BENCHMARKING YOUR MACHINING BUSINESS
Establishing Effective Shopfloor
Practices
By Derek korn
n
ASDAQ-listed WSI Industries is a contract
shop in Monticello, Minnesota that
focuses on establishing relationships with
customers to secure long-term, high-volume
programs. This approach requires a larger
up-front investment in capital equipment and
process engineering than many other machine
shop business models, notes Benjamin
Rashleger, company president. Establishing
effective processes for this type of work
"own their part quality," which is why the
company provides them with advanced
inspection equipment that can be placed
very near production.
• Valu e -ad d ing ser vic es—Beyond
manufacturing precisely-machined components, WSI offers assembly, component
testing and inventory management to enable
daily delivery of sub-assemblies to customers when required. In this way, the shop is
more of a partner than vendor.
• Setup reduction—Repetitive, smallbatch work represents one portion of WSI's
business. To speed setups, the shop uses
tool presetters as well as common cutting
tool and fixture libraries. In addition, turn-mill
machines enable some parts to be produced
in a single setup.
VIDEO
requires thoughtful consideration of the supporting practices applied on the shop floor.
The video below explains why WSI is the
Shopfloor Practices Honors Program winner
for 2013, touching on these key elements of
its shopfloor strategy:
• Clean, orderly facility—Maintaining a
tidy, organized facility is important to ensure
employee safety while providing the tools
employees need where they're used. Plus,
the shop shows well, making it an asset for
selling manufacturing. The facility is temperature-controlled, too, which helps ensure
machining accuracy and repeatability.
• Advanced inspection—WSI invests in
sophisticated inspection equipment, including CMMs and measuring arms, for use on
the shop floor. Mr. Rashleger says employees
In this video, Senior Editor Derek Korn talks
with WSI's Benjamin Rashleger to learn about
the various shopfloor practices the shop
applies. Photos above and video filming/
production by Creative Technology Corp.
mmsonline.com/topshops MMS August 2013 27