| Client
Profile:
Sheldon
Labs, Inc.
Sheldon Lab Systems is a major manufacturer of laboratory cabinets
for educational institutions. The company employs 80 people in Crystal
Springs, MS.
Situation:
Due to a recent reduction in the number of manufacturers of educational
system laboratory cabinet manufacturers in the United States, Sheldon
Labs Systems was presented with an opportunity for growth in sales
and market share. Sheldon’s challenge was to increase their
production capacity without reducing their profit margin. In July
of 2006 Sheldon Labs contacted the Manufacturing Extension Partnership
of Mississippi (MEP.ms) Mississippi State University’s Industrial
Outreach Service (MSU-IOS) and requested help in using Lean manufacturing
techniques. They wanted to reduce costs, improve quality, and maintain
delivery schedules while increasing the number of cabinets produced
per month. MEP.ms/MSU-IOS project manager, John Moore, and Co-op
student Wesley Scott met with Sheldon’s management team and
discussed Lean manufacturing concepts that could reduce wasted resources
and create more capacity to serve the customers needs.
John Moore- MEP.ms/MSU-IOS Project Manager; Jenny Philips- VP
of Operations, Sheldon Labs;
Wesley Scott- MEP.ms/MSU-IOS Co-op Student; Roger Moore- Engineering
Manager, Sheldon Labs
Solution:
With the help of MEP.ms/MSU-IOS, Sheldon Labs determined that lack
of “in-process” material control was one of their top
problems. Time and effort were being wasted looking for missing
material. Shipment and production schedules were often disrupted
when material was not ready and on time. Business Information Systems,
Co-op Student, Wesley Scott was assigned the responsibility of designing
and deploying a bar code system to help Sheldon track the progress
of material as it passed through each production process step. The
implementation of the bar code system by MEP.ms/MSU-IOS has enabled
Sheldon to identify problems with a customer order early in the
production process and to quickly react to fix the specific problem
before production or shipping schedules are disrupted.
Client Contact: Jenny Philips, VP of Operations
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