Opportunities for Improvement

OFCO (Ohio Fabricators Company) is the manufacturer of choice for hydraulic strainers, breathers, and screen solutions. They began supplying standard strainers to the hydraulics industry and quickly grew our capabilities to support a wide range of manufacturers, distributors and end users. OFCO’s products range from standard strainers and breathers to penny-sized stainless mesh filters. Industries supported by OFCO are just as diverse and include construction, farming and mining to oil and gas production, hydraulics, automotive/transportation and virtually any industry that needs to filter liquids. The company’s 60 veteran employees, housed in a 45,000 square-foot facility, are as committed today as they were during the company’s wartime beginnings. OFCO is located in Coshocton, OH.

The purpose of this project was to provide OFCO with a Lean assessment. The assessment gave OFCO a clear understanding of where opportunities existed to improve operational efficiencies and develop a roadmap for improvement.

During the Lean assessment, Breakthrough Consulting the OSU South Centers MEP met with key stakeholders within the company to review performance in the following categories: Communication within the organization, Visual Systems and Workplace organization, Operator flexibility, Continuous Improvement, Mistake Proofing (Poka-Yoke), Quick Changeover (SMED), Quality, Supply Chain, Balanced Production, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), Pull Systems (Kan-ban), Standard Work, Accounting Systems, Engineering, Performance Measurement, Sales/Customer Communication, Management/Leadership, Human Resources, and Information Technology. As part of the Assessment, a high-level value stream map was developed to allow the team to understand the overall flow of product through the business. Upon completion of the assessment, OFCO received a report summarizing the findings.