Case Studies & project summaries

Project Summary 

PROVEN RESULTS AT FORD

Revolutionized material usage in vehicle design.  

Material selection for a given component is critically important to the vehicle’s weight, cost, quality, performance, lifecycle, and recyclability.  To understand the scope of processes used and potential investments required to meet the cycle plan demands, comprehensive information for each element used in every vehicle is required.

Working with Vehicle Engineering, a data collection system was created to gather specific information from each engineer at the component level.  This data was put into an algorithm with carline volume numbers from Product Planning.  Algorithms were used to determine the total weight of vehicles, manufacturing process capacities needed, and material substitution alternatives for better meeting EPA and NHTSA regulations.

Business planning to meet component cycle and market demands, inspiring new  products from suppliers, major facility investments, global sourcing and regulation compliance.

Project Summary 

PROVEN RESULTS AT BORG WARNER

Borg Warner Automotive (BWA) Controls division was a group of six small companies ranging from manufacturing of superchargers to micro chips. Each seemed to be a viable business on its own but had little symbiotic advantage to being part of the group. The Board of Directors therefore requested an assessment and a growth strategy for the business.  

Recognizing that some business units needed special investments and and support to grow, we looked for acquisitions which would add manufacturing capability or enhance our market position.

The strategy was set to sell the microchip division, hold the turbocharge division, buy a European manufacturing company, expand the powertrain solenoid business buying Holley from Coltech. 

This plan was put into place and proceeded to successful completion. 

Project Summary 

PROVEN RESULTS AT RAYCHEM

Product marketing strategies were successfully employed to introduce newly patented Copper SME Alloy to established markets and products. 

Shape memory effect (SME) composites in copper-based alloys had mechanical properties which limited use in many commercial applications.A wide variety of processing variables lead to seemingly unpredictable mechanical properties.

Working with scientists, engineering and marketing, we mapped the processing effects on resulting physical properties for selected SME alloys.  After established markets and products for these alloys, market strategies were successfully detailed to sell copper SME alloys from the newly patented processing methods.

Project Summary 

PROVEN RESULTS AT UNITED TECHNOLOGIES

UTA’s maquiladora plant did not have the skilled trades people sufficient to manufacture parts for cut-strip-terminate machines.

Plant management in Juarez worked with Mexican labor union to establish a tiered skilled trades training program for fabrication of “close tolerance” machined parts.

Mexican plant labor was stabilized, and the skill base of the labor union was raised significantly. UTA was able to supply all resale consumable parts to customers in Mexico instead of importing from Japan.

Project Summary

PROVEN RESULTS AT NICHOLS ALUMINUM

Quanex Corporation: President, Nichols Aluminum

Transformed Division into the largest and most profitable

Increased profits from $12M to $42M in three years through quality improvement programs.

A major capital investment in an aluminum continuous-cast hot mill was not approaching throughput potential. Quality of product and labor efficiency were limiting output and market acceptance of product.

Initiating Employee Continuous Improvement Teams to utilize 5S, TQM, Green Belt and Black Belt training increased monthly output from 25 to 43 million pounds and improve quality to penetrate new markets with reduced costs.

Project Summary

PROVEN RESULTS AT GENERAL ELECTRIC

Grew Tooling business through new product designs and acquisitions.

Carbide cutting tool inserts have top surfaces designed with bumps and grooves to reduce heat transfer and direct the chip. Empirical data lead to questioning which particular types of carbide and insert design would be best.

R&D, working with Marketing, Sales, Field Engineers, and selected customers, detailed a DoE using lab evaluations, computer algorithms, CAD/CAM designs, SLA 3D printing, to determine optimum application and machining conditions.

Strategic development utilized CAE to optimize cutting tool designs.

Project Summary

PROVEN RESULTS AT VOLKSWAGEN

Design, introduction and quick adaption of first electonic solenoid-controlled EGR valves

EGR valves, used by the automotive industry to reduce emissions and meet federal requirements, were traditionally vacuum- operated valves that controlled exhaust gas pollution.

Volkswagen engineers worked with outside suppliers to design and introduce the first electronic solenoid controlled EGR valve, which not only significantly reduced emissions in excess of government regulations, but also was seen to be a dramatic fuel efficiency gain.

This innovative product design was approved and quickly adopted in the automotive industry.

Project Summary

PROVEN RESULTS AT TIMKEN

Production was released at Ford Truck for a specified Timken continuous-cast steel that had been previously restricted.

Continuous cast steel bar had long been noted as having imperfections cast into the bar due to the casting process. This issue led to its restricted use for critical safety components at Ford motor company.  

Working with Timken steel at their continuous casting plant, Ford engineers in product development and manufacturing quality demonstrated that Timkin could restrict the impurities in their process.

By assuring Ford management that Timken’s process was within the statistical control zone, Six sigma proved out that the level of cleanliness was beyond the safety factor needed for the steering applications of Ford trucks.  

Project Summary

PROVEN RESULTS AT ITT-CANNON

ITT Defense Global Business Strategy for ITT Cannon and factories in North America, Mexico, Europe and Asia manufacturing connectors for regional markets.

Problem:  Redundant product lines and local design specifications required costly redundancy in resources to support production and marketing.

Solution:

• Working across all organizations of production, engineering, and marketing, a global strategy was identified that would reduce redundancy, save costs, and effect quicker times to market.
• Product lines were consolidated in locations which had the resources to support them most effectively.
• New products were designed with global applications considered and one production facility was selected so that larger production volumes would reduce costs.
• Global product design centers for each product line were designated to serve the customer on a global basis with dedicated resources.

Republic Steel, Supplier Development

Ford had long used sheet steel at gauges which met engineering design criteria for the minimum amount of cost. Newer alloys with unique properties could be used in designs at much smaller gauges with greater performance, reliability and at lower weights. 

Working with Republic steel, we were able to analyze plans for all carlines combined for a given company.  We were able to reduce the cost for weight reduction across the carlines.