What prompted Cincinnati Machine to adopt cellular manufacturing for its machine tool fabrication?
A. “The challenges facing our manufacturing operation are similar to those of a large job shop. Cincinnati Machine manufactures a broad range of component parts, varying in size and complexity, that must be produced in relatively small volumes. The actual part mix produced varies from day to day, depending upon the specific machine components required on the assembly floor. Producing parts in large batches, to amortize setup costs, was not an acceptable option due to the effects on product leadtime and the costs of carrying the inventory.” Q. Many companies struggle with the question of where to begin cell implementation. Where did you begin? A. “The Cincinnati Machine parts manufacturing organization was facing a number of problems—long leadtimes, underutilized equipment, repetition of costly setup time, expensive work-in-process inventories, the need to outsource components, quality issues and so on. As the investigation progressed, it became obvious that cellular manufacturing was t
