MAS East Midlands helps award winning manufacturer enact a wind of change
A leading manufacturer and exporter of slip ring assemblies for the wind turbine industry is benefitting from lean manufacturing techniques thanks to its work with the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) East Midlands.
“BGB Innovation has gone from strength to strength over the last 40 years. The company is open to external advice and support and as a result has benefitted from productivity improvements and cost savings. ” Phil Houlton,Specialist Manufacturing Advisor, Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) East Midlands
One of Europe’s biggest manufacturers and exporters of slip ring assemblies is reaping the benefits of working with MAS.
BGB Innovation, based in Grantham, manufactures electrical slip ring assemblies for the wind turbine industry. Over 80 per cent of the company’s output is exported to markets in Asia and Europe and in 2009 the company received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for its work in international trade.
In order to increase capacity and reduce costs, critical in meeting the needs of its customers, BGB Innovation contacted MAS to help plan and implement efficiency improvements.
The approach followed a period of significant investment by the company in site expansion and the purchasing of new machinery including a Citizen Series 3 M32 sliding head machine and a Jones and Shipman Suprema 1000 universal grinder.
With new machinery and new lines to integrate, BGB Innovation realised the opportunity to implement lean manufacturing techniques, and called MAS for guidance.
Phil Houlton, Specialist Manufacturing Advisor at MAS East Midlands, worked closely with BGB Innovation and external consultant Nick Oliver on the project.
He says: “BGB Innovation is a great example of British manufacturing at its best. Established in 1976 it began manufacturing technology for generators. Having realised the applications for slip ring assemblies in wind turbines the company then changed direction and is now going from strength to strength supplying assemblies to wind turbine developments all over the world.”
The process began with value stream mapping focusing on one piece throughput and reducing movement between machines. As part of the process 3D models of the factory were created, enabling a review of the site.
To maximise the new floor plan’s ergonomic designs Nick Oliver conducted 5S training (Sorting, Setting in Order, Sweeping, Standardising, and Sustaining) and introduced ‘Just in Time’ stock management.
Brian Raynor, Lean Coordinator at BGB Innovation, explains the implementation: “At first our workforce saw lean manufacturing as a threat, but following a series of in depth workshops we were able to show them that what we were doing would help them work smarter rather than harder.”
The company’s implementation of one piece flow on its carbon brush gear assembly line and 5s training across the facility, has resulted in a 33 per cent productivity improvement, a cost saving of over £40,000.
David R Holt, Marketing and IT Director at BGB Innovation said: “We knew working with MAS would help us strengthen our offering in a highly competitive international market place. We have already seen a huge payback on our collaboration and plan to continue working closely with MAS.”
MAS East Midlands is funded by the East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and delivered by Pera Innovation Ltd, in partnership with EMB Ltd.
