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In the previous issue of this magazine, I quoted some statistics on finishing rework rates and production problems within the industry. Most companies are facing competitive challenges that require them to look at ways to reduce costs and increase productivity. In today's competitive environment, lean manufacturing is not an option but a necessity. To achieve the goals of lean manufacturing, companies must consider three steps: Troubleshoot and correct their problems in finishing; closely manage and monitor the process; and provide continuing education and improvement to prevent finishing issues from reoccurring.
Troubleshooting
In most situations, finishing supervisors, plant managers and shop owners understand their finishing department is not operating efficiently and/or producing consistent quality finishes. In many companies, however, management personnel have not identified what is the root cause of their problems.
The first step is to identify what defects are occurring and why. A defect and rework log will need to be written and maintained. Information in this log should include a description of the defect, where the defect occurred, department responsible for the defect and date/signature of the employee reporting the defect.
What is the most common root cause to look for when troubleshooting defects? Many finishing defects are caused by production issues before the product enters the finishing area. It is important to look back to the beginning of the production process to ensure the grade and species of wood is appropriate and carefully mated to the finishing system and color process used for finishing. Does the wood have the correct natural color? Is the wood substrate consistent in color and grain pattern? Is the pore and grain texture appropriate for the final finish effect required to meet customers' expectations? Some finishes do not require a high grade of substrate material, while other natural finishes may require a very high grade of material with very tight quality standards.
Other "front end" manufacturing defects to look for are machining and sanding consistency of the product. If product is not finishing well, it may be caused by dull tooling or poor setup and alignment of the machining equipment. Countless finishing defects can be traced back to poor maintenance or inadequate dust collection of widebelt or random orbit sanders. Changeover of abrasives should be done systematically to prevent worn abrasives from polishing the wood excessively.
Handling and staging of the product should be critiqued to identify where damage may occur prior to finishing. Finishing defects from handling average approximately 15 to 20 percent of finishing department reworks.
Many dollars are wasted reworking product due to companies failing to check and verify coating quality before the finishing process begins. Incoming coating material audits should be performed on each new shipment received. Quality checks should include verifying color, correct sheen or gloss level, correct viscosity and adequate opacity if the product is a pigmented coating.
To troubleshoot and correct root causes of finish defects or finish failures during the finishing process, spray operators will need to check the wet mil thickness of the coating to ensure the coating is being applied in compliance with the manufacturers' recommendations. This information should be documented for each process for future reference if a problem or defect should occur. Incorrect gloss levels may indicate a problem with inadequate agitation of the coating or in-line filter problems. Check to make sure filters are clean and are the correct mesh size for the coating to be sprayed.
Over 40 percent of finishing defects are caused by inadequate equipment maintenance and cleaning. This may result in the finish having an orange peel texture, uneven color and film build, and excessive runs and sags.
Process management
Managing and controlling a process in finishing to achieve consistent results can be very challenging at best. There are four essential tools to provide managers the resources to effectively control a finishing process.
FINISHING SCHEDULES
A finishing schedule is a written procedure specific to the color and finishing system. Some of the process parameters that must be included are gun setup, coating material and mix, gun-to-part distance, and number of spray gun passes. All process parameters for each step of the finishing system must be included in this document.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Standard operating procedures are step-by-step work instructions communicating all critical information on how to perform the procedure.
QUALITY CONTROL STANDARDS (QCS)
A written QCS document will describe what defects are allowed that will still meet the quality standards and what defects must be rejected. Defects in quality that are defined as rejects must also have a written description in the document for a remedial action to fix the defect. Most QCS documents include photography to illustrate each type of defect.
COATING SPECIFICATION
A coating specification is a written document that includes all physical and chemical properties of the coating used in the process, basic process data on how the coating is used in the system, and the quality assurance test that the coating system equals or exceeds. This document provides the finishing manager the information they need to ensure the durability and quality of the coating system.
With these tools in place there are no questions about the process, and it allows managers to have a sound baseline to enforce compliance of the process. One of the hardest challenges finishing managers face is achieving procedural compliance with the SOP. Many spray operators prefer to perform their task in a manner they are used to. It is the responsibility of the manager to communicate to the employees that SOPs are written to help them do their job as efficiently as possible, using best practice standards. It also provides a process that meets the goals of the company. To help employees buy into the value of standardizing the process, it may be necessary to demonstrate what's in it for them. Positive reinforcement with tangible rewards will generally motivate employees to follow the rules of the procedure. A properly designed incentive program will also increase the company bottom line profits. Reasonably attainable goals should be established in the incentive program.
As these goals are met, a higher benchmark can then be set to provide targets for continuous improvement in the finishing department. When these goals are met by the entire finishing team, a cash bonus is the payout reward for the employees. Cash pay bonuses generally equal up to 20 percent of the company savings, which are achieved by reducing rework cost and increasing efficiency and quality. Some companies provide incentives to their workers by simply offering a free lunch if the employees perform well and meet goals for the week.
Communication and education
Education and communication are key to preventing defects and problems in finishing. It is our recommendation that finishing supervisors, project estimators, marketing directors and purchasing agents communicate together as a group before new projects are specified and quoted. This group discussion will provide the information everyone needs in order to meet the expectations of the customer. Just as importantly, this up-front planning will allow input from every department to accurately establish specifications to successfully produce the product.
Finishing managers should reserve time in the busy work schedule to meet with the finishing team on a regular basis to review their SOP. This will not only re-enforce compliance of the procedures, but also allow the employees to ask questions or offer valuable suggestions on how to improve the process.
In some states, regulation requires spray operators to be trained and certified each year. This helps to re-enforce good spray operator technique and consistency, in order to prevent reworks and rejects in quality. Environmental agencies have also documented that well trained spray operators reduce their coating consumption by over 20 percent.
Understanding what your finishing defects are, eliminating the root problems, and maintaining a consistent process through efficient management and training is a proven method to exponentially increase bottom line profits.
Ed. note: Phil Stevenson is the founder of the American Wood Finishing Institute (AWFI) in Vineland, N.J.
author: By Phil Stevenson