NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2011 68 SPECIAL ADVERTORIAL ON A MISSION TO MODERNIZE THE THAI MANUFACTURING SYSTEM You will meet few people who seem as passionate about what they do as Uli Kaiser, EMAG’s Business Development Manager for South East Asia. In fact, he even admits to us that he is somewhat like a missionary; but instead of converting people’s religious beliefs, Uli sees himself as converting them to new and more efficient manufacturing practices. W hen we met Uli, one of the first things he tells us is how he wishes to change the culture of production managers from one where they rigidly stick to the traditional “nagare” process, to one where they start to reach towards a modern “world class” manufacturing method. In the nagare concept, the production process is thought of as a one-piece flow of the workpiece, and is split up into simple steps with simple machines, usually arranged in a U-shape. Many manufacturers will claim that the nagare method has served them well for many years, and that there is no need for any change, but Uli opens our eyes and walks us through the many problems with this traditional approach that are costing manufacturers in terms of productivity, efficiency, and ultimately money. While many managers are aware of the problems with the nagare concept, many do not know how they can change the ways they do things in order to eliminate these problems. He informs us how Thai manufacturers are right now at a crossroads where it is time to make a decision
Transcript
NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2011 68
special advertorial
On a MissiOn tO MOdernize the thai
Manufacturing systeMYou will meet few people who seem as passionate about what they do as Uli Kaiser, EMAG’s Business Development Manager for South East Asia. In fact, he even admits to us that he is somewhat like a missionary; but instead of converting people’s religious beliefs, Uli sees himself as converting them to new and more efficient manufacturing practices.
When we met Uli, one of the first things he tells us is how he wishes to change the culture of production managers
from one where they rigidly stick to the traditional “nagare” process, to one where they start to reach towards a modern “world class” manufacturing method. In the nagare concept, the production process is thought of as a
one-piece flow of the workpiece, and is split up into simple steps with simple machines, usually arranged in a U-shape.
Many manufacturers will claim that the nagare method has served them well for many years, and that there is no need for any change, but Uli opens our eyes and walks us through the many problems with this traditional approach
that are costing manufacturers in terms of productivity, efficiency, and ultimately money. While many managers are aware of the problems with the nagare concept, many do not know how they can change the ways they do things in order to eliminate these problems. He informs us how Thai manufacturers are right now at a crossroads where it is time to make a decision
NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2011 69
on which type of production system they wish to follow for at least the next 10 to 15 years. It is time for manufacturers to decide whether they wish to continue with the traditional approach or to move forward with new and more productive methods.
Uli describes to us how many of the problems of the nagare approach come from its over-reliance on the operators. Further explaining that while labor expenses may not be very high right now, they are going up rapidly, plus the costs of labor do not merely come in the form of wages, but also come in from increased mistakes and lower productivity when compared to automated methods . Wi th the nagare method, the operator is responsible for almost everything, from setup to carrying out offsets, changing over pallets and workpieces, and finally checking the quality of every piece. “During the middle of the day, operations may be able to be carried out effectively, but by the end of the shift, or at 3 am in the morning, the operator will not be working to their maximum potential,” explains Uli.
In contrast, he tells us how the EMAG philosophy is to completely remove the worker from as many tasks as possible. This means there is no manual offsetting, and integrated gauging using an inbuilt probe makes automatic offsets in order to implement process capability, where geometries are kept not just within acceptable tolerances, but within such tight limits that only about one in a hundred workpieces even need to be inspected. This is in contrast to the traditional nagare process where almost every
workpiece requires inspection. In addition, problems from vibrations are minimized with EMAG’s Mineralit stone bed and stable structure, and problems with temperature are minimized with a cooling system for the whole machine, and not just the spindle.
Another typical feature of a nagare system is the use of numerous basic machines for carrying out the different steps of the process. This leads to cons tant re-c lamping as the workpiece is moved from machine to machine, adding compound errors at each step. Uli explained that with a world-class machining method, many different processes are integrated into one machine. This allows turning, drilling, milling, grinding, fine boring, reaming, stamping and gauging etc. to be carried out on one machine, with the workpiece not needing to be removed and then clamped into another machine for each process. This reduces both the compound errors that develop from constant re-clamping, as well as the total number of machines, reducing total capital costs.
Uli provided us with an example where using the nagare method manufacturers would have needed about 48 classic machines, whereas with a world-class method using advanced machines only about 12 machines were necessary, saving the factory signif icant f loor space. With automated systems and fewer machines, fewer workers are required. Processes that would previously have used four operators, now only need one to two. Another added benefit of fewer machines is less energy usage (around 30% less according to Uli) and less maintenance as well
(also around 30% less); thereby providing manufacturers with significant process savings.
A further critical aspect of a world-class manufacturing system is, according to Uli, the use of high-powered machines. Uli tells us that EMAG’s machines have three times the power of classic machines, which gives them three times the speed of these machines as well. This power, in turn, means that tools can also cut deeper, resulting in much faster machining; plus, in addition to this, tool wear that is equal to that of machining at slower speeds.
Uli went on to explain how as well as being more powerful, EMAG’s machines were more efficient as well. He gave examples of how EMAG’s machines could operate 24 hours per day, compared to an average of 20 hours per day for classic machines. With classic machines displaying an average of 265 days’ operation per year, Uli told us that his EMAG machines could reach operating times of 300 to 350 days per year. All of these efficiencies add up to a technical availability (TA) of 98%, as well as an overall equipment efficiency (OEE) of 85% in comparison to an OEE of 70% for classic machines.
In order to continue spreading his message, Uli has joined forces with SECO Tools and Walter to host a technical presentation at the Metalex Thailand 2011 on December 21, 2011, where he, along with some of EMAG’s top technical specialists, will be demonstrating EMAG’s philosophy as well as its machining, joining and laser welding technology. Those interested in hearing more about world-class machining methods can contact Uli at +66 87 146 8800 or e-mail : [email protected].
