Original Date: 08/30/2004
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

RB Tool & Manufacturing Company’s Shop Floor Control System is not overly complex and relies on excellent judgment from the Shop Foreman and vigilance from the final Assembly Supervisor. However, for a modest capital investment, this system has proven effective for supporting a low-volume metal fabrication spares/prototype business.

RB Tool & Manufacturing Company (RB Tool) scaled its Shop Floor Control System enabling it to achieve 97.5% on-time delivery with a minimal investment in information technology support (Figure 3-1). With a focus on low- volume metal fabrication of quick turn prototypes and spare part replacement, the company incorporated a visual system that enables the Shop Foreman to quickly identify customer due dates and prioritize work in the shop.

RB Tool specializes in low-volume precision metal fabricated parts and assemblies that are typically prototypes or replacement spare parts (e.g., fixtures). Therefore, the routing required through the shop floor is modest. The company developed an overall system that includes an off-the-shelf package, JobBOSS, that creates Control Sheets, Production Folders, and Assembly Folders for each customer job. As a job is accepted, it is entered into JobBOSS, which tracks the order entry information (inclusive of the customer’s due date) and a listing of any sub-components involved in the final product.. This information is used to print Control Sheets for the job which list the components and final due date. Two copies of the Control Sheets are printed so one can be included in the Assembly Folder, which stays in the final assembly area; the other Control Sheet is placed in the Production Folder, which is kept and updated on the shop floor. Each folder also contains copies of the drawings needed to accomplish the required machining or the assembly.

The Assembly Supervisor is responsible for monitoring customer due dates that hit the two-week horizon, and ensuring that proper steps are taken to complete those components in time for final assembly and delivery. The Shop Foreman also monitors general priorities on the shop floor to ensure that the appropriate machine/resource is used for each job and efficiency is maintained at each station. Between the Assembly Supervisor and the Shop Foreman, the work is prioritized for the customers’ due dates and pulled through to the assembly staging area in time to meet final assembly and delivery.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.