News
Process Improvements at Smith & McLaurin
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Smith & McLaurin invests over £60,000 in process improvements within operations.
With customer satisfaction as well as the environment as the main driver within the business, we have undertaken significant process improvements within our operations. We have invested over £60,000 in upgrading and refurbishing our hotmelt coating process including the purchase of a new melt unit and the refurbishment of the coating head. This investment is designed to deliver, improved product consistency through improved coat weight control and increased productivity. Other benefits will include improved coil slit build and improved product yield. Overall, this has enabled us to improve the roll build quality and has led to a significant reduction in cost of complaints compared to the previous quarter.
There has been ongoing investment on our Caledonian Coater to improve operator training and awareness to reflect the specialty products manufactured. This has had positive results and has aided the reduction in the cost of complaints by over 50%.
Finally, we are investing significantly in our slitting machines with the introduction of new slitter knife technology and major refurbishments of all three slitters scheduled over the next six months. Significant improvements in slit edge quality and roll build are the drivers of this investment. The introduction of a continuous stroboscopic inspection system for strip coated products has also proved successful. Both of the above changes have also contributed to reducing the amount of material scrapped.
Through continued investment in our plant and people we are driving process and product improvements that will deliver improved consistency, improved yields, a reduction in customer complaints and a reduction in waste.
Posted on 09 February, 2009
