BASF Corporation in Shreveport, Louisiana manufactures pharmaceutical products. The Shreveport facility is one of two BASF locations in Louisiana and one of 40 in the U.S. Production volume at the Shreveport facility had been increasing due to customer demand. One particular customer was requesting more product than they had the capacity to produce at the time. There was a significant bottleneck in the Printing department, where the name of the medication is printed on the tablets.

Since BASF manufactures pharmaceutical products, it required a changeover between batches due to FDA regulations on discreet batching. This resulted in a loss in production time. The company wanted to reduce its set-up time in the Printing department in order to increase throughput and eliminate overtime. They were also looking to make the department more efficient by implementing a 5S system.

In its continuing pursuit to improve its operations, BASF asked MEPOL to assist them in using the principles of lean manufacturing. The focus of this lean manufacturing project involved a 2-day quick changeover/set-up reduction training project in the Printing area, as well as training and implementation of the 5S System.

Before the training began for the quick changeover/set-up reduction phase, BASF videotaped the printing changeover process on a normal day prior to the training event. MEPOL provided suggested guidelines for documenting and videotaping the changeover process. BASF sent a copy to MEPOL prior to the event to assist in preparations.

During training, MEPOL’s Director of Manufacturing Productivity Shannon Nunez conducted a brief overview of lean manufacturing and explained quick changeover. Day one of the training consisted of two rounds. In Round 1, the group developed a current and future state of the process, reviewed the videotape, identified changeover improvement priorities, established baseline times and goals for time reduction, and discussed the Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) System, including related 5S and visual control concepts. In Round 2 of the training, the group worked to apply the SMED System. They analyzed the changeover process (i.e. internal and external activities), worked to reduce changeover, and established an implementation schedule.

On day two of the training, the group implemented final improvements in a pilot run and monitored the changeover process with the new modifications. They discussed what went well and what could be modified to further improve the process. They discussed standardizing the improvements and documented any final action items. Management then reviewed the changes that were made, the time reduction saved, and other positive impacts.

In a separate training event held the following month, the BASF Printing department was trained on and implemented the 5S System, which included accelerating product flow by achieving and sustaining clean, safe, organized workplaces. The Printing department employees worked together to: 1) Sort through all items and remove unneeded items; 2) Set in order remaining items, set limits and create temporary location indicators; 3) Shine or clean everything and use cleaning as inspection; 4) Standardize the first three S’s by implementing visual displays and controls; and 5) Sustain the gains through self-discipline, training, communication and total employee involvement.

Tom Herron, manufacturing scheduling supervisor at BASF in Shreveport, said the project was a success that will continue to move onto different departments within the company.

“The concepts and practices covered in this workshop have helped manufacturers around the world improve their global competitiveness and have already helped BASF’s printing area make measurable improvements,” Herron said. “The most successful, most profitable firms are those seeking to improve.”

Among the improvements BASF’s printing department has experienced:

- Three days after the Printing department completed the quick changeover/set-up reduction training and implementation, the company was able to cut the changeover time required from one batch to another from 2 hours to 17 minutes (an 86% reduction in the amount of time needed for changeover from batch to batch).

- The company has increased throughput in the Printing area by 57%, allowing them to meet the customer’s needs more efficiently.

Mary Douglas, a printer at BASF’s Printing department, appreciated the teamwork aspect of the training and implementation. “It helps a lot with us being a team and working together,” Douglas said. “Now, it’s easier to do our jobs because we are working together to make the changes.”

Angela Butler, a team leader at BASF’s Printing department for the second shift, has found additional uses for the training. “It has helped me out a lot, because I can use what I’ve learned at home, too,” Butler said.

MEPOL Director of Manufacturing Productivity Shannon Nunez attributed the success of the project to the employees at BASF’s Printing department. “The entire group did an outstanding job,” Nunez said. “The execution of this project as a team was critical. They standardized the solutions and are using them throughout the different shifts.”

BASF's Printing Department Staff

BASF's Printing Department Staff Members are (L-R): Paul
Douglas, Carlos Taylor, Mary Douglas, Tom Herron, Angela
Butler and Chris Adams.