IET was engaged to implement a complete synchronous manufacturing design concept (facility layout and manufacturing philosophy) for a window manufacturer located in Virginia.

The client wanted the resulting design concept to result in improved productivity.

After in-depth analysis of the existing production system, IET developed detailed manufacturing labor standards. IET’s design concept resulted in reducing the amount of required floor space from 22,000 to 12,000 square feet, a 90% reduction in both work-in-progress and subsequent material handling requirements, and improved throughput time. The results:

• Direct labor was reduced by 62%
• Space utilization improved by 45%, permitting capacity expansion
• Total capacity increased by 240%