Success Stories

In order to prepare for the company’s largest order so far, a $7 million contract for 100,000 gloves, the Masleys turned to the Delaware Manufacturing Extension Partnership (DEMEP), which helps businesses put best practices in place to boost productivity and quality control.

All full-time employees received training in 5-S processes. Introduced in Japan, 5-S focuses on effective organization and standardized procedures to simplify the work environment, reduce waste and activities that don’t add value to the product, while increasing quality, efficiency and safety. The 5-S principles translate to: Straightening, Systematic cleaning or Shining, Standardizing, and Sustaining.

“Lean opened everyone’s eyes to doing things in a new way,” Fulkersin says. “We had been doing things the same way for a long time just because that is the way they had always been done.”

DEMEP also introduced the Principles of 5-S, or workplace organization and standardization. Originally developed in Japan, 5-s is a systematic approach to reduce waste and simplify the work environment, making it more efficient, effective and safe. The 5-S principles translate to Sort, Set-in- Order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain.

“If the information doesn’t get out to the floor properly, the whole process comes to a screeching halt,” Weis says. To make the process more efficient, Atlantic Aluminum retooled its order forms to focus on information that would enable the company to obtain the materials needed for the job. Such details as design questions could wait for later.