Lear Corporation
Winchester, Virginia
WINCHESTER PLANT ACHIEVEMENTS
- 85% reduction in inventory
- 57% reduction in internal PPMs
- 88% reduction in external PPMs
- 144% increase in sales per sq. ft.
- 81% reduction in inbound freight
- 75% reduction in outbound freight
- 351% improvement in inventory turns
- 20% improvement in delivery performance
- 82% scrap reduction
- Q1 quality achievement award from Ford Motor Company (1985)
- Honda Quality Performance Award (1995)
- #1 supplier to Ford Motor Company (supplier rating, 1996)
- Literacy Fair of Virginia Regional Award (1996)
- Energy Management Award from Allegheny Power (1995)
- Wausau Safety Achievement Award (12/2/94 – 5/31/95)
- Gold Medal winners, Atlantic Coast Team Symposium 1996, Team Competition for problem solving skills
- Team Finalists AQP National Team Competition, 1997
- Team Finalists AQP National Team Competition, 1998
LEAR WINCHESTER PLANT VISION STATEMENT
That every employee has a vested interest in, and feels responsible for, the success of the business leading to customer satisfaction…
- Continuous Improvement
- Productivity
- Quality
- Launch
- Communications
…and to provide total support/opportunities to all employees limited only to their ability and willingness to positively impact/contribute.
- Educational
- Technical
- Financial
LEAR CORPORATION OVERVIEW
A Fortune 500 company, Lear Corporation is one of the world's largest automotive suppliers. The company's world class products are designed, engineered, and manufactured by more than 50,000 employees in over 170 facilities in 25 countries. These facilities supply components including seat systems, door systems, floor and acoustic systems, overhead systems, and instrument panels.
Lear is expert in the "in-line vehicle sequencing" manufacturing techniques needed to supply JIT to today's automotive industry.
LEAR WINCHESTER PLANT OVERVIEW
Located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Lear Winchester produces injection molded interior trim automotive parts for Ford, General Motors, Toyota, and Saturn. The plant is 305,950 square feet with 54 molding machines and 630 employees.
MANUFACTURING STRATEGY
- To manufacture our customers' products with minimum waste, minimum lead time, and maximum efficiency.
- To involve all our people in the long-term and daily decision-making process of how we manufacture products.
- To keep all our employees informed through daily production meetings and quarterly information meetings.
Our manufacturing strategy has lead us to a one-step manufacturing process for all products.
LEAR WINCHESTER BUSINESS PLAN
From a Corporate goal structure, Lear Winchester creates a yearly business plan including a series of budgets to reflect continuous improvement in our operation. Progress improvements are tracked monthly through a Quality Operating System consisting of 52 measurements. All information is posted for employees to see.
EDUCATION
Our educational philosophy at Lear Winchester it that all education should be practical. We have steered away from many "off-the-shelf" training programs and elected to provide our own education development programs. Practical to us is hands-on, minimal theory (only what is required), and only that which is required for the employee and team to grow and succeed.
STRATEGIES FOR A CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROCESS
The COMPASS (Kaizen) Program was established in 194. It involves 24 one week sessions per year and 7 workshops. COMPASS (Kaizen) is our focusing tool to provide time for individuals to make improvements. Cross-functional teams are also employed to use the tools and concepts of Kaizen.
The Delta Program Empowerment Team Process involves 22 active teams. These teams involve 374 of the 630 plant employees. These teams were responsible for identifying 524 projects in 1997. They are self-directed, supported with practical educational classes, and are responsible for all changes within our plant. Each team is provided with a budget for their management and discretionary use to make improvements throughout the plant.
SUMMARY
Our achievements at Winchester Lear over the past three years are obvious from our measurables of quality and productivity. All of our achievements were met with the same people and equipment of three years ago. The difference is now we work as a team.
Changes in our plant have increased exponentially since our teams were started. As a result of establishing Delta teams, Lear Winchester is experiencing positive improvements on a daily basis. We are definitely proud of our accomplishments and all the people that made us what we are today.
Lear Corporation, Winchester
181 Battaile Drive
Winchester, VA 22601
Phone: (540) 665-4444
Contact: Daniel McCleary