PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2015

COMPRESSION 34 PET planet insider Vol. 16 No. 09/15 www.petpla.net dampers. It can be installed as a floor- mounted compressor with all ancil- lary equipment fixed on a baseplate, complete with all interconnecting pipework and electrical wiring; options for acoustic enclosures are also avail- able. The WH35 uses the same crankcase casting as the WH29 and WH40 models, which means that the company can adjust its produc- tion to meet actual demand. The real lead time for the crankcase is around 26 weeks but customer lead time is around 12-16 weeks, depending on the model and required options. Sales of WH35 are expected to run at 10 to 20/yr, depending on market conditions. “At the start of the year we partner with our suppliers, to schedule the number of required crankcases. We will have the opportunity to ‘tweak’ throughout the year, in order to adjust the demand as the markets require”, Mr Perry explained. “We have deliver- ies every couple of months and hold a number in call-off. We add cylinders, motors, control panels, wiring, piping and other ancillaries here, at Red- ditch. The pipeline is under constant review and we have weekly sales calls with our sales partners.” Gardner Denver introduced Lean manufactur- ing a number of years ago. “The construction of the new facility in 2010 was the big catalyst for Lean”, he continued. “As you walk round the factory you will see issues boards and that everything is laid out clearly, working to 5S prin- ciples. Kaizen was introduced about 18 months ago and we have held a number of team-based kaizen events. We appointed Kane Marshall as Operations Director recently and we have a Continuous Improvement man- ager starting very soon. We see our approach as searching for continuous improvement, not just ‘kaizen blitz’ events – although we will hold them if we identify specific needs”. The effect of the introduction of Lean has delivered some surprises. The company now holds a larger stock of finished Hydrovane inven- tory, which is made up of smaller machines. This is in contrast to the typical Lean objective of reducing finished goods inventory, in order to deliver ‘just in time’. Gardner Denver operates a sales and operations plan- ning (S&OP) program and what it has achieved is a shorter lead time, better response and lower compo- nent inventory, so that working capital and work in progress (WIP) has been reduced. The process also helps with the manufacture of the WH series. While the lead-time of the crankcases means that forecasting, rather than pure demand-led planning, is unavoid- able, the amount of WIP has been cut and the process itself is more flexible. Added-value components are called off from suppliers in the UK, East- ern Europe and Asia, with UK sup- pliers being relied on to meet peaks in demand. The WH35 was ‘soft- launched’ at the ProPak exhibition in June 2015 and is reported to have received a positive response. The factory itself strikes the visitor as very clean and clearly laid out, and it doesn’t take long to spot how the work flows through it, even without our guide – Trevor Perry himself – pointing it out. But he was kind enough to do so anyway, in order to avoid any confu- sion. As we walked through the facility, the wide range and extent of equip- ment produced by the Gardner Denver brands and companies became appar- ent. We paused by a V130 compressor – a huge piece of kit that is used to sta- bilise oil rigs – before visiting the test- ing area, where every model is tested for up to 100 hours. The stores hold the full range of aftermarket spares and components. Moving along, we were introduced to a line of WH series crankcases that were awaiting assembly or in the process of it. A WH40 water-cooled unit, destined to be used by a major beverage producer for PET bottle blowing, was being assembled by, among others, Ben Sweet and Charlie Downes, two young men on the com- pany’s apprenticeship scheme who were being ably supervised by Alec Whitehead and Anwar Din, 40-year Gardner Denver veteran engineers. The same beverage producer had already ordered a WH35 compressor, which will be delivered with an inte- grated aftercooler. “We have worked some of the major blow moulder manufacturers such as Krones, KHS and Sidel in order to ensure that our machine will align with their blowers,” Trevor Perry said. “The machine is computer-con- trolled in order to ensure repeatability. Better pressure control eliminates pressure losses”. Gardner Denver offers customers full service and maintenance contracts with their new machines. Another side of the operation that is growing is refurbishment. Gardner Denver WH series crankcases awaiting final assembly