We firmly believe there’s ALWAYS potential to optimize. We’re always looking for ways to improve the value we deliver to our customers. Lean manufacturing is key to this, as it focuses on eliminating waste and driving continuous growth. While our Lean journey is ongoing, the improvements we’ve made so far have had a transformative impact on our efficiency, allowing us to serve you better with faster turnaround times and higher-quality results.
We invite you to explore how our Lean manufacturing efforts are making a difference in our operations—and how they can benefit your next project.
Boosting Efficiency by Reorganizing the Shop
Every improvement Ameritex makes is designed to enhance the quality, speed, and efficiency of the services we provide to our customers. One of the first areas where we applied Lean principles was in the physical layout of our shop. Previously, materials and tools were sometimes stored far from where they were needed, which slowed production and made it harder to track progress. By reorganizing our shop floor, we’ve made significant improvements to how projects flow through our facility, allowing us to meet your deadlines more effectively.
We began by revamping our inventory room, creating a more logical and efficient system. Jobs, tools, and materials are now color-coded, making it immediately clear which items belong to specific areas or teams. This has significantly reduced the time spent searching for materials and minimized errors. If a tool or part ends up in the wrong section, it’s easy to spot and correct quickly—so your parts move through production faster and with fewer mistakes.
In addition to reorganizing, we’ve added clear signage that highlights where different stages of work take place. Labels such as “Assembly Line 1” and “Assembly Line 2” provide visual clarity, ensuring that every team member knows exactly where work is happening and what’s next in the production process. These small but impactful changes have resulted in a smoother, more efficient flow of parts through the shop, speeding up turnaround times for your projects.
Finding the Right Balance with Batch Sizes
Lean manufacturing has also helped us optimize batch sizes to better meet your specific project needs. For complex assemblies with hundreds of components, smaller batch sizes—sometimes just one—ensure precision and reduce waste. For simpler jobs, larger batch sizes can be more efficient. By choosing the right batch size, we ensure faster delivery without sacrificing quality.
Enhancing Leadership by Restructuring Departments
We’ve restructured our departments, breaking larger sections of the shop into smaller, more focused teams. Each team has its own leader, responsible for overseeing production and addressing any issues in real time. This hands-on approach has not only increased efficiency but also improved quality control, allowing us to address any concerns immediately and keep your projects on track.
Proactive Maintenance with a Computerized System
One of the biggest challenges in any manufacturing operation is keeping machines running smoothly. Downtime can be costly, and unplanned maintenance can cause significant delays. To address this, we implemented a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) that allows us to proactively manage maintenance across more than 100 machines.
With the CMMS in place, each of our large machines has documented maintenance steps and procedures, ensuring that routine maintenance is performed on schedule. With scheduled maintenance and a ticketing system that alerts us to issues before they escalate, we’ve minimized delays and improved overall production reliability.
This system has been a game-changer, enabling us to identify recurring issues and fix them before they become major problems. By being proactive with machine maintenance, we’ve reduced downtime and improved overall efficiency, allowing us to keep production moving smoothly.
The Journey Continues
Lean manufacturing isn’t a destination—it’s a journey; an ongoing commitment to continuously improve our processes to better serve you. From reorganizing our shop floor to enhancing machine maintenance, every change we’ve made has been about improving the quality and efficiency of our operations for our customers. We’ve made great strides, but we know there’s always more to learn and more ways to improve.
Ready to take your project to the next level? At Ameritex, we combine Lean manufacturing techniques with cutting-edge technology to deliver precise, high-quality results in custom metal fabrication—no matter how intricate your needs are. Contact us today to see how our commitment to continuous improvement can streamline your production and bring your vision to life.
