1) At this time we do not have a design engineer. I have contacted the PCB manufacturer about changing the drill file to close up the diameter on the holes a bit. This should allow the wings on the leads of the component to rest on top of the holes instead of going through them, which would give us the correct height. Also I am going to have a pallet made to satisfy the perpendicularity requirement. So hopefully this solves all the issues. I will post results if anyone is interested.
2) By material movement I mean, when boards come out of the reflow oven and move to the assembly line and ect. I know conveyors would be ideal, but money is the issue with that. We purchased some used conveyors and i had a plan to implement them onto one of our wave solders. I managed to get the entrance conveyor and the exit conveyor to work properly, but the workstation conveyors are non-operational and I do not have the know-how to fix them. So I am kinda stuck.
3) We also use wrist straps as well as a heel strap/floor system, and we test once a day before shifts. But I see employees all the time with their feet off the floor because they are using the heel straps while sitting and not a wrist strap. So we have room for improvement. I feel I have a strong understanding of ESD and how to prevent it, but I do not know how to write up a plan or how to implement/enforce it.
4) Thanks for the starting point on time studies. I had the wave idea stuck in the back of my head since I saw the most room for improvement there. But you stating it has set a solid start point for me.
5) We have a form called a router that currently follows the job through the facility in a folder. At each operation it gets signed by the employee who did the work on the board. But our "Engineer"(I honestly don't know what she does besides yell at herself while eating at her desk. This is a whole other topic that I need help with.)made a universal router for all boards. By cleaning them up I mean to make them all very specific as to what needs to be done on each individual product. I am assuming I can eliminate extra processes once I start my time study? Let me know what you think.
6) I have only read up on kanban and lean manufacturing minimally, But I do believe I am trying to set up a simple kanban system for our stock room as well as non-inventory items. I understand the principals but I would not know how to implement it in our facility.
7) Yes this is pretty self explanatory but my question is where do I start? Do I study one product as it goes through the facility? Or do I study one operation for all the boards that pass through it? Any thoughts?
8) Yes IT will be assisting me with this. I guess I was just looking for any input anyone might have to offer.
9) Yes they could be contacted but the owner of our company does not wish to spend a lot for training, (I know that is his own wrong doing) but I would still like to get it up and running even if I have to find some way to bypass budget constraints.
Also getting other departments to help me is a real challenge. The people here do not like me because of my advancements, and will with-hold information from me. There is also a huge lack of motivation due to managements recent actions regarding our bonus system(Another long story). I am only motivated by self improvement and even that gets difficult at times. So I feel the hardest part for me is getting this place back to an efficiency that allows management to reward employees and increase morale so that I can start to get them back on board.
Reese, I thank you for taking the time out of your day to respond and help me with this. I hope you continue to provide me with insight as I do not have anyone to go to at our facility. Once again thank you.
May I ask what it is that you do?
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