Inside Western Cabinets' VISUAL FACTORY

摘要

This Dallas-area cabinet company's new finishing and assembly plant gains efficiencies by using lean manufacturing, labor-saving technology and plywood components from China. Western Cabinets Inc. kicked off its sixth decade in business with a bang. The Cedar HilL, TX-based manufacturer, which celebrated its golden anniversary last year, recently rewed up a new finishing and assembly plant in Dallas with the goal of dramatically increasing its annual sales and national presence. The 150,000-square-foot plant, which incorporates visual factory, lean manufacturing and continuous improvement concepts, currently has the capacity to assemble 1,600 cabinets a day. The plant's capacity could double as sales increase and more assembly stations are added to the four currently in place. The plant also boasts a $2 million finishing department, new panel processing equipment and an automated sorting system that quickly moves cabinets out the door with minimum human intervention. In a further effort to reduce costs and enhance Western Cabinets' ability to compete in the national marketplace, the company is purchasing decorative plywood panels and components from manufacturers in China and other Asian countries.