Orbitalum – rotating it’s way to the top

Is each step or action producing value for the customer?

This is the question asked by any company who has Lean principles as core values of their business.

A JEG delegation recently visited the Orbitalum factory in Singen, Germany following an invitation from our local agent “Walsh Engineering”. Orbitalum are the manufacturer of the new orbital welding machines and rotary pipe cutting machines that JEG are now buying. The purpose of the visit was twofold:-

1. Orbitalum wanted to showcase their latest product innovations
2. The orbital design team wanted to sit with it’s customer and get some feedback on what changes we would make to it’s welding equipment if we had the opportunity.

Criteria for measuring customer satisfaction

• Value must transform the product
• The customer must be willing to “pay” for it
• It must be done correctly the first time

Feedback was being sought from many of it’s customers and will be evaluated and incorporated into design improvements of future equipment.

Now that is value for the customer

The environment within Orbitalum’s factory was equally impressive. Following the 5S mantra of “A place for everything and everything in it’s place”, you can tell that a great deal of thought has been put into the layout of the production and storage areas.

Standardized storage trolleys with moveable arms for flanges

• Walkways are marked out and kept clear
• Modular storage racks are laid out locally to where they are needed to eliminate any wasted transport
• All racks use pallet storage for parts so the same pallet stacker can be used in all areas
• Assembly line processes have been planned and parts laid out in the correct sequence to eliminate any wasted movement
• Rubber matting is located on the floor at each assembly line to improve the comfort of the operator
• A slide rail is fitted to the bench for ease of movement of each rotary cutter during the assembly process (see photograph above). This also minimises any manual handling of the unit.
• Battery chargers for cordless screwdrivers are mounted under the bench to avoid any wasted time or motion during battery change outs.
• A purpose built, sound proof testing bay is located near the end of the assembly line so each cutter can be operated under test conditions to verify it works correctly before being packed for shipping.