The mining industry is looking for suppliers that can produce equipment and parts more efficiently. In this regard, Máquinas Furlan recently held the “Implementing Excellence with Green Belt” course, focused on the application of the Six Sigma methodology, which seeks to reduce material waste and improve resources in the production line.

Therefore, in addition to internal improvements, Furlan customers benefit.

We share a little about the experience brought by this course in the post below. Improvements in the painting of parts and components and reduction of waste in the manufacture of a jaw were some of the approved projects.

Check it out.

How Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma Help Machinery Industry Customers

Lean Manufacturing uses tools such as value chain mapping (which optimizes layout, reduces intermediate stocks, balances production lines, eliminates waste from a process, etc.), Just-in-Time, Kaizen (focused on continuous improvement) and 5S (focused on organization and cleanliness). These practices create an efficient and agile workflow, resulting in the delivery of high-quality products faster and at a lower cost.

Six Sigma reduces variability and eliminates defects, increasing quality and efficiency. At the Green Belt level, professionals are trained to apply statistical techniques and analytical tools in project management.

The DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) cycle is the foundation. Green Belts identify root causes of problems and implement lasting solutions. Tools such as control charts, variability analysis, and design of experiments help with decision making.

The goal is to achieve near-perfect processes, with a 6-sigma defect rate, with a maximum of 3.4 per million opportunities.

More than advances in processes, techniques establish a solid foundation for innovation and sustainable growth.

Both the implementation of Lean and the Six Sigma tool (through the green belt) can generate savings of millions, if applied correctly.

Applications: from better machining to zero-waste jaws

Máquinas Furlan constantly invests in human training not only to improve products and services, but mainly to allow advances to positively impact customer results.

We tell you a little about this “focus on solutions” in this post .

The same spirit recently inspired the course called "Implementing Excellence with Green Belt”. The new transformative journey was experienced by a group of 17 professionals from the company. The course was taught by professors Paulo Sérgio de Arruda Ignácio and Alessandro Lucas da Silva, from the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FCA/Unicamp), in Limeira.

Furlan professionals came from areas such as New Product, Service and Application Development (DNPSA), Quality, Maintenance, Production Planning and Control, Occupational Safety, Castings and Equipment. They learned about and reviewed fundamental aspects of Six Sigma and essential concepts of Lean Manufacturing.

The course combined theory and practice. During five Saturdays, participants devoted half the day to theoretical studies and the other half to the practical application of the concepts in real company projects.

Each of the four groups chose projects with clear objectives. There were structural issues, such as:

. increase the efficiency of a boring machine used in machining parts, reducing downtime and increasing productivity;

. and improve the energy efficiency of the Steelmaking sector, reducing electricity consumption.

At the same time, two other projects analyzed specific issues:

. standardization of the paint layer of parts and components;

. and obtaining compliance in waste-free products, such as a jaw from the Furlan catalog.

A panel of evaluators attended the presentation of the results. It was composed of Unicamp professors, the company's CEO, Valter Furlan, and industrial manager Eduardo Borrelli. The panel highlighted the potential of the initiatives to generate significant impacts on the processes.

Understand how this focus on solutions can help your company

One of the projects presented, used as a teaching tool in the course, showed an estimated potential financial return of around R$50,000 with the implementation of the improvements. However, the preliminary results indicate an even greater potential return, which will benefit both Furlan and its customers.

Reducing waste also represents greater sustainability for Furlan and its customers who use these products. Sustainability has been one of the main attributes highlighted by consumers in the mining industry in Brazil.

The next stage of the project will be to expand the knowledge acquired to other employees, strengthening the culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence cultivated over its more than 62 years of operation.

Want to know how this solution-oriented culture can help your mining or quarry? Contact us by sending a message here .