Here is a sample of projects that IISE Solutions’ consultants could complete
Use Case Examples
Strategic planning in aerospace
An aerospace manufacturing company requires assistance with the deployment of continuous improvement tools to reduce costs by both improving quality and increasing productivity. The involvement may begin with a series of strategic planning initiatives led by our team with the senior vice president responsible for the program. Once the strategy is set and agreed upon by operations and support, then training begins. The initial training, which could be a mix of lean and Six Sigma, would be conducted for senior management. Afterwards, the training is cascaded through the organizational ranks and included operations, engineering, and all support functions. Annual savings is expected to be significant
Work Measurement in Facility Maintenance
A manufacturing plant needs analyzed by industrial engineers to study labor inefficiencies within maintenance operations. All work tasks will be documented, standards set and expected work time determined based upon completed work orders. The variance between expected hours and actual paid hours will be determined and staffing levels adjusted to reflect workload to achieve an annual labor cost savings.
Operations Excellence at a Trucking Company
A trucking company costs are skyrocketing and requests engineering assistance to develop a strategy to implement “continuous improvement” into their culture. IISE Solutions consultants would facilitate a strategic planning session including the director of engineering and the vice president of transportation. Once the change management plan is developed and put into place, a steering committee, consisting of the top management team would be stood up. One of the first tasks may be for the steering committee to receive black belt training, followed by groups of senior managers. Plans would be developed to roll out the implementation within the company including their front-line management team.
Using Ergonomics at a Furniture Business
A furniture manufacturer requires assistance with ergonomic analysis of individual workstations due to high worker injury rates The IISE Solutions engineers will spend several days observing work cells and identifying opportunities for improvement. After implementation productivity is expected to increase by several percentages, and workplace-related injuries will drop.
Work Standards and Simulation at a Manufacturing Facility
A manufacturing facility requests an audit of work standards. This could lead to the development of a simulation model that enables the center to balance its production line. The consultants would document the work, identify the work flow, set standards, and develop and apply the simulation methodology. The resulting reduction in cycle time and work-in-process inventory permits the organization to fund its expansion via internally generated funding.
Facility Design at a Fast Food Redesign
Review of the layout of a fast food restaurant could lead to a redesign of the food preparation area and a reduction in customer service time. Application of classic facility layout principles coupled with the development of work standards would permit the restaurant to serve more customers with the same staff levels. Customer satisfaction scores would be used to statistically demonstrate if significant improvement occurs.
Operations Excellence for a Call Center
Workflow analysis can be used to increase quality, increase customer satisfaction, lower handling times, and lower operational costs for an insurance company’s call center. This will be accomplished using multiple industrial engineering approaches, including the development of work standards, application of lean principles, redesign of workstations, and development of appropriate employee training programs.