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SAL Chemical Company Uses Process Mapping to Drive Continuous Improvement
With the help of: West Virginia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WVMEP)
About
The Challenge
The WVU Industrial Extension has been a very valuable resource, and partner, to SAL Chemical Company in so many different aspects of our business. Helping us to understand and learn how to use process mapping was no exception to this. We live in these processes daily and now realize how easy it can be to overlook the simplest improvements that yield large impacts.
MEP's Role
After meeting with SAL Chemical Company to further discuss their current and long-term continuous improvement goals, the WVU Industrial Extension suggested process mapping as a suitable solution for SAL Chemical Company's needs. The engagement began with WVU Industrial Extension facilitating process mapping activities for two production areas. Participants were also trained in how to approach process mapping from an objective standpoint to separate accepted, actual, and future states of the process.
The maps were used as a baseline for discussion that resulted in the identification of process variances and potential improvement opportunities that could be used to develop a continuous improvement plan. After opportunities were categorized, participants were trained in different methods for identifying and prioritizing opportunities as well as the importance of a continuous improvement plan and how it should be used to plan, communicate, and budget for implementation of the identified improvement activities.