"Shadow boards create clearity"

Shadow boards create clearity

Since 2007 Brabant Alucast is specialised in designing, developing and producing alumunium and magnesium car-parts. The international company contains of 5 automated operating companies in Europe and supplies parts to almost all major automotive brands globally.

Lean Manufacturing

Arno van Erp has been working as a Lean Manufacturing Engineer for a couple of years on the location Oss (NL). Every day Arno tries to eliminate waste in the company with Lean Manufacturing. With support of LEAN the 5S workplace organisation methode has been implemented. With as a result the production hall of Brabant Alucast has been reorganized and working processes have been simplified. 

Standardizing

Every workplace has special working tables. These tables are essential during the workingprocesses of the plant employees. The company was already busy standardizing work processes for a long time. Improving the cleaning processes in the organisation was one of the highest priorities during the deployment of 5S:”There was no unity in the cleaning process of the factory. Because we have implemented a pitstop list and shadow boards, a lot has changed”.

Brabant Alucast now uses 5 different types of tailor-made shadow boards of TnP Visual Workplace. The board consist the corporate identity of Brabant Alucast and have therefore brightened up the production area. Every working table is provided with an shadow board, filled with cleaning materials which the employees themselves have chosen. Arno says: “TnP Visual Workplace quickly came up as the perfect supplier of tailor-made visualisation materials. We were familiar with the company and really believed in their expertise”.  The advisor of TnP Visual Workplace took an non-committal visit at Brabant Alucast to brainstorm about a possible solution. “The Visual Management advise from TnP was really strong, they inspired and informed us to come to the best solution. First, we brainstormed about the interpretation of the visualisation board and TnP gave me some practical tips. For example, we now hang our buckets upside down on the board, for hygienic reasons”. In order to find the most suitable shadow boards, the employees of Brabant Alucast tried various cleaning materials and sheet materials, free of obligation:”That is a very customer focussed way of providing service”, says Van Erp.

Test Phase materials

“When we tested 10 different shadow boards in the workplace, and it found out to be a great success, the staff wanted to implement the boards in the whole factory to create unity”. Also in the workplace employees had a positive experience: “The most important thing to do during a 5S implementingprocess, is to involve your employees with the project and paying attention to their opinion. We have let our employees decide about the cleaning materials and that turned out to be a good choice afterwards”.

Satisfied employees

After implementing tailor-made shadow boards in the workplace the employees are more motivated because now they have an common goal to achieve: improving the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). Arno concludes: “The contact with TnP Visual Workplace as supplier of shadow boards is very positive. The shadow boards really helped improving the cleaning processes. When our colleagues from Italy heard about these boards, they where very enthusiastic and quickly decided to order the –same visualisation boards for their location”.

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