Fine tuning makes great savings for piano maker

By stream lining its facility, the award winning piano manufacturer has been able to reduce its stock by £450,000, saving an estimated £150,000 per year. Over a two-month period, ukfirst Master Engineer Bruce Lovell (pictured) worked with the Kemble team to reduce the overall level of finished goods in stock. A detailed diagnostic review indicated that set up time was one of the main issues facing the manufacturer. Robert Brown, Kemble’s manufacturing director, said: “Using the experience and expertise of the shop floor team to collect and analyse their processes and complete actions to reduce set up times has made a significant impact on the finished goods stock value of this company.” By facilitating the introduction of smaller batch quantities, it has achieved a 50% reduction in its stocked finished goods and reduced its work in progress. The need for an external warehouse has also been eliminated. For further details of how ukfirst can make a difference to your business, please visit the ukfirst website.