Earlier this year DAPCO Industries decided to begin implementing lean manufacturing practices. It all started with strong commitment from top management and a few vital goals: increase productivity, reduce inventory, improve quality, and reduce set up times. DAPCO contacted Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC) to perform a company assessment evaluating the best areas to focus lean activity. Dapco has been adopting lean techniques in all areas of the facility through “Kaizen events”. Kaizen is a Japanese word meaning “continuous improvement” or “good change”. DAPCO has already completed many Kaizen events in both their manufacturing and non-manufacturing processes.

In the short time that DAPCO Industries has been practicing lean, many of the changes have already paid off. They have experienced a decrease in inventory on certain products by 50%. DAPCO has also increased throughput and decreased led time by developing manufacturing cells. In addition DAPCO Industries has raised the level of standardization, error proofing, and 5S in many of their processes. One thing that has really helped DAPCO make this change such a success is their employees. Every employee received some level of training through MMTC.  DAPCO employees have truly gotten involved and taken the initiative to make lean a positive culture change. We will keep you updated on the different lean events happening at DAPCO Industries over the next few months.