It Takes More Than Fast Machines to Shorten Lead Times

摘要

Oftentimes, reducing machining time alone is not enough to meet challenging lead times. Shops may need to look at other processes to ensure the parts get to the customer on time. B.C. Instruments (BCI), a company based in Schomberg, Ontario, purchased new machines to keep up with a customer's expedited lead times. But it quickly realized that even with the ability to produce complete parts in less than two minutes, it would not meet lead times if it had to spend three or four minutes inspecting each part. A new inspection system from The L.S. Starrett Co. (Athol, Massachusetts) has increased inspection throughput by 75% to help the company hit its customers' lead times and perform additional inspection tasks.