Product category:
Batteries, chargers and circuit protection
News Release from: Exide Technologies
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 12 August 2004
Silver award recognises lean
manufacturing
After last year's Bronze Excell award, the CMP Batteries factory at Over Hulton, Bolton has now achieved the Silver award from Exide Technologies' Centre of Excellence.
After last year's Bronze Excell award, the CMP Batteries factory at Over Hulton, Bolton has now achieved the Silver award from Exide Technologies' Centre of Excellence The progress marks the next stage in the development of the company's strategy to ultimately achieve platinum certification for its "lean" manufacturing processes
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 11 Dec 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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There are four stages that must be achieved before the ultimate target is reached.
The Bolton factory employs over 500 people and last year produced approximately 1.4 million cells.
The Excell programme aims to reward "lean production" techniques.
The concept was introduced by a leading car manufacturer in an attempt to minimise waste and has been adopted by Exide Technologies worldwide to drive continuous improvement.
There are five different levels of award, with Platinum being the most difficult to achieve.
Notoriously difficult to implement, relatively few companies in the UK have taken up the initiative.
Many companies that undertake to comply with the system concentrate on cutting inventory but at the Over Hulton Plant, the focus is on optimum stock utilisation.
Other areas of improvement include staff training at all levels, with a proportion of the workforce qualifying as "lean" auditors.
All staff take part in "Quality Control Process Charting" (QCPC) and there are 17 improvement groups focussing on "root cause analysis" - which is a problem solving technique used to eliminate the real cause of problems.
The Bolton factory also has an active benchmarking program with Exide's Bad Lauterberg and La Cartuja factories in Germany and Spain so that improvements in production and management techniques can be shared.
Commenting on the award, Lean Leader David Ling said: "Lean production is a road rather than a destination and we are well on target".
"We have now started on the 3 year programme to achieve Gold status, with Platinum to follow and although this is the highest award, we will be continually looking to improve all aspects of our manufacturing for the benefit of staff, customers, the environment and all our stakeholders".
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