Introduction
Our customer had foam inserts for each line area, however some shapes had been cut by hand which made each kit inconsistent.
The kitting foams also varied in material specification (some materials not durable enough to house the parts). The foams were also cut from one colour foam, with no labels or identification, which created wasted time trying to find the correct parts.
The Challenge
Our challenge was to improve the efficiency and visual impact of line kitting on one production line within a large Aerospace Nascelle production facility.
The Solution
There were 9 areas on the production line and VMT supplied each area with their own colour kit box. In each area, the kit boxes were all consistent layouts, for the operator and replenisher to work more efficiently when taking out or putting in parts. Labelling each part with a small identification tag also allowed the operator to easily order new parts, without wasting time searching for the part number.
Efficiency was needed even when opening each kit box sent from stores. We machined a trim around the foam which enabled the operator to safely cut the cellophane off the newly replenished kit without damaging the foam or parts. Due to the new foam material being more durable than the current foams, it allowed the option to eliminate a plastic box, which added unnecessary weight.
