When Lou and Emory Upton started building electric motor-driven wringer washing machines 100 years ago, the world was a different place. Electrical appliances were considered to be luxury items.
As part of its approach to lean manufacturing, the 2011 Assembly Plant of the Year actively engages in benchmarking exercises with several local manufacturers.
The 2011 Assembly Plant of the Year was designed from the ground up to be an environmentally friendly facility. Even the carpets, paint and windows are “green” at the Philips Respironics plant in New Kensington, PA.
What do metal water tanks, pickup trucks and RV chassis have in common? They’re all assembled in state-of-the-art facilities that were finalists for the 2011 Assembly Plant of the Year award.
To illustrate how to get more from lean manufacturing by first applying the principles of DFMA, let’s examine a simple product comprised of two pieces of sheet metal.