Assembly - January 2009 - (Page 40) Assembly in Action the longer the products are successfully marketed, the more profitable production becomes. By transferring its older lines to its subsidiary plant in Beijing, NXP also gains the added benefits of the lower wage rates there. To ensure that each transfer goes smoothly, the company sends a number of its Chinese employees to Vienna to learn firsthand how the equipment functions. When the training is complete, the Chinese workers return to Beijing with their new equipment. The time between stoppage of production in Vienna and ramp-up of production in Beijing is generally between 12 to 16 days. All told, NXP manufactures 600 million speakers a year. Its production lines are both robust and stable, with overall equipment efficiency (OEE) values of about 80 percent. As the company’s product lines continue to develop, it has also found it is able to reuse about 25 percent of its Flexcell units and about 50 percent of its G05 units on it new production lines. For more on automated assembly, visit www.mikron.com, or call 303-364-5222. Engine Plant Saves Money on Lighting F ounded in 1906, the Waukesha Engine plant in Waukesha, WI, manufactures gas engines that are used in generators, mechanical drives and field gas compressors. A subsidiary of Dresser Inc. (Addison, TX), the company also produces generators and DC switchgear controls for on-site generation of electricity. Recently, the company upgraded the lighting system in its million-squarefoot manufacturing facility and research center, with an eye toward improving work conditions and reducing energy expenditures. The resulting system, installed by lighting equipment manufacturer Orion Energy Services (Plymouth, WI), now saves the company approximately $230,000 annually. It has also made the facility a far more pleasant place to work. “We are continually seeking ways to improve our processes to become more efficient and deliver a better product,” says Waukesha Engine vice president of manufacturing Michael Storms. “Energy is a significant cost area for us, so energy efficiency was an obvious area to look at. The new lighting system conserves energy, reduces waste, makes our plant more competitive, and creates a more comfortable and productive environment for our employees.” In all, Orion Energy Services replaced approximately 1,700 high-intensity discharge (HID) fixtures with its own energy-efficient high-intensity fluorescent (HIF) bulbs and fixtures. The new bulbs last 50 percent longer and cost 36 percent to 63 percent less to Your Guide To Wire Processing Schleuniger leads the way to precise and repeatable results with our automatic cutting machines. EcoCut 3200 EcoCut 3300 PowerCut 3700 www.schleuniger-na.com/cut_am (603) 668-8117 40 ASSEMBLY / January 2009 www.assemblymag.com http://www.mikron.com http://www.schleuniger-na.com/cut_am http://www.schleuniger-na.com/cut_am http://www.assemblymag.com
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