On the production line, internal bore finishing was performed by specialized attachments fitted to machining centers. Yield was poor, however, causing losses to mount. A member of the production engineering team explains:
“The problem was attributable to three factors. Firstly, the process involved successively machining 10 to 12 holes in each component: a step that took up to two hours. Secondly, because our machining centers were not optimized for internal bore finishing, axial straightness was not uniform. Thirdly, it was difficult to effectively manage tool life of attachments, resulting in inconsistent surface finish and bore diameter.”
Also, a concern was the possibility that components might become misaligned. Because components were centered using machine center coordinates, it was possible that the tiniest of slips during component positioning process would result in misalignment. The supplier also wanted to resolve this issue before it became a problem.
In view of these issues, the employee decided that the reason the supplier was unable to reduce costs was because it used machining centers to perform internal bore finishing, and looked into the possibility of using a different approach. However, he was unable to find a solution, and became increasingly agitated.
