Region: UK

Buhler is a world leader in innovation and delivery of sorting solutions to the global food and non-food processing industries. They design, manufacture and supply optical sorting machines to over 100 countries throughout the world. The machines are used to detect and remove unwanted and blemished material from products such as rice, coffee, nuts, vegetables, etc. They are a low volume, high value, high technology assembly operation utilising modern manufacturing techniques.

Lean Manufacturing
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Buhler builds its machines on a production line which operates to a Takt. More than 10 major product types and a range of options are built, tested, packed and dispatched in an integrated, single piece flow system.

Lean Techniques such as shadow boards for tools, the supply of materials using Kanbans, the grouping of material requirements into kits, and the involvement of staff in sustained and continuous improvement are employed.

Visual Management is used in the whole supply chain from product enquiry through to product ordering, manufacture and dispatch, providing all functional areas with a consistent information base. Visual management is also used to track progress against plan, and identify and action variances.

The major drive for Lean Manufacturing is the reduction in throughput times for the factory, where a 50% improvement has already been achieved. There is also an emphasis on high standards in 5S.

People and Leadership
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Buhler has benefited from the introduction of a flat organisational structure, empowering its workforce, teamworking and greatly improved internal communications. More recently Buhler Sortex has begun rolling out competency-based job descriptions and performance appraisals. These changes, their objectives and what has been achieved will be shared with visitors.

Customer Relationship Management and Support
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The pre-sales and after-sales performance of Buhler Sortex is delivered through its extensive global sales and service organisation that consists of skilled personnel, state-of-the-art systems (CRM software; remote machine monitoring technologies) and efficient business processes (market analysis, sales lead generation, sales quotation, corrective action processes and so on)

Visit agenda

10:00 Arrival & Welcome​

Safety & Introductions​

Buhler SORTEX & Rice ​

10:30 Optical Sorting  & Video​

10:45

Group 1:​ Factory Tour & Demo​

Group 2:​ Engagement Presentation by Team Leaders​

11:45 Repeat​

12:45 Lunch​

13:30 Lean Journey (Highlights)​

14:00 Industry 4.0 ​

15:00 Feedback & Close ​

Marshalls is the UK’s leading supplier of concrete and natural stone products for external landscaping. We manufacture products for both commercial and domestic markets, including paving, block paving, kerb and edgings, drainage and water management solutions, protective street furniture, lighting, concrete bricks, masonry, walling and mortar.

The Marshall’s vision is to “Create Better Spaces” and “Futures for everyone”, socially, environmentally and economically.

Marshall’s are 4 years into a Continuous Improvement Journey that has embraced Lean as well as SHINGO principles.  They have deployed and engaged their teams in the delivery or waste reduction projects and seen a significant return on investment; increased engagement and improved productivity. On the visit Marshalls will share their journey and you will get to see some of the individual projects and programmes that have changed the way that they work.

Visit agenda

09:30 Arrival

09:45 Welcome & Introductions

10:00 Business Overview / Who are Marshalls

11:00 The Marshalls Way (OpEx Model)

12:00 Networking Lunch

13:00 Go & See Tour

14:00 LEAD – Employee Development

14.30 Marshalls Maturity Assessment (MMA)

15:00 Feedback Session

15:30 Close

TRUMPF has been a Family business since 1923. Innovation and technology leading is important to TRUMPF’s strategy. With nearly 15,000 employees worldwide and revenue over 3.5 billion Euros there is a global manufacturing network, all linked and optimised by SYNCHRO (TRUMPF’s Lean model).

In additional to Laser manufacture, TRUMPF produce Machine tools for cutting and bending materials. Other business fields include Additive manufacturing, Photonic components and Extreme Ultra Violet lasers (used in semiconductor manufacture).

TRUMPF UK Laser Ltd (aka TGBL) is growing and evolving with many new, “sustainable” markets finding applications for Pulsed Laser products, such as components for electric mobility.

TGBL (formerly SPI Lasers) is fully integrated into TRUMPF’s Production network as a Customer and Supplier to other TRUMPF subsidiaries. TGBL also sell directly to non-TRUMPF Customers.

TruPulse nano Products (one of the three Product Value Streams at TGBL) represent high volume Production within the TRUMPF network and have leveraged SYNCHRO methodologies to focus on one piece flow, levelled Production and linked planning triggers to minimise inventory and increase flexibility.

An in-house designed MES system enables structure and transparency to Production status and capacity.

You will see a Production line and workstations designed to eliminate waste and provide transparency. Monitored with simple shopfloor management and complex, deep dive data from MES to optimise and redesign.

The visit will focus on Unit 4 in Southampton. There are two other Production units in Southampton, for other Product line assembly and Fibre Production. There is also a Production site in Rugby, who is both a Customer and Supplier to Southampton Cells.

Visit agenda

09.30: Arrival & Welcome

10.00: Overview of TRUMPF Group

10.30: Gemba Production line Tour

11.30: Continuous Improvement & SFM (SYNCHRO)

12.00: Gemba CI in Action

12.30: Lunch

13.00: CI Projects at TRUMPF UK & Target Conditions

14.00: Review & Feedback

14.30: Close & Depart