Relocation Pays Off

摘要

In the winter of 2002, Black & Decker Corp. (Lake Forest, Calif.) decided to combine two facilities into one in order to keep operational costs competitive with world markets. Black & Decker (BHII) closed its Kwikset operation in Waynesboro, Ga. and combined it with the Price Pfister facility in Mexicali, Mexico. The existing Mexicali plant needed the plating and treatment system relocated, which then required significant changes in plant layout and services. BHII brought in A-Bite Chemical (Dallas) to help in the new process design layout in order to combine plating of the Kwikset and Price Pfister parts. The existing line had to be reconfigured and additional sulfur-free nickel tanks added in order to make the process line compatible' for all combined parts. Alter the process layout was determined, BHII had many things to consider in order to implement the project, including: 9 Plant reconfiguration and workflow; facility additions and changes for the nickel-chrome plating line and waste treatment equipment; 8 outsourcing of Kwikset parts while equipment is relocated to the new facility, realizing a substantial cost increase to its product line during this transformation.