Automotive Success Summary
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This case study depicts how Toyota began their process of improving their warehouse operation in one short week.
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Automotive Success Summary
- 1. Success Summary - Automotive Lean Manufacturing Babbleware gets consideration Lean manufacturing techniques have been embraced by many manufacturers around the world. Toyota is An executive discovered Babbleware and asked his the undisputed champion of this approach and has operational team to look into it as a potential been a world leader in lean techniques for decades. candidate for the project. He wanted the team to Always looking to improve on their stellar record, learn and validate if Babblewares claims of high they wanted to improve the operational performance speed operational innovation, non-disruptive change, of a Toyota Tsusho America (TAI) after-market parts and the ability to work with existing systems without distribution facility to better serve its international the need for costly upgrades could actually be customers. This facility is one of 5 international accomplished in their environment. distribution centers that have Continent-level responsibility for Toyota parts distribution. After consulting with the Babbleware team the client began an evaluation of Babblewares proposed solution. Babbleware claimed that its patent-pending Operational business problems technology could work with the companys existing systems, would require no costly changes or TAI wanted to improve upon their accuracy level of upgrades, and could leverage wireless technology 99.6%. Most companies would consider that and mobile computing and printing to improve their performance exceptional, but anything short of six operation. Company executives were presented with sigma wasnt going to be considered success. They a Proof of Concept (POC) proposal by Babbleware also felt that productivity was impacted by their and approved the project. accuracy goals for their distribution centers. Business growth plans called for continued, increased throughput and Babbleware delivered the DC was already pressed to keep up. The prototype was scheduled for a one- week period using BabbleWares Innovate in a Week approach. At the conclusion of the prototype Toy would have TAI found that designed, developed, deployed AND measured the their existing effects of a custom Enterprise App for their picking business systems operation with the assistance of BabbleWare. did not meet their need to constantly improve their On Monday a temporary wireless network was set operation. The change to the existing system was too up. It took a little over a day, including: server, access large and took too long. To change the existing points, mobile computers and mobile printers. In the system would have cost more money and had early afternoon of Tuesday the work toward building tremendous risk. Integrating a new application the custom Enterprise App for Picking began. would be of equal cost and risk, but now IT would have to weld the two solutions together. None of 90 minutes laterthe Enterprise App for Picking was these options are unique to Toyota and none of them published and available. Immediately one worker were appealing, either. The company continued to and supervisor were on the floor picking. Instead of consider alternatives. being handed a ream of pick labels, they walked onto the warehouse floor with nothing but a mobile computer and mobile printer.
- 2. Success Summary - Automotive facility: Receiving, Storage/Putaway, Picking, Merging, and Loading. rapid results Once the full project commenced, BabbleWare worked closely and quickly with TAI to publish Results were dramatic and immediate. They began Enterprise Apps for all 5 Enterprise Apps that fit picking as directed by the Enterprise App. Print-on- TAIs needs like a glove. Within the first three weeks demand pick labels were applied only when the pick an Enterprise App for each of the major processes had been validated. Training was immediate and the was designed, developed, deployed and measured. benefits apparent. The next day, all 16 workers had Work continued as new processes were added. A used the Enterprise App to pick; offering many Physical Inventory was upcoming and with less than suggestions that improved the process with each 3 business days notice, the joint team created a new tweak through the rest of the week. Enterprise App for Physical Inventory that cut their count time in half while increasing the accuracy of 4 days later, after hundreds of hours of picking and the count itself. thousands of line items, TAI stopped to measure. They were excited to see that during the week with the Enterprise App, they had made no picking errors. They were amazed to discover, as a side benefit, that Each company is unique their workers also increased their productivity by nearly 290%. Not only were they much more accurate (their goal), they were now also Babblewares non-invasive, non-disruptive strategy substantially faster. Business volumes could to improve operations helped this leader in lean continue to increase and they wouldnt have to hire increase its lead and business advantage over its proportionally more workers. competitors with relatively minimal cost and virtually no risk. The success achieved from Babbleware helps the company postpone a facility Based upon the success of the Innovate in a Week expansion and the added productivity eliminated a program, Company executives immediately approved need to expand headcount to support increased converting the prototype project into full operational volume. These improvements have positioned the production. Furthermore, they expanded the scope company to expand Babbleware to the companys of the project to cover the facilities entire operation. global operations. TAI acquired a one year SaaS license for the BabbleWare software as well as more professional For more info : call 1-414-412-5089 ; e-mail services to create Enterprise Apps for their entire info@babblewareinc.com , twitter: BabbleWareInc