Regardless of what your process is, the logic and concepts used in creating and running a work cell are generic. Your constraints become more unique with your material inputs, equipment, labour, and space available. There is much insight to be gained about your own challenges in your respective facility by seeing and learning about challenges that exist in other manufacturing plants. Solutions applied elsewhere may also apply to your process....

Pride Signs in Cambridge is a custom manufacturer of large commercial illuminated signage. You may have seen their sign along-side the 401 west bound lanes just as you approach Cambridge from the east. They supply large scale commercial markets that include customers such as Shoppers Drug Mart, Home Depot, Lowes, among others.

The challenge in creating a large illuminated sign is to design it also for ongoing maintenance. This means that each letter in their channel letter signs must have a removable cap covered in acrylic with painted aluminum trim so it can be serviced when necessary.

Pride Signs has developed a number of "cells" for common processes for their custom signs, one of them being the "Channel Letter Trim Cell".The Trim Cell is currently the longest process step in making a set of LED (Light Emitting Diode) Channel letters.

On May 13, Pride Signs is hosting the monthly EMC Continuous Improvement SIG networking event, and this problem will be presented to the group with their tour, followed by a brainstorming session:

Pride Signs would like input on what people see as ways to increase throughput in the Channel Letter Trim Cell, without adding people or large capital investments (i.e. expensive automation). 

During Pride Sign’s busy period (typically the Fall) the Trim Cell needs to works OT to keep up to demand.

The Trim Cell is currently:

1)    Manned with two people during Day shift.

a.    Normal Period: 1 @ 100%, 1 @ 50% shared with Graphics Department.

b.   Busy Period: 2 @ 100% plus OT as needed

2)    Occupies approx 18ft x 30ft area, possible to expand area if needed

3)    Runs 5 days per week.

4)    1 Person can Trim between 20-50 Channel letters a week pending size and demand.

5)    Two material inputs: Routered Acrylic letter faces (From Router table cell) and coloured Trim (Rolls from supplier)

6)    Customer of Trim is Channel Letter Assembly. Assembly manually removes completed faces from Trim Cell.

If you are a manufacturer and you would like to participate in this event, please contact Mike Baker at EMC: mbabker@emccanada.org

Yours in networking,

Mike Baker, EMC