Manipulator Arm for Press Loading Kaizen Case Study

Problem: One of our manufacturing processes uses a 111-to-127-pound part that required four operators to lift the parts in 5 different press loading orientations. The press loading process put an enormous amount of physical strain on our operators with five reportable accidents in 12 months. We had other press loading operators missing work due to fatigue from lifting and manipulating the large and heavy parts. This caused an employee shortage for the press loading operation. Last, we also needed to shorten our lead times on the manufacturing of this part and increase our Bekidoritsu (Operational Availability).

Solution: We asked Ergonomic Partners to help us develop a lifting solution. The Ergonomic Partners team engineered, designed, built, and installed a Manipulating Arm allowing us to handle the parts safely and easily.

End Results:

Kaizen Goals Overview
Item	Before	Target	After
Cycle Time	64 min.	60 min.	48 min.
No. of Operators	4	2	1
Bekidoritsu (Operational Availability)	62%	85%	91%
Lead Time (Shifts)	10	5	5
Employee Accidents	5	0	0
Man-Hour Production	412.9 hrs.	141.2 hrs.	52.7 hrs.

Ergonomic Partners develops custom manipulator arms for press loading from coast to coast, Canada, and Mexico, and especially focused in the states of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, Tennessee, Kentucky, Iowa, and Oklahoma. Please Contact Us today.