Defining The Cutting Edge Principles That Guide Boxman Production

How can we design and deploy a unit with less labor burden? Can we do an installation with one person instead of three? What can we do to reduce waste and increase efficiency? How can we deliver the best quality to customers?

These questions are at the forefront of our minds at Boxman Studios every day, as we continuously seek out ways to make our production processes faster and more efficient while ensuring quality meets our high standards.

We look at every project that comes through our line as a total package. We may be welding on a door or applying finishes, but we’re also looking at it from a life cycle management perspective. How long will this unit keep its composure without having to be recertified or inspected again? What is the structural integrity of the container over the course of its life? To maximize efficiency, durability, and quality we use a number of techniques, including:

Six Sigma.

This quality philosophy centers on reducing waste at every step of the production process. If a step doesn’t contribute to the end result, it is eliminated.

5S.

5S is a concept that was developed in Japan. Based on 5 S’s: Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu, and Shitsuke, which loosely translates to: sort, set, shine, standardize, and sustain. The goal is to reduce waste at every step by maintaining clean, orderly work areas and standardizing work flows. Like Six Sigma, the focus is on reducing variability and the chance for error.

JIT.

Toyota made JIT, or Just-in-Time, famous. The premise is that you carry only the inventory you need to produce the required items. You’re not carrying excess, which is a significant drain on resources, and set-up and scheduling are more efficient.

Milk Runs.

Rather than send a truck to every farm to collect milk, companies would send one truck to multiple locations. In production, milk runs are a method to facilitate JIT deliveries. Essentially, it is one delivery run that picks up from multiple vendors on the same trip.

By making changes in our line with these methodologies, we have been able to significantly reduce production times. This means less labor burden, less cost, and faster turn-around times. The quality not only remains high, but is continuously improved. At Boxman Studios, every day is an opportunity to improve how we do things and to keep pushing the quality standard higher for our customers.