Idaho-based TechHelp aids about 200 companies a year

BYLINE: IBR Staff

At Western Trailers, plant expansion and stepped-up production came with a price: reduced efficiency.

Enter TechHelp, the manufacturing extension program that Idaho's three public universities operate. TechHelp is helping Western get lean.

After 38 years in business, managers and employees of Boise-based Western know a few things about manufacturing trailers for large trucks.

But there's always room for improvement, Manufacturing Manager Kay Panter said.

He, Western Trailers President Jerry Whitehead and a couple of other senior managers went through TechHelp's lean-manufacturing course a few years ago.

Now, the company is paying for all of the approximately 50 supervisors at the 225-employee manufacturing plant to go through a new and more intense version.

"It's just good manufacturing, getting the waste out," Panter said.

There's a need for greater efficiency, especially as companies get bigger, he said.

Western Trailers built a new manufacturing plant in 1998 and expanded it last year. The company has added about 75 manufacturing employees in the past two years, Panter said.

"With the rapid growth we had, it was easier to lose focus on the principles because we were trying to get product out," he said. "This brought us back into focus. And it's helpful to teach the people on the floor. "

Already, Western managers see efficiency gains in the reorganized parts of the plant, Panter said.

The "lean" approach to manufacturing aims to eliminate waste. Steve Hatten, a TechHelp manufacturing specialist helping Western make changes, said little inefficiencies can add up to a big issue in plants that produce large objects. For example, a Western employee searching for a tool might have to first walk around a large trailer.

The answer is to cut down on unnecessary movements and repeated steps, said Hatten, a former Boeing employee.

Western check-listed tasks at each workstation, identified overlaps and balanced worker responsibilities at each station, he said. TechHelp and Western standardized where work happens and where tools and materials are located. They organized supplies for specific tasks, in some cases placing them on carts. They made compressed air handier to use by adding outlets without reducing power and flow.

Hatten said the changes, which continue, challenge Western employees in that the company's success reflects a willingness to customize trailers.

"Their success in the marketplace affects everything from engineering to procurement to fabrication," he said. "These changes will help them to continue to offer their customized products while increasing efficiency. "

Students earn a Lean Enterprise Certificate from the 360vu Research and Education Foundation after completing the 56-hour program. (Information: www.techhelp.org/lecp.) Then they can take an exam for the Lean Knowledge Certificate, sanctioned by the Association for Manufacturing Excellence and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. A recent federal grant fueled the program.

In one recent class at Western Trailers, TechHelp instructor Don Hansen covered topics including the real cost of product defects, machine inefficiencies and unplanned down time, and accidents.

Production employees can play a key role in analyzing, maintaining and managing equipment, and in making sure operations are as safe and efficient as possible, he said.

Kim Wyndance, enrolled in the program, is workforce training manager for Western Trailers. Now, tools and parts are easier to find, and less manpower is wasted, she said. Shadow boards mark the proper location for tools, and places for big items are taped off, down to every trash can.

"It eliminated some of the stress," she said.

The lean training, and the changes made so far, keep people in their workstations, said Darren Martin, a line supervisor who has worked for Western for 10 years.

Panter said the first class, in the fall, involved people who supervise one of Western's three manufacturing lines. Shop cleanliness, product flow and employee efficiency improved, he said.

Growth has leveled a bit at Western, but business remains strong, he said.

TechHelp Marketing Manager Bill Mullane said Western Trailers and Woodgrain Millwork, Fruitland, are among the first companies to enroll in the Lean Enterprise Certificate Program.

TechHelp works with about 200 companies a year, according to information from the organization.