Whiting Door is hoping to double the sales/output with a new opportunity coming down the pipeline but are challenged with doing this based on space limitations and possibly no additional workforce.

WHITING Door Manufacturing is 100% Canadian-owned and has been building doors since 1967. Through WHITING's diverse affiliations globally and expertise locally they are able to produce world class quality with every order. The cornerstone of their quality process is determining what provides value for customers up-front and then delivering on the promise of quality and service.

 Some of the capabilities for the WHITING Group are:

-       Extensive distributor network 

-       State of the art E-coat hardware

-       Access to 600,000 colour library to offer any custom colour match

-       Customize make of any and all door combinations

The participants were given the task of looking for improvement opportunities on the production floor so that WHITING good meet their objectives.  These monthly 'brainstorming' sessions provide a great venue for this sort of exercise where you are able to pool expertise that is located regionally in order to solve challenges or grow your business.

After learning from Pat MgHugh ( Production Manager) what the scope of the project will look like and the timelines involved, the group took a tour of the production/assembly space.  We were able to see the flow process from raw materials to finished goods so that we could identify any areas for improvement that would assist in their goals.

After the tour, we re-convened for roundtable discussion.  After small breakout groups spent time discussing opportunities based on what was viewed on the shop floor and pulling on their own manufacturing expertise, we were able to present a number of low cost/quick action ideas.   These were well received by the folks at WHTING Door as they have now benefitted from the EMC resource of "free" consultation by their peers.  The objective was to come up with suggestions that would not involve a lot of capital and/or time to implement.

The suggestions that were presented can likely be used by any manufacturer and are often overlooked when trying to come up with the homerun idea when often a bunt single keeps you in the game.

• look at 5S opportunities to keep work spaces obstruction free
• remember the 7 Deadly Wastes of Lean...motion could be minimized by moving job functions together
• consider in house abilities to come up with jigs that can help with punching/assembly
• use of visual factory more effectively can keep production moving quicker (targets/real time)
• culture development - keep team informed of business possibilities and stimulate their input of improvement ideas
• ergonomic opportunities

Thanks to Pat and the folks at WHITING Door for allowing us the opportunity to benchmark our own CI Activities and to gain new expertise through this brainstorming session.  These sessions can prove to be invaluable to a manufacturer when trying to solve internal challenges.  It is always exciting to see the creativity of the group once the conversations start...the passion for their roles becomes very apparent.