Tool Organization for The Large Line

Contributed by Will Fitzpatrick.

Altec AIR recently completed a project in the Large Line assembly area involving the reorganization of resources, with the purpose of creating a more steady flow of the overall production processes and eliminating waste.

Will Fitzpatrick

This phase of the project focused primarily on the tool carts and tool benches, and was headed up by Will Fitzpatrick, Lead Technician of the area and carried out with the help of several other Large Line associates.

The first objective was to replace the old shadow boards on both the carts and benches which, in some cases, had displayed permanent outlines on pegboards for tools that were no longer present or needed for the assemblies in that area.

Next we established which tools were needed in each area and which were not.

We set out to have each tool individually labeled and to have a fixture to hold it in place. Our aim was to have all tools presented in an organized manner that would NOT be permanent. This would allow us to change the layout of the tools as needed over time. We accomplished by using hooks and fixtures that are held on by a screw and nut, as well as identified each tool with magnetic labels placed on the metal pegboards. Both the hook fixtures and magnetic labels can be easily moved and relocated on the work benches and carts to accommodate any future updates and changes.

In addition to the hooks and fixtures on the tool benches, we added, on either side of the peg board, metal louvers to hang small bins.  These bins can be utilized to hold additional materials needed for assemblies, such as thread sealant, loctite, Teflon tape, drill bits and taps. This furthers our attempt to cut down on wasteful movement spent searching for anything needed for completion of the task at hand in each particular assembly area.

Overall, the project was, and continues to be, a success. By having all the necessary tools and materials present at the point of use, we have cut down significantly on wasteful movement, created a less stressful work environment, and have established a much smoother flow for the Large Line production area.