Emag thailand modernization of thai manufacturing system
1. NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 201168
special Advertorial
On a Mission to Modernize
the Thai
Manufacturing System
You will meet few people who seem as passionate about what they do as Uli
Kaiser, EMAG’s Business Development Manager for South East Asia. In fact, he
even admits to us that he is somewhat like a missionary; but instead of converting
people’s religious beliefs, Uli sees himself as converting them to new and more
efficient manufacturing practices.
When we met Uli, one of the first things
he tells us is how he wishes to change
the culture of production managers
from one where they rigidly stick to the
traditional “nagare” process, to one where they
start to reach towards a modern “world class”
manufacturing method. In the nagare concept,
the production process is thought of as a
one-piece flow of the workpiece, and is split up
into simple steps with simple machines, usually
arranged in a U-shape.
Many manufacturers will claim that the
nagare method has served them well for many
years, and that there is no need for any change,
but Uli opens our eyes and walks us through the
many problems with this traditional approach
that are costing manufacturers in terms of
productivity, efficiency, and ultimately money.
While many managers are aware of the problems
with the nagare concept, many do not know
how they can change the ways they do things
in order to eliminate these problems. He informs
us how Thai manufacturers are right now at a
crossroads where it is time to make a decision
2. NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2011 69
on which type of production system they wish to
follow for at least the next 10 to 15 years. It is
time for manufacturers to decide whether they
wish to continue with the traditional approach or
to move forward with new and more productive
methods.
Uli describes to us how many of the problems
of the nagare approach come from its
over-reliance on the operators. Further explaining
that while labor expenses may not be very high
right now, they are going up rapidly, plus the costs
of labor do not merely come in the form of
wages, but also come in from increased mistakes
and lower productivity when compared to
automated methods. With the nagare
method, the operator is responsible for almost
everything, from setup to carrying out offsets,
changing over pallets and workpieces, and
finally checking the quality of every piece.
“During the middle of the day, operations may
be able to be carried out effectively, but by the
end of the shift, or at 3 am in the morning, the
operator will not be working to their maximum
potential,” explains Uli.
In contrast, he tells us how the EMAG
philosophy is to completely remove the worker
from as many tasks as possible. This means there
is no manual offsetting, and integrated gauging
using an inbuilt probe makes automatic offsets in
order to implement process capability, where
geometries are kept not just within acceptable
tolerances, but within such tight limits that only
about one in a hundred workpieces even need
to be inspected. This is in contrast to the
traditional nagare process where almost every
workpiece requires inspection. In addition, problems
from vibrations are minimized with EMAG’s
Mineralit stone bed and stable structure, and
problems with temperature are minimized with a
cooling system for the whole machine, and not
just the spindle.
Another typical feature of a nagare system is
the use of numerous basic machines for
carrying out the different steps of the process. This
leads to constant re-clamping as the
workpiece is moved from machine to machine,
adding compound errors at each step. Uli
explained that with a world-class machining
method, many different processes are integrated
into one machine. This allows turning, drilling,
milling, grinding, fine boring, reaming, stamping
and gauging etc. to be carried out on one
machine, with the workpiece not needing to be
removed and then clamped into another
machine for each process. This reduces both the
compound errors that develop from constant
re-clamping, as well as the total number of
machines, reducing total capital costs.
Uli provided us with an example where using
the nagare method manufacturers would have
needed about 48 classic machines, whereas with
a world-class method using advanced machines
only about 12 machines were necessary, saving
the factory significant floor space. With
automated systems and fewer machines, fewer
workers are required. Processes that would
previously have used four operators, now only need
one to two. Another added benefit of fewer
machines is less energy usage (around 30% less
according to Uli) and less maintenance as well
(also around 30% less); thereby providing
manufacturers with significant process savings.
A further critical aspect of a world-class
manufacturing system is, according to Uli, the use
of high-powered machines. Uli tells us that EMAG’s
machines have three times the power of classic
machines, which gives them three times the speed
of these machines as well. This power, in turn,
means that tools can also cut deeper, resulting in
much faster machining; plus, in addition to this,
tool wear that is equal to that of machining at
slower speeds.
Uli went on to explain how as well as being
more powerful, EMAG’s machines were more
efficient as well. He gave examples of how EMAG’s
machines could operate 24 hours per day,
compared to an average of 20 hours per day for
classic machines. With classic machines displaying
an average of 265 days’ operation per year, Uli
told us that his EMAG machines could reach
operating times of 300 to 350 days per year. All
of these efficiencies add up to a technical
availability (TA) of 98%, as well as an overall
equipment efficiency (OEE) of 85% in comparison
to an OEE of 70% for classic machines.
In order to continue spreading his message, Uli
hasjoinedforceswithSECOToolsandWaltertohost
a technical presentation at the Metalex Thailand
2011 on December 21, 2011, where he, along with
some of EMAG’s top technical specialists, will be
demonstrating EMAG’s philosophy as well as its
machining, joining and laser welding technology.
Those interested in hearing more about world-class
machining methods can contact Uli at +66 87 146
8800 or e-mail : ukaiser@emag.com.
