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Case revision date:
2014-09-30
Source:
Francois-Johan Roy and David Effa
Length:
5 pages
Summary:
Tiercon Industries Inc., based in Stoney Creek, Ontario, is a supplier of exterior components and systems to the automotive industry, including General Motors, Chrysler, Toyota, Volkswagen, Honda and Subaru. The company manufactures coatings and assembles quality exterior decorative trim such as running boards. In 2013, Tiercon acquired a contract to manufacture a running board for an original equipment manufacturer (OEM). A running board is a vehicle accessory that is mounted beneath the doors on the side of a vehicle, as shown in Figure 1. Tiercon is required to supply 33 car sets of defect-free running boards per day. To efficiently manufacture the running boards, a standardized work process needed to be developed, including an analysis of the workflow, cell layout, and the design of easy to use and ergonomic worktables.
Francois-Johan Roy, a second year Management Engineering co-op students from the University of Waterloo, was asked to help design the work cell for this application.
Learning objectives:
The case covers basic concepts in facilities planning such as process analysis, flow design, facility location and layout. The main expected learning outcome is for students to practice work place design and facilities planning. It is intended that the case study be open-ended, where students will need to move through the engineering design process and conceptualize adequate solutions based on the design requirements.
Key words:
Work cell; Lean manufacturing; Flow design
CEAB attributes:
Problem Analysis; A knowledge base for engineering; Use of Engineering Tools
Modules:
Module 01 - Case Study
Module 02 - Needs Analysis
Module 03 - Lean Manufacturing Inspired Cell Layout Design
Module TN - Teaching Note
