Lean Six Sigma applied to Gas Turbine Packaging Pulse Line

Lean Six Sigma is a journey that began at GE three years ago – a journey towards adding value and eliminating waste.Waste can occur anywhere: in extra motion of the operators, in wait time for parts at machine tools, in transferring parts from one plant to another, in the extra inventory present in a plant.

Lean Six Sigma’s concentration of energy and effort has had a real and measurable effect on adding value to manufacturing activities.

One of the main concepts of lean is to create the 'flow' which means the movement of product through an assembly line. This concept is a shift from a job shop production environment where the units are assembled in parallel workstations where all assembly operations are performed, to a flow line where the products flow through a sequence of stations.

Very similar to what happens in a car manufacturing plant, the units in a flow line (or pulse line) are pulsing through a series of  specialized stations where only a few operations are executed in the very same sequence. And where materials are brought in kits ready to be assembled by the operators on the line.

The new Gas Turbine Packaging Pulse Line in our Florence facility is an application of the Lean Six Sigma methodology. With the new concept of pulsing lines, each station is specialized for one set of operations. Each machine pulses from station to station within a fixed time interval; materials are delivered to the line in kits. The benefits range from lead time reduction to productivity increases, to quality improvements.

Mixed model packaging pulse line

Since January 2006, our 100-ton Frame 5 Gas Turbines have been pulsing in the packaging line. The units slide on roller strips pulled by a small electrical motor at the end of the bay. Every two days, the units move to the next station where the subsequent packaging operation is completed.

Materials are delivered to each specialized station in assembly kits ensuring very little slack time. The progress is constantly monitored and actions are taken quickly in the event of a problem. This reorganization of the assembly flow has reduced the lead time by 25% and moreover enables us to quickly respond to any issues.

Streamlined workflow

• From high level routing to standardized work through zoning
• From material accumulation to specialized kits
• From pallets to specially designed carts/trolleys
• From unique delivery of materials to daily supply to the line

The automatic moving equipment for Gas Turbines is now fully operational. At the Oil & Gas Annual Meeting in January, customers had the opportunity to see a demonstration of the moving line. The Lean Six Sigma journey is well on its way and has given the first visible and extremely positive results. It is now our firm belief that the ingenuity that the manufacturing team has shown so far will bring even greater results in the coming months.

For more information on our Gas Turbine Packaging Line or Lean Six Sigma applications, please contact:

Lorenzo Romagnoli
Packaging Cell Leader
lorenzo.romagnoli@ge.com

Giovanni Cecchi
Lean Manufacturing Leader
giovanni.cecchi@ge.com