Layouts & Space Utilisation
Quayside Joinery Ltd - 2008
Blyth based Quayside Joinery has been manufacturing high quality bespoke staircases, windows, doors and other bespoke items for over 15 years.
Cottam Brush - 2008
Cottam Brush is one of Sunderland’s oldest and most established manufacturers. With over 140 years experience in the manufacture of quality brush ware for a worldwide customer base, Cottam products range from decorating and cleaning brushes to high spec “pig mounted” inspection brushes for the oil and gas industries.
Chapmans Ltd
Sheffield based Chapmans Ltd used MAS for expert help to improve the efficiency of production processes, and implement a new capacity planning system.
Marble 4 Life
Bradford-based Marble 4 Life used MAS for expert advice and assistance in purchasing an automated machine to mill recessed drainers into the worktops to drain liquids.
New Balance Athletic Shoes (UK) Ltd
Helping to transform internal operating procedures for athletic shoe manufacturer New Balance was only part of the story. MAS North West, delivered by The Manufacturing Institute, worked with the company to change the rule book for the retail shoe sector and in a remarkable pilot scheme reduced the firm’s in season order lead-time from 150 days to seven and cut the need to discount unwanted stock to a negligible amount.
Blackpool Illuminations Department
Blackpool Illuminations Department is one section of Blackpool Council. They are responsible for the manufacture of new displays for the Illuminations season which lasts from August Bank Holiday weekend through to November.
Opening the door to improvements
Royde & Tucker is a well established, privately owned, manufacturer of a complex range of door hinges and door furniture. The company has seen improvements since relocating to its present purpose-built factory at the beginning of 2006 but saw the value in engaging MAS-East to help further improve workplace organisation and reduce changeover times to release capacity. As part of this project, the MAS-East team worked with the Centre for Sustainable Engineering to link environmental waste with the traditional wastes of lean.
Fired-up for success
Based in Halstead, Essex, Verine are market leaders in the design and manufacture of gas and electric fireplaces…and with the market hotting up, there are more demanding customers to satisfy.
Trio Skips and Hooks Ltd.
Trio Design and Engineering employs 110 people at its headquarters in Gloucester. Opportunities were identified to improve process flow, workplace layout and general organisation, as well as materials management.
Stanley Security Systems
Blick Communications Ltd is one of Europe's leading manufacturers, and pioneers, of new technology in radio-based products and services. The South West MAS were invited to work with the Blick team to introduce a new way of working for the company. They wanted to move from large batch manufacture with long lead times to small batch short lead time (just in time) manufacturing. The aim was to reduce inventory and to become more responsive to customer demands.
Clifton Canvas Developments Ltd.
Clifton Canvas Developments employs 28 staff at its only design and manufacturing facility in Bristol. They manufacture technically sewn products for the front line military and emergency services. South West MAS asked to improve the effectiveness and productivity of manufacturing operations through the application of lean manufacturing techniques.
Electronics business switches on to £100,000 savings
Wigan-based electronics manufacturer C-TEC has switched on to productivity savings of £100,000 as part of its business improvement drive to become world class.
Here come the girls! Thirsk company profits from mas advice
With firm hopes for future expansion, all-female, family-owned Selective Covers has started the New Year with confidence following expert advice and assistance from the Manufacturing Advisory Service Yorkshire & Humber (MAS Y&H).
Rittal C S M Ltd
Rittal-CSM is the largest manufacturer of industrial and data communication enclosures worldwide. A team of three people attended the SWMAS Six-Sigma Greenbelt Programme.
XYZ Machine Tools
XYZ Machine Tools operate through a UK network of five strategically located showroom and training centres supported with nationwide teams of service, programming & technical engineers. nitial scope was to identify and implement improvements to the loading and prioritisation of machine builds on the shop-floor. Improvements in lead time of machine build through the factory and increased on-time deliveries to customers. Develop production management skills and metrics associated with production progress.
Shedding new light on a design classic - Anglepoise
Anglepoise is an excellent example of a small manufacturing company adopting the principles behind lean manufacturing, following guidance from MAS South East in order to effectively negotiate the economic downturn.
Turnstyle Designs
Since 1992, Turnstyle Designs has been creating architectural hardware that is unique in both design and construction, whilst gaining a reputation for producing some of the world's most innovative and inspiring architectural hardware. The initial manufacturing review focused on where the company was at at the moment and where Steve wanted to get to. Steve was confident that sales were available to double the turnover as long as production could match this increased demand.
Dartmoor Kitchen
Based in Clyst St Mary, Devon, and with a turnover of £450,000, Dartmoor Kitchen is spearheaded by owner and head chef, Tom Cull. The food manufacturer wanted to boost pie production from 300 to 3,000 per week, utilising its new manufacturing facility in a more efficient way.
The empty box company
Since its formation in 1988, The Empty Box Company, has been designing and making handmade Wedding Dress Boxes in the UK. The brief was clear James and Giselle had decided that their business in Surrey, needed to expand, and so started a project to create an additional facility in Devon.
Biotrack
All radio tags are customised for individual projects with over 25 years experience of radio tag manufacture and research to rely on. The company had already identified an opportunity to introduce lean manufacturing principles into the production area and had planned to improve layout. Prior to making the layout changes they wanted to review the processes that they were using to ensure the maximum benefit from the layout changes.
