The Company
d-Scan Inc., located in Halifax County just west of South Boston, employs 122. This facility is part of the Singapore d-Scan Group that was founded in the 1970’s and is now part of the Masco Corporation. d-Scan manufactures high quality, competitively priced home office and entertainment furnishings. These ready-to-assemble products are crafted from top grade hardwood veneers in a variety of sizes and finishes.

The Situation
Members of d-Scan’s management team attended a VPMEP lean manufacturing workshop, then brought in VPMEP to lead the way to maximum productivity from its existing operations by implementing lean concepts to improve flow, reduce inventory and lead times, improve scrap rates, and minimize set-up times. The immediate objective was to build a broad awareness of lean principles and methodology within the operations team at the South Boston plant to include set-up reduction.

The Response
VPMEP project manager John Hudson proposed that management’s objectives could be met by two main approaches. The first step was conducted by an on-site lean manufacturing workshop based upon time spent previously reviewing plant operations and interviewing key employees. Step two involved bringing in an experienced set-up reduction team of experts to provide on-site analysis of set-up times for potential bottleneck processes, such as the hot press and the packing line. The team of experts was comprised of VPMEP project manager John Hudson and Wayne Friedrich, North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership engineering specialist. The team produced an on-site videotape of typical set-ups with an eye toward critical processes for analyses.

Orientation and education then followed on a proven methodology for successful set-up reduction initiatives. A VPMEP project team later visited after employees had gained initial experience implementing the presented methodology. This allowed for employee input to provide for a status and progress report.

The Results
By adopting lean methods, d-Scan Inc. reduced inventory by 25%, batch sizes by 50-80%, raw materials by 40%, work in process by 20-30%, and set-up reduction by 20-30%. And, employee morale increased by eliminating frustrations, which lead to improved product quality.

Management's Comment
Joerg-Michael Brueckner, d-Scan consultant, emphasized the importance of getting key employees to "buy-in" to the lean process. "If you want lean to really work, you need key employees to fully grasp lean," said Brueckner. "Once those (employees) have grasped the benefits then it becomes an easier sell to the rest. Gerald and John from VPMEP were able to give us the most important support: mentorship. Lean projects are more likely to fail if there is no logistical or moral support from an outside source."
 

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