Mechanical Production Rethought

Industrial production never stands still – and that also applies to Armin Tahiri. As part of Lean Management, he minimises the waste of resources on a daily basis and contributes to continuous improvement in the various departments at KELLER Pressure.

Armin was actively involved in one of the last projects. In this interview, he tells us more about his fascination with Lean Management and how they succeeded as a team in significantly increasing efficiency, ergonomics and flexibility in our «Mechanical Production» department.

How did you find your career in Lean Management?

Before I started at KELLER Pressure in the area of Lean Management with full vigour, I worked in a small production company in Winterthur. In addition to my regular tasks, I was passionate about optimising the workshop. Time and again, I discovered potential for making work processes more efficient – and quickly realised that this topic was particularly close to my heart. That's how I found my way to KELLER Pressure and into Lean Management.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

The variety of tasks is incredibly exciting. One day you are developing a prototype as a production aid in the Kaizen workshop, the next you are working on solutions to optimise a specific work step.

There is so much potential for improvement in production, but often no one who takes on the realisation. I felt the same way at my previous job. Here, I can fully live out the role that was merely a sideshow in my last job.

Do you also use your knowledge at home?

The lean principle is really fascinating – and not just in a professional context, but also in my private life. I have adopted the philosophy of avoiding waste. I am almost as well structured and organised at home as I am at work. A small example from my everyday life: I always need my tea towel in the same place, so I've put a hook in exactly the same place.

What was one of the last projects you worked on?

We have taken a decisive step towards optimising our mechanical production department. A completely new, highly functional auxiliary workstation, together with the innovative material trolley, ensures an optimised workflow throughout the department, which not only saves time, but also increases the quality of work and improves ergonomics at the same time.

How did the project come about?

In production, every movement, every handle and every process has a significant impact on the efficiency of order fulfilment. And this is precisely where the problem lay: unnecessary routes, scattered tools and inconsistent processes led to delays and increased the workload for employees in mechanical production. This not only contradicts the principles of lean thinking, but also our demand for a productive and ergonomic working environment. We realised that there was potential for improvement here – and we tackled it.

Was mechanical production included in the project?

The Mechanical Production department was actively involved in the process right from the early prototyping phase. In such a complex project, dialogue is of particular importance and it is important to clarify crucial issues in advance.

We regularly spend time in the respective departments and observe the work processes. The best possible solutions can be found with the active support of employees from the respective departments, who contribute creative ideas for the development of work equipment.

As a grand finale, the employees were able to collect their new work equipment in person from the Kaizen workshop. And in keeping with the pre-Christmas period, each workstation received a small gift ribbon decoration.

What was your personal highlight of this project?

I was able to personally carry out the development and realisation of the material trolley. I had the opportunity to continuously optimise the trolley over the course of three prototypes. My work colleagues Simon Waser and Patrick Zaugg actively supported me. It was an extremely valuable learning process that brought me many new insights.

Feedback from mechanical production

Which project is coming up next?

The «Verve» project is one of our last major, preparatory lean projects in view of the move to our new «Diamant» production building. We are also taking care of various smaller tasks and projects. 

Our aim is to continuously improve, further eliminate waste and make our production even more efficient – always in the interests of the company. Because one thing is certain: a company is only as strong as its employees. If we succeed in making our employees' work easier, promoting their health and ultimately increasing efficiency in production, then we have done our job properly.