The automobile plant of KAMAZ PTC aims high: this year it's planned to bring 80 crews of the core process and 38 crews of auxiliary processes – half of all operating crews of the plant – to a benchmark level.
Ten of them have already been certified. Thus, the staff of the vehicle completion and delivery shop managed to greatly raise production standards. They are putting things in order right at three sites there, and by the end of the year it's planned to set the whole subdivision to the benchmark. The introduced changes include replacement of lights. Better lights help test drivers more quickly detect and eliminate possible defects. Besides, it was decided to align all stations and stands to minimize losses of working time. As a result of these changes, risks of injury was eliminated, and labour productivity was raised by 10%.
Four benchmark sites should appear in the shop of bunches and wires by late June. They have already got a waiting list and labeling of all components under control. The focus is made on elimination of unnecessary movements. Whereas earlier assembly quality assurance was carried out at another site, now the workers themselves check their work at their workplaces, and then set their own seal to a "passport" and deliver harnesses to the main assembly line.
Moreover, they removed panels with harness layouts. If necessary, one can always check with a standard process chart. The workers of the crew made a device for cord cutting on their own so that a packed item should be neat and compact. After upgrading at the site, there is an opportunity to equip the foreman's workplace. Now, he manages both to loom and keep records. Losses of working time also reduced by one third. The workers now make fewer movements and pay more attention to the quality of products.