Gleason: Lean Thinking

       Pursuing perfection through continuous improvement is a canon of the Lean workplace concept, and one Valley Craft products are designed to help achieve.
       Case in point is the Vari-Tuff^TM Point-Of Use Workstation and the waste reduction it’s providing throughout the Gleason Cutting Tools production plant, located in Loves Park, Ill.
       “Our people are using it to store the tools they use for their machinery,” explains Gleason associate Jill Thorn. “Nothing is hidden anymore and the tools are all organized. The increased visibility has eliminated the time it takes for the guys to locate what they need.”
       As a world leader in gear production technology, Gleason’s processes are specialized and require material handling equipment that is easily modified and customized, which is where the Point-Of-Use Workstation comes in. The POU is an A-Frame with 12 different accessories that can be configured for various uses. Gleason does modify the units slightly to meet their own requirements, but overall, the Valley Craft workstations are just what the company has been looking for to help facilitate Lean improvements throughout the plant.
       “We’ve heard a lot of comments from outsiders,” says Thorn. “A couple of our large customers have been in here several times and asked where we purchased the workstations. I always direct them right to Valley Craft.”
       Over a dozen Point-Of Use Workstations have been shipped to the Gleason plant just this year, with plans to order several more before the year is out.