Kellerman Woodworks Excels with Lean Manufacturing

“MEPOL and the lean manufacturing system have turned our company around. We can now concentrate our efforts on growing the business – MEPOL provided us with excellent ideas and helped virtually every aspect of our business.”
     - Jack Kellerman, President, Kellerman Woodworks

Company Profile: Kellerman Woodworks produces custom-built wooden cabinets and furniture. The company is located in Baton Rouge and employs 17 people. The family-owned company began operations in 1994 and sells their products throughout the United States.

Situation: Kellerman Woodworks was experiencing production bottlenecks and departments within the company were often out of sync with one another. Additionally, Kellerman Woodworks was so busy with existing customers and referrals that they did not recruit business from areas outside of Baton Rouge and Louisiana because they could not handle the increase in work orders. Jack Kellerman, president of Kellerman Woodworks, attended MEPOL’s “Principles of Lean Manufacturing” course and found similarities between the live simulation involved with the course and his own business. MEPOL Project Director Brad Stump was called in to help implement lean manufacturing techniques at Kellerman Woodworks.

Solution: MEPOL evaluated the current system at Kellerman Woodworks and developed a new plant layout that was more flow-based, allowing for increases in production without increasing the number of employees. MEPOL worked with Kellerman to develop segregated sectional carts with visual cues for better material handling. A system was developed whereby jobs to be done are visually placed in the shop, showing both the flow and sequence of jobs. A 5S Program was also implemented, which includes steps to organize the work stations, and Point of Use Storage (POUS) was established throughout the plant, with raw materials being stored at the work station where they are used.

Results: Through the implementation of lean manufacturing techniques, Kellerman Woodworks saw the following results without adding new employees:

• Kellerman Woodworks is currently at 150% of their previous production level.
• The amount of time it takes to complete the average job at Kellerman Woodworks has dropped from two weeks to three days.
• The company can more accurately forecast how long a job will take to complete.
• Kellerman Woodworks can now pursue markets beyond Baton Rouge and Louisiana for increased sales.