Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics Wins Manufacturer of the Year
ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics
National Fabrication Center in Orlando has been awarded the 2005 Manufacturer
of the Year Award by the Manufacturers Association of Central Florida (MACF).
A division of Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc., Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics
operates national fabrication centers in Orlando, FL, Anaheim, CA, and Tempe,
AZ and is the largest provider of orthotic and prosthetic patient care in the
United States.
One of the keys to Hanger's Orlando National Fabrication Center winning
this award is the success the center experienced as a result of implementing
Lean Manufacturing through a collaborative effort with the Florida
Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Florida MEP).
Lean Manufacturing utilizes simple but effective methods to identify and
reduce waste and inventories, clear shop floors, and streamline production
processes, all with a goal of decreasing costs and increasing productivity.
Based on previous experience and success with Lean Manufacturing and Six-
Sigma, Randy Harris, Vice President of Fabrication Services and Jeff Rosen,
Director of National Fabrication - Orlando knew that ever-changing technology
and increasing overseas competition made it necessary for the division to go
Lean.
"While we continue integrating the latest CAD/CAM techniques featuring the
Hanger Insignia(TM) laser scanning technology into our products and
manufacturing processes, several of the steps in the manufacturing of our
orthotic and prosthetic devices are still labor intensive and can benefit from
Lean methods," said Harris.
After educating the center's employees on Lean Principles, Florida MEP
Project Manager Henry Miller worked in a collaborative effort to select two
different orthotic production areas and map the flow of work from beginning to
end of the production process. "Through this process, we identified several
areas in which to improve productions processes and made a group within the
cell accountable for the changes," said Miller. "From there, the National
Fabrication - Orlando team took over and really turned the opportunities into
reality."
Results included:
* Reduced customer lead time,
* Improved product quality,
* Cost savings from reduced labor hours,
* Increased average monthly product thru-put, and
* Sustained continuous improvement.
Recognizing the success achieved by the National Fabrication - Orlando
facility, Hanger senior management determined this model to be the company
standard and rolled out Lean Manufacturing in the Anaheim and Tempe national
fabrication centers.
