Accu-Fab is ever committed to Continuous Improvement and implementing new Lean Practices. Multiple new projects recently we have been focused in our Paint Department to increase efficiency and enhance our processes capabilities.

In March, the interior walls of our powder coat booths were coated with high gloss white paint to improve the application environment for our operators.  The previous unfinished sheet metal walls easily absorbed light and created shadows, in some cases, requiring the operator to spend more time inspecting the process to ensure quality parts. The new white interiors greatly increase booth illumination with reflected light improving our operator’s ability to detect powder defects during the application process.  The coating also improves the speed and quality of clean up between colors.

                     

To increase efficiently and decrease consumable cost, we also added new supplier managed vending machines to distribute, track and limit consumable usage in the paint shop. This new system ensures we will not overuse our consumables and helps us track inventory and replenishment for specific materials.

New Inbound/Outbound WIP lanes were implemented to improve the flow of materials through the paint process.  This enhances efficiencies, allowing our operators to clearly see which part is staged next and enables the visual tracking of part flow through the paint process.

Accu-Fab’s painters will be participating in an on-site technical training course in the coming months. During these courses, operators will review all the capabilities of our coating equipment, learn about the latest spraying techniques and the breakdown and cleaning of equipment.