Case Study - CPT Engineering

The project

• Improve materials handling on-site, specifically:
  • organise the central yard to optimise stock movement and goods receival, and
  • organise offcuts from the fabrication area for greater visibility.

Download the Case Study - CPT Engineering (PDF 2.9 MB).

Background

• The company already applies principles of resource efficiency for those processes within its control.
• The materials used (mild steel, stainless steel, aluminium) are highly recyclable and there are established systems in place for collection and recycling.

Objectives

• Reduce the average time per job spent finding and retrieving materials.
• Ensure quality systems are implemented for goods receival.

Targets

• 35% improvement on time taken to locate and deliver materials to workstations.

Outcomes

What was implemented?

• Yard cleaned and sorted - everything now has a place and is effortlessly accessible.
• Trial of material tagging for job allocation worked well but we need to refine the process.
• Racks were constructed and installed.
• Deployed new software, including inventory management.

Key issues

• Knowing where to start due to the sheer volume of materials.
• The amount of time the problem had been accumulating.
• Changing the mindset of staff and management to prioritise improvement.
• Time constraints and labour availability.

Performance against targets

• We exceeded our target of 35% reduction in time taken to locate and deliver materials to workstations and this is reflected in our current on-time delivery performance, which has increased from 52% to 82%.

Lessons learnt

• The value of having materials in an allocated space.
• Better inventory management and an organised yard saves on time, improves safety and helps to meet deadlines.
• The volume of waste generated in Tasmania, particularly green waste, and how this is being recycled.