LVD improving manufacturing efficiencies with WCM

LVD Group, a manufacturer of laser cutting systems and other sheet metal/plate working machine tools, says it is implementing a "world-class manufacturing" initiative at its LVD Strippit (U.S.) and LVD Co. (Belgium) operations, to improve throughput, reduce waste and assure product quality.

World Class Manufacturing (WCM) is a set of principles in manufacturing management practices, primarily focused on continual improvement in quality, cost, lead time, flexibility and customer service. (Similar manufacturing-management methodologies include "Just In Time" [JIT] "Total Quality Management" [TQM], "Total Productive Maintenance" [TPM],"house of lean," "7 mudas," "5S," and a host of similar process-improvement movements.) LVD first adopted lean manufacturing principles in 1995.

Now, adopting WCM means the company's production assembly departments participate in an extensive program of process improvements aimed at optimizing individual steps of the assembly operation to increase throughput, reduce waste, and assure the highest finished product quality. The company is replacing sequential methods of performing work with concurrent methods to compress time, and functional and hierarchical divisions of duties are being expanded by team-driven activities.

“We’ve embarked on this continual process improvement to create an even leaner organization and to remain flexible and responsive to our customers,” explained Peter Maes, LVD’s newly appointed director of World Class Manufacturing.