By Rob Michell, Operations Manager
At Bauer, we tend to use the phrase "Continuous Improvement" infrequently and instead focus on living by what those words mean. We set very aggressive targets for improving our performance, knowing full well that as we reach these targets we are not finished. Instead, we repeat the process with a fresh assessment of our areas that need improvement. As the phrase suggests, the process never ends. To accomplish this, Bauer has made it a core aspect of our business culture.
In Engineering, we are blessed with seemingly endless problems and challenges. I say blessed for two reasons:
- We are presented with many opportunities to evaluate how we could have dealt with challenges faster and more completely, or better yet - prevent the problems in the first place,
- We thrive on solving problems in a challenging environment!
Specifically, our Engineering continuous improvement initiatives are typically related to the following categories:
- Standard Design Elements
- Requirements Alignment
- Velocity
One of our on-going improvement efforts has been to create standard "reusable" design elements. The goal of this initiative is to save time (both calendar and resource hours) by making use of proven design modules when developing larger custom systems.
This approach yields efficiencies through uniformity. It also improves reliability and reduces risk by using tried and true components.
Examples include standard design modules for temperature control, pumping and pressure control, instrumentation systems and test stand configurations.
Successful communication is the cornerstone of ensuring the equipment we deliver aligns perfectly with our customer's requirements. Despite everyone's best intentions, there are cases where the written requirements fall short of identifying all the many details that go into designing our equipment. Because of this, we are always looking at how we can exchange more information with our customers at the early stages of projects. We've introduced Web conferences to share drawings and design details with our customers when travel for face to face meeting is not practical or timely. The more frequently we collaborate with our customers, the closer we can align with their requirements.
One of our biggest challenges is delivering the highest quality products that are uniquely suited to our customer's needs in the fastest possible time frame. We must be sure we fully align with all requirements, but we must do so rapidly. The standard design elements we establish certainly contribute to improving our velocity. Our other velocity improvement efforts relate to streamlining our engineering processes. Recently we simultaneously expanded the topics covered during new project kick-offs while accelerating the start of and movement through the kick-off process. Getting new orders in the hands of our engineers quickly ensures that critical time isn't lost at the start of projects.
Central to our continuous improvement efforts in Engineering is a desire shared by our entire staff to strongly contribute to our customer's success. Bauer engineers thrive on finding new ways to make this happen with each and every piece of equipment we build.