2. Transforming Operational Excellence
Continuous improvement is a commitment to elevating the minds and talents of everyone in the organization with a gradual, directed
and supportive approach of investment in individual employee knowledge, experience and empowerment. In order to achieve
Operational Excellence within an organization:
● Introduce a continuous improvement system made up of simple elements to manage your organization’s
problem solving efforts on a daily basis. It aims at focus on customers and solving problems for good.
● Close gaps in your human system that cause turnover, loss of your knowledge base and dissatisfied,
disengaged teams. It aims at safety, teamwork and mutual trust and respect.
● Tighten your operational system to close gaps that cause missed promises and customer dissatisfaction.
It aims at production that is high value and just in time.
The following portfolio includes examples of my work at L&S Machine Co, LLC, which incorporated the above strategies in support of
the company’s operational excellence goals.
(Adapted from the Adams Strategy for Operational Excellence)
3. Gregory S. Susa
Continuous Improvement Samples: Outcomes Summary
Manufacturing Process Engineering
SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Dies) Development
Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Campaign
Tool Crib Modernization
The 5S Visual Factory
Tooling expenses reduced by $1.5 million per year
ISO9001C and AS9100 certification standards achieved
Throughput increased 40% / Scrap decreased 25%
Production capacity increased by 1200%
Safety teamwork implemented for 10 CFR Part 21 Appendix B
4. Tool Crib Modernization Tooling expenses reduced by $1.5 million per year
As part of our visual factory initiative (which included waste elimination and expansion of
capital equipment space — using lean tools), we modernized L&S Machine Company’s tool
crib by:
● Eliminating waste of obsolete tooling
● Color-coding and sorted for storage types of tools for ease of selection
● Reducing tooling storage needs by 60%
● Installing four AutoCrib* vending machines with auto-reorder capability
● Saving money on stock tooling through use of the AutoCrib consignment system
● Expanding space for capital equipment: three Haas VF2-YT CNC machining centers
● Increasing plant capacity by 15%
● Lowering tooling expenses by $1.5 million per year
● Making tooling readily-available for critical, short lead-time jobs, allowing us to meet
our customers’ emergency needs
● Decreasing our non-conforming parts by reducing incorrect tooling selection *For more information, visit www.autocrib.com
5. Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Campaign ISO9001C and AS9100 certification standards achieved
Commercially-available posters, magnets, and digital signage were deployed throughout
the entire plant to foster clean, safe work environments. This culture supports continual
improvement of ISO9001C, AS9100 and NQA1 quality standards for the nuclear,
aerospace and medical industries.
This is an example of how one small expenditure can lead to huge gains in attaining goals.
6. SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Dies) Development Throughput increased 40% / Scrap decreased 25%
This three-year development project focused on a modular, zero-point fixturing strategy.
Upon completion of 122 newly-designed and redesigned fixtures (using a combination of
commercially-available and in-house engineering) across 35 CNC machining centers, I
was able to measure the following outcomes:
● Reduced setup and/or change-over times for all equipment to 10 minutes or
less (formerly 30 minutes to 3 days).
● Palletized fixture designs were included to decrease table-to-table time, in
some cases, by 70%. (see photo at right)
● Zero-point positioning allowed SPC Data Collection via proprietary software
installed on all CNC equipment using Renishaw Controls CNC machine probes.
This improved quality data analysis in real-time with automatic warnings to
operators of nonconforming work, resulting in a 95% decrease in set-up scrap.
● L&S Machine Company saw a 40% increase in throughput.
● Increased capacity for short lead-time work (without new hires) with zero
effect on customer delivery schedules.
VF2 CNC machine with duplicate palletized fixtures shown
on wooden work table at left and inside on machine table.
7. SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Dies) Development continued
● The fixture modularity program decreased interruption to product throughput due to equipment failure by 75%.
● Eliminated process bottlenecks by adding duplicate fixtures to other machines to create additional resources.
● Decreased skill level required to operate CNC machines. New employees could begin production sooner, with less supervision.
● Increased Supervisor and Area Manager time to address more complex issues or pursue advanced education opportunities.
● Fixture identification and CNC program pairing became systematic, and was integrated into L&S Machine Company’s quality management
system.
● Successfully processed a 47% mid-year increase in orders without additional hires through material, staffing, and throughput management
with 100% on-time and 99.97% quality rating.
8. Manufacturing Process Engineering Production capacity increased by 1200%
In order to reduce the total number of operations required from raw material to finished product
(specific proprietary item), I developed innovative vacuum fixturing (see photo at right) for vertical
CNC equipment and partnered with Fullerton Tool to reduce risk exposure to L&S Machine Company
in the design of a leading-edge, variable-pitch profile mill with guide bushings. These advances saw
quantitative decreases in operation time (20 hours down to 3 hours per batch), increasing overall
capacity by 400% per shift (total of 1200% across three shifts).
This single project, completed at a minimal cost of $1000 (75% less than projected due to partnership
with Fullerton Tool), unlocked additional opportunities to re-engineer the manufacturing process.
With these projected increases in raw material processing, downstream capacity needed to be
increased with minimal capital expenditure. Therefore, we began a partnership with WARDJet to
develop a 6-axis robotic arm waterjet production cell. Coupled with design changes to additional
proprietary operations and elimination of 13 machining steps and six manual procedures, the process
would be reduced to a total of five operations plus final inspection. Other benefits to this improvement
project include:
● Redirection of 11 pieces of capital equipment to other endeavors
● Reallocation of labor (three employees instead of eight/decreased supervision ratio)
● Increase of profit on item (up to 35%)
● Cost reduction to customer (up to 25%)
Fully-assembled vacuum chuck.
*Due to downturn in orders, this project was tabled.
9. The 5S Visual Factory Safety teamwork implemented for 10 CFR Part 21 Appendix B
This corporate initiative was implemented to change the international image of L&S
Machine Company from a small-town job shop to one of a global leader in energy
manufacturing. 5S Visual Workplace is a cornerstone of continual improvement and
lean strategy. As a management leader, I helped lead the visual renaissance of the
shop floor by:
● Instituting Gemba Walk for all employees to develop pride in the
workplace and ownership of the 5S initiatives (as well as safety) as part of
the new workplace culture
● Creating an open and supportive environment for Andon across the
company for anything from nonconforming work to safety hazards and
cleanliness
● Building a passion for quality and safety
● Implementing the AutoCrib tooling system
● Redesigning the production floor layout into multi-CNC center cells with
safety, work-smarter-not harder, and product throughput as key strategies
Workflow on the shop floor at L&S Machine Company
after the implementation of the 5S Visual Factory initiatives.
10. Digital Learning Center
L&S Machine Company, LLC
The foundation of a successful continuous improvement initiative is an accessible and ongoing educational and training
program that not only offers instruction, but provides each employee with opportunities for practice and research.
(Please see accompanying document for proposal details)
“If someone is going down the wrong road,
he doesn’t need motivation to speed him up.
What he needs is education to turn him around.” JIM ROHN
11. Gregory S. Susa
Manufacturing Client List
Westinghouse Nuclear - components for commercial nuclear fuel assemblies,
WH Naval nuclear (see diagram at right)
General Dynamics - Abrams M1A1 Tank Transmission, Anti-infantry defense systems
General Electric - Classified Naval (submarine components)
US Department of Defense - Classified
US Department of Energy - Cable conduit and magnet mounts for Superconducting Super Collider (SSC)
— also known as Desertron
National Aeronautics & Space Administration - Satellite mirror, plus work on Space Shuttle components
Raytheon - Classified
12. Curtiss-Wright - Turbine components
Leybold - Vacuum pump components
Elliott Group - Turbine components
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Ultrasound calibration specimens
Florida Power & Light - Nuclear fuel assemblies, Reactor control systems
Duke Energy - Nuclear fuel assemblies, Reactor control systems
Proton Power Systems - Ceramic fuel cell prototypes
Eskom - Experimental uranium fuel prototype
Bayer Medical - Housing for mobile medical staff computers
Stryker Corporation - Hospital bed components
British Nuclear Fuel - Nuclear fuel assemblies, Reactor control systems
The EDF Group - Nuclear fuel assemblies, Reactor control systems
Abrams M1A1 Main Battle Tank containing transmissions
and anti-infantry defense systems components manufactured
by L&S Machine Co. for General Dynamics.
13. Samsung - Hydrogen power generation technologies
Kennametal - Tooling development
Fullerton Tool Company - Tooling development
Wabtec Corporation - Train braking system components
Owens-Illinois - Glass manufacturing hardware
Parker Hannifin - Circuit board housings
Toshiba Electric - Nuclear fuel assemblies, Reactor control systems
Foro Nuclear - Nuclear fuel assemblies, Reactor control systems
Photon Dynamics Inc - 80” flat screen glass manufacturing equipment housing
Ex One - 3D printed oil and gas impeller prototypes
SATELLITE MIRROR
MANUFACTURED by L&S MACHINE CO:
After 20 years in space, ESA and NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric
Observatory, or SOHO, is still going strong. Originally launched in
1995 to study the sun and its influence out to the very edges
of the solar system, SOHO revolutionized this field of science,
known as heliophysics, providing the basis for more than
5,000 scientific papers. (space.com)
