Hopper sub-assembly line
Output up from 1,400 to 1,750 a week on a single day shift. Units per person per hour up 44%, from 9 to 13, and cycle time down 16%, from 300 to 252 seconds. Eight safety issues fixed and the 5S audit score up from 15 to 24.
At a glance
+44%
units per person per hour on a hopper line
176s → 130s
cycle time on a multi-variant line
22% → 97%
TPM score on a validator cell
100+
people trained across all our Kaizen events at the site
Context
The challenge
The site builds coin-handling and payment equipment across many product lines, and one line alone had 308 variants. Demand was rising on some lines: one sub-assembly line had to go from 1,400 to 1,750 units a week to support a product ramp-up. Others had too many configurations to plan reliably, no formal maintenance routine, or recurring quality problems.
Each problem needed more than a quick fix. The people running the line had to understand why it was happening and own the new way of working, so the improvement would last after the week was over.
Also at this site
Alongside the Kaizen programme, we led the transfer of a multimillion-pound production facility from Germany to the UK: travelling to the German site, replicating the product lines, training operatives and setting productivity baselines. The same Kaizen methods then took efficiency beyond the original operation.
Our approach
Training through doing
Train by doing
Every event ran over five days with a mixed team of five to nine people: operators, team leaders, quality, engineering, maintenance, HSE, supply chain and finance, some on their first Kaizen. Short training blocks each morning were put straight to work on the line.
Proven methods in practice
Teams set the pace with takt time, balanced the work to it with load charts and standard work, and built playbooks for different crew sizes. Two-bin point-of-use systems, kitting and a dedicated material handler pulled parts to the line. Mistake-proofing, 5S and visual management (andon lights, shadow boards, floor markings and performance boards) made the new standard easy to follow and easy to check.
Seeing the eight wastes
Teams learned the eight wastes, then audited their own lines to find them. Seeing waste in their own work, rather than in a classroom example, is what made the changes stick.
Five principles behind the changes
Value
Start from what the customer needs: the right product, right first time.
Value stream
Map every step of the process as it really runs, not as it is written.
Flow
Takt time, balanced work and a set amount of work in progress.
Pull
Two-bin point-of-use, kitting and a material handler bring parts to the line.
Perfection
Standard work, visual management and owned actions keep improvement going.
In the workplace
Changing the workplace, that week
The rule was simple: if the team could change it during the week, they did. Ideas were tried on the line, re-timed to prove they worked, written into standard work and trained out to operators before the report-out.
- Cells re-laid out so operators could reach every test rig without leaving their seat
- Jigs fixed to benches, and broken jigs replaced with new 3D-printed ones
- Two-bin point-of-use racks with return chutes and labelled locations, plus kitting trolleys for the next order
- Hand drivers replaced with torque-set electric drivers, and screw counters with go/no-go lights
- A single-coin jig to mistake-proof test insertion
- A digital maintenance hub with daily and weekly checks, red and green gauge zones, and critical spares at the cell
Each week ended with a report-out to leadership and a newspaper of open actions with owners and dates, so nothing was left hanging.
Safety first, every time
Every event started with safety. Equipment was locked out before anyone worked on it, and safety issues were fixed during the week rather than added to a list. Replacing hand drivers with torque-set electric drivers also reduced the risk of repetitive strain.
8 of 8
safety issues fixed during the week on the hopper line
8 of 8
safety red tags closed in the maintenance event
2 → 0
medium risks on the validator cell, all reduced to low
Results
What changed, event by event
Multi-variant assembly line
Cycle time down from 176 to 130 seconds and units per person per hour up from 20.4 to 27.6. Kitting removed around three minutes of part-chasing per order, and 8 m² of floor space was freed across three cells.
Validator cell
TPM score up from 22% to 97% and 5S from 47% to 98%. 64 issues red-tagged and 60 closed in the week, including every safety item, with daily, weekly, preventive and predictive checks now in place.
Validator test failures
Showed that 80% of test failures were genuine and 20% process-related, then mistake-proofed coin insertion. 10 of 11 actions were completed in the week, targeting first pass yield up from 89% to 94%.
Missing and loose screws
Screw counters with go/no-go lights, torque-set electric drivers in place of hand drivers (reducing strain risk) and 38% fewer driver types on the problem stages, targeting an 80% reduction in missing and loose screws.
Client and product details have been anonymised. Results are drawn from the Kaizen events’ own report-outs; targets are labelled as such.
Lessons
What the teams would tell the next one
01
Challenge the current set-up
Don’t accept that a layout can’t change, even on a largely automated line.
02
Operators make the difference
Input from the people on the line had the biggest impact. Fresh eyes brought new ideas.
03
Go and see
Find the problem where it happens, and listen to the people who do the work.
04
Prepare to act
Validate targets and prove concepts before the week, so equipment can be ordered in time.
Start a conversation
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We run Kaizen events and Lean training that build lasting improvement capability on the shop floor. Let’s talk about where your operation could start.