Indiana Metalforming Company Taps into Lean with the Aid of a State Training Grant and Association-based Training Consortium
M A Metal is a QS-9000 certified Tier 2 supplier of precision automotive stampings, components and assemblies. They also service the appliance, communication, aircraft and electrical sectors as well.
Founded in 1946, Midwest Art Metal, now known as M A Metal Co., Inc., has grown from a small localized business (located in Edinburgh, Indiana) into a thriving enterprise providing medium and large-volume progressive metal stamping for business and industry throughout the Midwest.
Following a change in ownership in 1992, the company rededicated itself to building a reputation for providing the best quality, dependability, service and price.
Situation:
When some companies hear about the possibility of an economic slowdown, they begin to cut back and take a "wait and see" approach.” But that’s not the case at M A Metal Company Inc.!
They focus on the business that still exists, and they plan to win a "better than average" share of it! Owner Fred Stadler’s philosophy ensures that work continues to come into his metalforming and machining operations: he purposely keeps his production costs as low as possible while increasing product quality and customer satisfaction!
Since purchasing the business in 1992, Stadler has been expanding the production facilities, upgrading equipment, increasing quality-control measures, and growing his employees via training. But he knew that wasn’t enough . . . he had to get the waste out of his processes if he wanted to continue lowering his operating costs and increasing his competitiveness. He needed to implement lean manufacturing principles!
Solution:
M A Metal is a member of the Indiana district of the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA.) And Fred Stadler has been very active in PMA’s local and national boards since his inauguration to the metalforming industry.
During one local Board meeting, member companies were introduced to a new State of Indiana training grant, and to the idea of forming a consortium in order to apply for that grant. The idea was more than a little intriguing to Stadler, because the training to be offered was lean 101, value stream mapping, 5S, set-up reduction, total productive maintenance and more – the lean foundation he’d been looking for.
So M A Metal was one of 10 Indiana companies that together applied for a $200,000 training grant two plus years ago. Thus began their nine-day introduction to "Lean!" Purdue TAP/MEP manufacturing specialists delivered that training!
Results:
In August of 2006, Stadler responded to the NIST MEP survey that marked the one-year anniversary of his introduction to lean.
He reported the economic impact of his lean training as follows:
- sales increased $1,200,000
- $75,000 of production equipment was added
- $12,000 was spent on information systems
- $18,500 was spent on training for his associates
Testimonial
"It’s no secret that American manufacturers are negatively impacted by foreign competition, higher
material and energy costs, and the lack of skilled workers. Our introduction to lean manufacturing
principles and tools gave us an unbiased assessment of our facility, and helped us to identify several
opportunities where we can improve. Among other things, we were able to increase our capacity by
reducing set-ups, and thereby increased our sales."
- Fred Stadler, President/Owner