New Product Launch Improvement – Russian Engine Manufacturer
Our client for this project was a leading Russian engine manufacturing company. Our team provided management consulting to the Vice President of Manufacturing Quality and a staff of cross-functional leaders on how to reduce excessive design changes in their new product launch process prior to the start of their largest contract in company history for a prominent Western industrial customer. Having extensive experience in the Russian market we understood the need to create a management operating framework that would enable them, within their culture, to implement sustainable improvements across the business value stream.
Their management team was not experienced in process improvement in order to drive the type of reduction in cycle time required for the new product launch process.
They had attempted previously to implement Lean Manufacturing practices as a foundation for improvement; however, on the manufacturing floor there were no signs of visual controls, no standardized work, no just-in-time material flow, or cleanliness that you would expect. Design changes were made on an ongoing basis after a new product launch, causing massive amounts of waste. Housings had to be taken apart to replace components that were changed. Replaced materials were scrapped filling value added warehouse space. Scrap piled up outside buildings rusting because there was not enough room to warehouse the excessive material inside. Parts laid strung all over several assembly shops because operators were waiting on other parts to be completed by previous stations.The flow within and between shops created a zig zag pattern. They routinely ran out of parts in final assembly where by product 99% complete would wait for months on inbound materials from suppliers which adversely impacted their cash flow.
All these signs pointed to the lack of proper framework for institutionalizing lean manufacturing within the Russian culture and within their company culture. Our work with this client provided them with a framework for project management, a framework for change management and continuous improvement structure to mobilize the people that had the leadership capability and tenacity to make the changes required to improve the design engineering and production processes. Several managers carried out the improves following our blue print to enable the new product launch of one of the most significant Russian turbine engine programs.
We are a leading emerging market consulting firm. We have extensive world wide experience providing mentoring and skills development appropriate to create on going change within an organization.
