Time-saving techniques boost bottom line at B&J

The Grappler a commercial-grade, hand-operated grabbing tool used to pick up refuse is one the most commonly manufactured items at B&J Inc. in Sparks.

Thanks to several lean manufacturing initiatives instituted at the longtime Sparks machining and sheet metal fabrication company by Nevada Industry Excellence, the Grappler also is one of the most efficient products made by B&J.

For years B&J Vice President Gregg Fisher has offered his 55,000-square-foot facility to Nevada Industry Excellence formerly known as MAP as a training site for Nevada Industry Excellence classes in return for discounted rates on continuing education for his employees.

"They always sponsor a lean event, and we always try to host it here. We provide an excellent manufacturing environment," Fisher says. "They have classes, but it's nothing like getting in and doing it in a manufacturing plant."

As orders for the $30 Grappler debris claw ramped up, manufacturing the device basically an arm with a clamp on it began to cause workflow problems for B&J Inc.'s many other products. Fisher says the company was struggling with capacity and efficiency issues.

B&J was making 400 to 800 Grapplers a week, and the process required seven different pre-cast dies to form the parts. Assembly was done in several stages.

"We were having trouble meeting the demand of customers," Fisher says, "and it was re-occurring. This product sells, and we were continuing to have this problem."

Nevada Industry Excellence, the industrial outreach arm of the Nevada System of Higher Education, helped B&J reduce production times by:

* trimming the number of dies used to form the product parts from seven to four.

* cutting time from the manufacturing setup process.

* creating an improved work flow for manufacturing and assembly of the product.

"Higher efficiency translates to lower cost to produce the item, which makes them more competitive," says Bob Bricca, project manager for Nevada Industry Excellence. "If they can make the item for less, they can beat their competitors."

The steps also reduce the total time the finished product is in the shop, which had been tying up cash flow. Fisher estimates B&J is now 40 to 60 percent more efficient in its manufacturing of the Grappler.

"We put it together in one small value stream and box it," Fisher says. "Even the process of putting it in the box has been streamlined.

"What that allows us to do is almost build to order," Fisher adds. "Now we are building what they need per day. It makes the process more efficient and profitable."

The result of the increased manufacturing efficiency of the Grappler not only resulted in a more profitable product but additional manufacturing capabilities as well. B&J paid cash when it purchased more than $600,000 worth of new manufacturing equipment through its cost savings.

"We have seized opportunities and taken advantage of them to buy equipment, and we are able to expedite those purchases in a down economy," Fisher says. "It's easy when the economy is cooking with gas to overlook efficiency because the money is rolling in."

Retooling the workflow on the product also helped the company keep employment fairly steady at a time when other manufacturing companies were forced to cut employees. Fisher says B&J had some layoffs last year, but the impact to its overall workforce was minimal.

"It has helped us keep people employed," he says. "These processes go back to 2004; we have been on a quest."

B&J Inc. was founded in 1978 by Jay Thiessens, father of B&J chief executive office Cherie Fisher. The company provides machining and sheet metal and plate fabrication for clients in the security, gaming and defense industries, to name a few.

Bricca says manufacturing competition from China and India means U.S. companies must do everything they can in order to stay competitive.

"The only way to do that is to keep driving costs down by finding more efficient ways to do things," he says.