The PSA Peugeot Citroën Group assembles the Citroën C3 and two other models at its factory in Madrid, Spain. The bodies-in-white for the vehicles are produced on an automated welding line. Forty programmable logic controllers from Siemens AG (Berlin) govern the assortment of robots, conveyors, welders and other equipment on the line.
Bombardier Aerospace, a division of Bombardier Inc. (Montreal), employs 28,000 people and is the third largest civil airplane manufacturer in the world. The company builds both business jets and regional jets, introducing 14 new successful aircraft programs in the past 14 years.
Laser Die & Engineering (Kentwood, MI) manufactures assembly machines, check fixtures, plastic injection molds and compression molds for a variety of customers in the automotive industry.
Zarges GmbH & Co. KG (Weilheim, Germany) manufactures aluminum containers used in diverse industries for storing, transporting and distributing parts, components and finished products. The company recently invested more than $615,000 in a welding system for manufacturing these containers.
Seven years ago, hydraulic components manufacturer Hydac Corp. (Bethlehem, PA), set out on an ambitious growth plan with the goal of doubling its business. Since that time it has met this goal, and then some.
The hands of a wristwatch are joined to their pinion shafts with an interference fit. However, before the hands can be installed, the precise location of the watch face must be determined.
Benchmarking is the practice of learning from your peers, and using that learning for continuous improvement. While not created in the context of lean, it is a universally applied tool that is very consistent with lean thinking. It turns out, however, that most benchmarking has little positive impact on the organization doing it.
Innovation is an imperative for every company doing business in the global marketplace. How well are U.S. companies doing at innovation? The results of the third annual Leading Innovations Competition, conducted by strategy+business Booz Allen Hamilton (Tysons Corner, VA) suggest that U.S. companies are doing quite well.
When it comes to high-speed case-packing machines, it's all about moving a large volume of products in a short amount of time. In addition, the case packer needs to be durable enough to ensure a long lifespan if it is to be truly cost-effective.
At its Baltimore plant, Allison Transmission, a division of General Motors Corp. (Detroit), employs a rigorous battery of tests to assure critical product tolerances are met for the plant's transmission bodies.
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