Pay Station Process Improvement Event - Amano Cincinnati
Company Profile: Amano Cincinnati creates parking, time, security, and access systems that are used in commercial and government markets throughout the world. From their Loveland, Ohio manufacturing facility, Amano Cincinnati has been delivering innovative technology solutions for over 40 years. Amano Cincinnati is a subsidiary of Amano Corporation Japan and a member of the internationally recognized Amano Group, benefiting from the support of the worldwide organization that generates over $700 million in annual revenues and employs over 2,900 people worldwide.
Project: After consolidating with an Anaheim, CA, Amano plant, Amano Cincinnati had to simultaneously increase its space, workforce, and output. The company faced increasing backlog on the pay station line and needed to find a way to raise its production to 22-24 units per month. Amano Cincinnati saw this as a continuation of their past process improvement work with TechSolve, and they teamed with them again to boost production and build employee capabilities.
The Amano / TechSolve team first analyzed the current pay station line. They investigated and documented the assembly process, including workflow and tooling and equipment needs. Improvement events were held, empowering those closest to the process, the operators, to uncover and solve problems. Discovering the limitations of their current process, Amano Cincinnati evolved the layout of the pay station assembly area from a system of subassemblies that fed into a final assembly station, to a new assembly sequence with each operator building from where the previous station left off.
In order to sustain the improvements made to the production line, Amano Cincinnati operators were trained on the new assembly work station. A staffing matrix was also developed to meet multiple demand levels, balancing the operations to meet customer demand.
Results: Amano Cincinnati’s improvement efforts led to the company exceeding their original production goal, and the pay station line is now consistently achieving 24-30 units per month. Lead times were also shrunk by half, resulting in a $1 million increase in sales. This led to the retention of several jobs, an increase in inventory turns, and a reduction in required floor space, freeing up area for other production lines. Additionally, Amano Cincinnati’s success enabled them to improve credibility with their parent company and become more competitive in the global marketplace.
“It was a very successful kaizen event with instantaneous results. We have transformed pay station assembly and have improved our response to the customer. It is a win-win.”
Kash Gokli, Vice President Manufacturing
