If you own an iPad, Surface or another one of the popular tablet devices, most likely you probably use it to watch HD video, play games or check your Facebook page.
But at least one Indiana company has found a unique use for the iPad and it’s one more and more companies are likely to start implementing: Improving the way data is collected and used to improve workplace flow and processes.
Diversity Vuteq — which is based in the small town of Princeton, Indiana, about 150 miles southwest of Indianapolis — is a maker of injection-molded plastic components that are used in a nearby Toyota assembly plant for the interiors of vehicles such as the Highlander and Sienna.
Using Tablets to Increase Productivity
Bill Buck, the company’s assistant sales and logistics manager, said they were looking for a way to improve operations, reduce costs and increase communications. The iPad solved all three problems.
In October, the company started using the tablets to develop a process that minimized the number of picking errors as measured by the number of plastic kanban containers returned by the Toyota plant because they held the wrong part. They also sought to provide 100% accountability so that if someone did make a mistake, it could be identified and corrective steps could be taken so that it didn’t occur a second time. Finally, they wanted to eliminate redundant team members from the process whose sole responsibility was quality control.
Practically Zero Errors
Before the iPads were being used, Toyota was sending back about 10 to 15 containers per month. Since the system was deployed, they aren’t returning practically any of the kanban containers.
“Our total error for the current month was two containers,” Buck told Modern Materials Handling. “But those two containers were pulled from a dock area where the (warehouse management system) is not yet in place. Where we’re using the system, we have zero errors.”
Another benefit of the iPads is that they are approachable for new users and require almost no training. New workers can quickly learn to use them even if they have little or no experience with the processes.
“We are a Japanese plant and we have embraced lean technology,” Buck said. “Visualization is an important component of lean. That was a big selling point to implementing this solution.”
How They Are Being Used
Diversity Vuteq produces 100 different parts and each part is available in three colors The product team is given a six-week forecast on a rolling basis. On the first of each month, Toyota gives the company a firm production number that outlines how many vehicles will be produced within a specified time period. But the monthly forecasts don’t give Diversity Vuteq information about what colors or options are required, information that won’t be known until closer to vehicle production. Consequently, the plant builds product schedules broken down by color and part based on trends and averages.
“We try to keep one-and-a-half to two days worth of inventory in storage at all times,” said Buck. “Using the forecasts and Toyota’s order history, we try to anticipate what they may order and build stock from that.
The iPads have turned this process from a three-person job that resulted in 10 to 15 errors per month to a one-man job with essentially no mistakes.
“Today, we have one person doing a one-person job, and we’re investigating ways to further streamline picking and palletizing,” said Buck.