Transitioning to Lean
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By Brian Salgado   
Sunday, 14 January 2007
smc Robert Whitney
Roper Whitney moves from focus factories to lean manufacturing.
In 1993 – before lean manufacturing reigned supreme – Roper Whitney of Rockford Inc. brought on a consultant to help evaluate its productivity. At the consultant’s recommendation, the company instituted five internal “focus factories,” with each one handling a specific product grouping. Team dynamics kept products flowing from the time they hit one area until they were assembled and shipped.

Gregory Parkinson, general manager of manufacturing operations, says the focus factories helped consolidate production with point of use storage and straight line flow of the manufactured components.

The system worked from 1993 to present, but was lacking in continuous improvement. “The focus factory concept was almost pre-lean, or the early stages of lean,” Parkinson says. “We were more focused on the manufacturing side in the past. The focus factories were working well, but we were in need of more growth in supplying the customer. We elected to move toward lean concepts to make sure there were continuous improvements throughout the entire organization in Rockford, Ill.,” Parkinson adds. “The lean concepts will help us to take our sales right from the customer through the manufacturing and assembly process. “It is exciting to be a manufacturing company today with lean available to take our entire company into the process of evaluation.”

Roper Whitney manufactures sheet metal-fabricating equipment that ranges from $40 hand punches to CNC bending machines that can reach $200,000. Parkinson says the biggest market Roper Whitney serves is sheet metal contractors in the building industry.

William Whitney, second cousin to Eli Whitney, founded the company in 1910. Through the years, the company has acquired other brands, such as Pexto and Stueck, to add to its product lines.

Whether the company’s products are sold directly to end-users or through its distribution network, Parkinson says customers expect Roper Whitney’s products to last, and the company to service them whenever there is a problem.

“They expect the product itself to meet requirements to get the job done without breaking down,” Parkinson says. “They also want available support. Our service and engineering group is quick to answer questions and help to resolve their problems.”

Market Changes
Parkinson says Roper Whitney is on the lookout for the latest sheet metal fabrication products to try and remain a market leader in the sector. He says the company has a strong engineering force and its marketing department has good rapport with distribution networks, which helps it obtain feedback on what customers prefer.

“We research what’s out there and try to improve on it and come up with a better product,” Parkinson adds. “We also do an internal prototype and testing prior to marketing the item.” Parkinson says the company has a couple of new products in prototype stages that focus on sheet metal bending and CNC production.

He adds the company is looking for 30 percent sales growth in 2007, partly because of an improving economy and also because of the expanding product line.

Manufacturing Process
Although the company continues to add items to its product line, Parkinson says, the Roper Whitney base product line does not change often. “We still produce some of the products that started in 1910, like the hand and manual tools,” Parkinson says. “The functions of the tools don’t change a lot, but the appearance might. It makes it nice as far as being able to keep the manufacturing focus on the manual product.”

Parkinson says Roper Whitney listens to suppliers’ suggestions on tooling improvements and different types of materials. “The really aggressive vendors are the ones we’re looking for,” he adds. “The vendors we do have really want to work with us.”

For instance, Roper Whitney has had to deal with steel shortages and steel prices that continue to double since 2000. But the company’s suppliers worked with Roper Whitney to find substitutions to help control pricing for the end-users. “Having a strong vendor go out and look for you and say, ‘Here’s some options,’ is a real key,” Parkinson says.

But, Parkinson says, Roper Whitney’s employees are the real reason for the company’s success. “A lot of employees have been here many years, and that is a strong part and something we feel proud of,” Parkinson adds. “We want to keep good people.”
 
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