Client Hodge Industries
Location Mackay, Queensland
Background
Hodge Industries, based in Mackay, Queensland, is a fourth-generation family-owned business specialising in the manufacturing of sugar cane farming machinery. With over a century of experience, they offer more than 40 different types of equipment designed to support every stage of sugar cane cultivation—from land preparation to harvest.
In addition to machinery, Hodge Industries supplies a wide range of general farm machinery and spare parts, catering to both small-scale and large commercial agricultural operations. They are committed to continuous improvement, utilising the latest manufacturing methods, including 3D design software and CNC-controlled machinery, to ensure high-quality products.
The Challenge
Hodge Industries has been manufacturing for over 100 years with a top-down approach to managing staff. Senior managers were controlling flow and not engaging their employees’ and solving problems in a structured way. They found coordination between departments was causing issues with manufacturing and increasing lead times. “We were having coordination issues between departments and that culminated with longer lead times in the final assembly area” said Managing Director Wayne Willis
The Solution
TXM Senior Consultant Thomas Gieloff was tasked with helping coach the Hodge Industries team take a fresh approach to their manufacturing. The current state mapping session involving senior leaders uncovered several areas for improvement. The session identified improvements around parts picking, wasted time in motion, 5s workplace organisation and Leader Standard Work.
Thomas implemented daily morning meetings for each department to help the teams understand the production schedule and if there were any issues for the day. 5S workplace organisation was also implemented across each department with tools and materials placed in easy to reach, set locations. Kamishibai Boards were introduced to help keep track of daily and weekly tasks.
“Thomas implemented some basic tools for the guys to implement better coordination between departments and flow of parts between departments and for us to be able to then get our coordination in our final assembly area a lot better” said Wayne
Each department from welding to final assembly are given parts packages which decreased the time it took to pick parts and overall increased throughput of each department.
“It has been an awesome experience helping the Hodge Industries team, they have been enthusiastic and willing to implement these new ways of working. It gives me great satisfaction to see how far they have come.” said Senior Lean Consultant Thomas Gieloff.
Results
The team at Hodge Industries with the help of TXM have been able to transform their operations with excellent results:
- Improved coordination and flow of parts between departments.
- Improved the lead time on their largest product from 20 weeks to 12 weeks.
- The final assembly time of their largest product has been reduced by 20%
- Hodge has been able to decrease their welding time with parts packages arriving on trolleys.
- A continuous improvement culture is being fostered by all departments.
