With One Piece Flow – Produce up to 60% faster

Hawle Armaturen AG stands for high quality and is an innovative production and trading company specializing in valves, control valves, flanges, and fittings for the water, gas, and wastewater sectors. In the past, all products were produced in batch production, which usually resulted in long lead times and delivery delays. Large stocks also had to be maintained. The production process required frequent crane and forklift movements to transport heavy castings.

In initial discussions between Hawle Armaturen AG and Phoenix Mecano, the following project goals were defined: increasing production, reducing inventory, and shortening lead times. To enhance production efficiency, LEAN production was to be introduced.

The production management had already gained excellent experience with LEAN production and the 'One-Piece Flow' at the assembly workstation. LEAN processes were now to be implemented with great determination and full conviction. Initially, assembly employees were skeptical about the very lean LEAN production processes.

Solution 1: In collaboration with the employees of Hawle Armaturen AG, an assembly line was designed for the future production of water gate valves in a one-piece flow. This assembly workstation incorporated, among other things, electric screwdrivers from Mabag AG with torque monitoring. Given the wide variety of water gate valve models, changeover time was a significant factor. To address this, a well-designed logistics trolley was introduced as part of a Kanban system. Phoenix Mecano's initial estimate of a 30% increase in productivity was quickly surpassed. In some cases, throughput times were reduced so dramatically that the production process became up to 60% faster with One Piece Flow. Additionally, by implementing LEAN principles, the intermediate storage of semi-finished products was reduced by approximately 50%.

Solution 2: At an assembly workstation for producing various valve assemblies, the company introduced One Piece Flow alongside the worker guidance system SETAGO Pick to Light from Phoenix Mecano. Known in LEAN production as Pick by Light, the assembly guidance system uses sensors and light signals to guide the worker step by step through the assembly process. The entire assembly sequence is visualized on a screen. If an incorrect part is picked, the assembly sequence is not followed, or the wrong torque is used during assembly, the SETAGO Pick to Light system displays an error message. Assembly cannot proceed until the error is corrected, ensuring complete process reliability and eliminating obstacles to zero-error assembly, even with a large number of variants.

Solution 3: The ergonomics of an assembly workstation for hydrants were significantly improved. A swiveling device was designed for the largest component of the hydrant—a heavy casting. The hydrant is clamped into the fixture, allowing the employee to position the heavy workpiece in a way that enables comfortable assembly of all other components while maintaining an upright posture. The transition to LEAN production in the assembly workstation area is considered a complete success. Work processes are now highly efficient, and inventory levels have been greatly reduced. The new ergonomic workstation is particularly beneficial for employee health. After the projects were completed, all involved parties were enthusiastic about the results.