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VMAC of Nanaimo, BC
saw a 69% improvement in gross profit
margin. MDS Sciex of Concord, ON
experienced a 40% gain in productivity.
Phillips & Temro Industries of Winnipeg
increased throughput by 15% and reduced
inventory by a similar amount on major
processes. Larsen & Shaw of
Walkerton, ON was able to maintain
current profit margins despite a 20%
drop in the U.S. dollar, as well as
reduce manufacturing lead-time by 25%.
Incredible
savings and gains? You bet!
But a lot more commonplace than one
might expect - if you know where to
look.
Here
are some other statistics just as
startling: throughput increased by
18%; productivity up by 25%; defect
rates down by 40%; cost improvements
increased by 2% year-over-year.
These are just some of the benefits that
companies participating in the
Innovation Insights program have been
able to realize - both as a host company
opening its doors to an industrial tour
or as a tour participant.
Read
more about our participant and host
success stories:
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Success Story #1 |
VMAC /
Teleflex Canada |
ROI:
69% Improvement in Gross Profit Margin
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Success Story #2 |
Phillips &
Temro / Loewen Windows |
ROI:
Increased Throughput by 15%
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Success Story #3 |
Larsen &
Shaw / CGL Manufacturing |
ROI:
Maintaining Profit Margins
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Success Story
#1 |
Participant:
VMAC, Nanaimo, BC
VMAC has become a world leader in the
development of air compressor systems
for industrial and commercial service
vehicles in the U.S. and Australia.
Employing just over 65 people, VMAC has
enjoyed triple digit growth and is a
proud winner of the British Columbia
Exporter's Award for the manufacturing
award in the Vancouver Island Business
Excellence Awards three times.
VMAC
Website:
www.vmac.ca
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Host:
Teleflex Canada,
Richmond, BC
Teleflex Canada engineers and
manufactures heater and auxiliary power
units under the industry-leading Proheat
product line, along with marine
hydraulic steering systems, and
proprietary fuel controls for commercial
and military transportation
manufacturers. Registered to ISO
9001 quality standards, with facilities
in Richmond, BC., Sault Ste. Marie
Teleflex Canada is a subsidiary of
Teleflex Inc., a multinational marine,
aerospace, automotive, and medical
manufacturer headquartered in
Pennsylvania.
TELEFLEX
Website:
www.teleflexcanada.com
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Bottom
Line Improvement:
69% Improvement in
Gross Profit Margin
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VMAC, which develops air compressor systems for
industrial and commercial service vehicles in
the U.S. and Australia, learned from a
participating Innovation Insights host.
Visiting Teleflex Canada of Richmond, BC with a
team of employees five years ago on an
Innovation Insights tour, President Tony Menard
returned determined to implement major change in
his company as a result of practices he had
observed at Teleflex.
He said the first
event at Teleflex Canada, a manufacturer of
heater and auxiliary power units, "was critical
in showing us the many types of waste and
thinking of waste as a direct cost." The
company implemented cell manufacturing, a Kanban
program, and its VPS colour-coding system, which
enabled it to smooth production flow, eliminate
waste, and improve inventory control. The
result: an impressive 69% improvement in
its gross profit margin.
Mark Soares,
Director, Strategic Development and Program
Management at Teleflex Canada, says the
company's lean program has been a substantial
factor in its success and can demonstrate the
gains with some pretty good figures. The
company has been able to increase throughput by
18% and has improved productivity in target
areas by as much as 25%.
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Success Story
#2 |
Participant:
Phillip s & Temro, Winnipeg, MB
Phillips & Temro designs, manufactures,
and supports power products for the
automotive industry including cold start
and emission control products such as
engine pre-heating systems, intake air
heating systems, intake and exhaust
silencers, and air filtration products.
Concept design and analysis, design
verification, durability testing, and
evaluation services complement Phillips
& Temro's state-of-the-art manufacturing
facilities in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
PHILLIPS & TEMRO Website:
www.phillipsandtemro.com |
Host:
Loewen Windows,
Steinbach, MB
Loewen Windows builds windows and doors
for homes in Canada and around the
globe. Emphasizing a family
tradition and a strong work ethic,
Loewen Windows also embraces new
technologies and seeks out innovative
ideas from around the world, ensuring
that its workforce of over 1200
employees and its bottom line are
dedicated to continuous Improvement.
LOEWEN
WINDOWS Website:
www.loewen.com
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Bottom
Line Improvement:
Increased
Throughput by 15%
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Phillips & Temro credits Innovation
Insights with helping to foster a better
understanding of the opportunities and benefits
of continuous improvement, which is of
particular value in sustaining strong
relationships with all employees.
Plant Manager,
Tony Ma says such tours are also "an essential
opportunity for management to benchmark
ourselves against other companies' progress on
continuous improvement as well as to gain new
perspectives."
The company's
commitment to continuous improvement activities
has earned it a significant return on
investment, increasing throughput by 15%,
reducing inventory by a like amount, and
reducing defects by 5-20ppm.
Loewen
Windows of Steinbach, MB, which builds
windows and doors for export around the world,
was an Innovation Insights host for Phillips
& Temro. Blair Seale, Loewen's
Value Chain Manager, says his company is
committed to the Innovation Insights program and
to "passing on our experience and expertise in
continuous improvement."
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Success Story
#3 |
Participant:
Larsen & Shaw Ltd., Walkerton, ON
Larsen & Shaw Ltd. is a leading
manufacturer of top quality custom and
standard continuous hinges, butt hinges,
and custom metal stampings for the North
American market. In business since
1919, Larsen employs for 100 people in
their 93,000 square foot facility in
Walkerton, Ontario.
LARSEN &
SHAW Website:
www.larsenhinge.com
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Host:
CGL Manufacturing,
Guelph, ON
An ISO 9002 registered company with
facilities in Guelph, Ontario, CGL
Manufacturing supplies machines
components, weldments, and assemblies
to off-road equipment manufacturers
around the world.
CGL
MANUFACTURING Website:
www.cglmfg.com |
Bottom
Line Improvement:
Maintaining Profit
Margins
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Larsen & Shaw of Walkerton, ON is a
manufacturer of hinges and custom metal
stampings. The company credits its
participation in an Innovation Insights program
at CGL Manufacturing of Guelph, ON as
"the major inspiration for deciding to go on the
lean journey. This resulted in a number of
kaizen blitzes that eliminated waste and
associated costs."
Company president
John Larsen noted, "we were able to recover the
margin that was lost with 20% drop in the U.S.
dollar and reduce lead time 25% by creating a
cell that enabled flow."
CGL
Manufacturing supplies components and
assemblies to off road equipment manufacturers
around the globe. It is an active host in
the Innovation Insights program and emphasizes
the importance of sharing knowledge it has
gained about eliminating waste and running a
profitable, efficient manufacturing facility.
Bart Van
Cromvoirt, Vice-President, Marketing and Sales
of CGL sums up the value of the
Innovation Insights program: "We look at
our role in hosting Innovation Insights events
as a way to return value to our company and to
help build a robust Canadian manufacturing
sector for the future."
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