A+ Transitions

BackgroundA Transition is the process to clean and prepare the equipment for the next material in the product wheel. The A+ transition is the transition that is the most intensive and requires the greatest amount of cleaning and preparation. To optimize this I pulled together a Kaizen team.

ProblemA+ transitions are not optimized from the last powder off the dryer belt to the next good powder. Data from 2012 indicates the total down time due to A+ transition average 25.2 hrs.

Define Current StateI collected data to present to the team with regard to the current state, brought the team together and obtained buy in of current state. Used both Gant and swim lane charts to present states to the team

Target State

–Reduce average turnaround time by six hours per transition– Increase dryer uptime by six additional days per year (6 hrs X 50

transitions per year/ 2 dryers) equivalent to a 2% increase in capacity release per dryer

Engaged the team to define the following target state of 19 hours per transition instead of 25.2 hours per transition.

Solutions• Revised the procedures to more efficiently perform the tasks• Provide visual metrix of performance to operations• Improved tooling and ergonomics• Consolidated locations of lockout points.• Provided interlock bypass to allow for safe, but more efficient

cleaning of the system.

ResultsThe average time for an A+ transition dropped from 25.2 hours in 2012 to 19.2 hours in 2013 and 2014.