Left  to  Right:  Kalon,  Jennifer,  Detlef,  Julia,  Isbrand,  Harald  

BCIT   Industry  Project:  Assembly  Throughput  Optimization    Date:  Fall  2015    Students:  Julia  Malischewski,  Jennifer  Woodfine    Sponsor:  Isbrand  Funk,  CEO    Company:  Euroline  Windows  Inc.    

   Euroline  Windows  Inc.  embraces  advanced  European  window  technology  as  an  innovative  designer  and  manufacturer  of  distinctive  windows  and  doors.  They  are  the  largest  manufacturer  of  uPVC  tilt  &  turn  windows  and  doors  in  North  America.  

The  purpose  of  the  project  was  to  achieve  maximum  throughput  in  the  assembly  area  that  would  result  in  improved  productivity  and  production  flow.  

The  project  team  conducted  staff  interviews,  motion  time  studies,  and  employee  task  sampling  to  uncover  and  verify  the  root  causes  that  were  preventing  maximum  throughput.  The  study  determined  six  unproductive  tasks  that  if  removed,  could  improve  worker  productivity  to  96%.  The  following  recommendations  were  then  made  to  help  significantly  reduce  or  eliminate  the  tasks.    

 

"The  students  were  very  thorough  and  diligent  in  their  investigation  and  very  soon  identified  problems  and  issues  that  existed.  It  was  amazing  to  see  the  depth  of  understanding  the  students  displayed  with  regards  to  the  existing  issues  and  problems  in  the  area.”    -­‐  Isbrand  Funk,  CEO  

Recommendations   Benefits  1.   Rearrange  workstations  to  promote  

proposed  task  distribution  changes.  Reduce  frame  cycle  time  by  53.73%.  

2.   Update  standard  operating  procedures  and  implement  standardized  cross-­‐training.  

Improve  productivity  by  up  to  13%  and  will  reduce  employee  training  time  in  the  future.    

3.   Implement  proposed  break  schedules.   Eliminate  work  stoppage  and  increase  throughput  by  10%  per  station  covered.  

4.   Implement  workstation  preparation.   Eliminate  work  stoppages  during  middle  of  day,  therefore  increasing  productivity.  

5.   Implement  barcode  system  in  assembly.   Improve  productivity  by  up  to  15%  and  create  a  user  friendly  environment.  Reduce  paper  and  ink  costs.  

6.   Implement  5S  workplace  organization  techniques.  

Improve  productivity  by  up  to  63%.