The supplier performed internal bore surface finishing of industrial equipment components by hand. Taking around ten minutes per part, this process had given rise to a chronic staff shortage.
An employee from the production division recalled:
“In order to increase production, we were forced to reassign employees from administrative roles, have operators come in on days off, and otherwise ‘throw human capital’ at the problem. This further increased the workload on operators, and there were also concerns that quality could become inconsistent.”
Believing that the process needed to be automated as soon as possible to reduce processing times and operator workloads, the employee consulted a grinding machine manufacturer. The manufacturer proposed a grinding-machine based solution and the employee immediately conducted a trial, but it did not yield the desired results.
“Our parts have deep, narrow bores that cannot be machined consistently on a grinding machine. Surface finishing is crucial to ensure product life and mechanical efficiency. As things stood, we were in no position to increase production,” explained the employee.
While the employee and others in the production division once again searched for information, a solution eluded them, and they had half-given up on automating the process.
