week NVQ level 2 programme for 15 employees from different disciplines at the Poole site. Major benefits are already being seen across all areas of the company, including a 40% reduction in NPI cycle times, a 63% reduction in flow solder defects and an 80% reduction in offsite storage requirements.

Commented Paul Gill, Hansatech EMS’ Managing Director, “A wide ranging review of our current operations suggested that we needed to enhance our overall business performance to gain a competitive edge and we decided that lean production was the way forward. The training programme was our most ambitious to date requiring major time investment for the company. Senior management to middle management supervisory to machine operators, technicians, admin, sales and shop floor personnel are all now empowered to bring about real, quantifiable front- and back-end improvements for customers.”

XR Training & Consultancy proved to be an excellent partner in the initiative. The assigned trainer had extensive background in lean manufacturing within the automotive industry and offered various methods of training. 15 candidates underwent 10 one-day sessions with additional projects and assignments. Modules included effective team working, continuous improvement (Kaizen), flow process analysis, waste reduction and value stream mapping (VSM), plan, do, check, act (PDCA) methodology, Pareto principle, cause and effect diagrams, 5S housekeeping development and visual management systems.

The candidates not only gained the ability to apply these techniques and significantly improve core business processes but the resulting progress in team skills, decision making and individual confidence levels was noticeable. There has been a marked difference in how the company as a whole recognises waste, problems and processes that need attention, in addition to understanding how the resulting improvements are valued in the eyes of the customer.

At the next stage, select Hansatech staff will be taken to NVQ level 3 and Black Belt Six Sigma. This commitment will cement existing customer satisfaction and ensure that Hansatech EMS will be ideally equipped to support future growth.

“It was clear from the outset that Hanastech EMS was totally committed to the programme and to business improvement in general,” commented Neil Anderson, Technical Director, XR Training & Consultancy. “Senior managers provided excellent encouragement, enthusiasm and support throughout which was reflected in the trainees who showed a great willingness to learn and apply the new techniques in the workplace.”

Comments from some of the NVQ level 2 training candidates:

“The Lean Manufacturing course has given me the skills and confidence to make changes to production processes that have yielded some excellent results reducing the overall manufacturing costs of some key products,” said Sam Worth, Senior Supervisor.

“The course opened my eyes to the amount of waste around,” said Mark Taylor, Senior Document Controller.

“The NVQ has improved communication across the company, the introduction of the white board to the morning meeting being a very successful output from the course,” said Steve Deighton, Surface Mount Manager.

“We’ve completed a number of projects over the duration of the course itself with some still continuing, which underlines the ongoing nature of the course and how it has inspired people to identify problems and make improvements,” said Gwayne Llewellyn, Key Account Manager.