Manufacturing Engineering & Process Improvements at Walbar Peabody

Introducing New Products & Processes

Walbar Peabody’s manufacturing engineers are vital to our development and process improvement. So, how do they test and learn a new product line or process—and then spread that knowledge with the rest of the team? 

First, they review all incoming data for the new incoming product lines, including related processes. Engineering ensures this information is correct, which allows them to develop accurate instructions for our operators. 

After gathering all this essential technical data and compiling it into clear guides, engineering communicates and works with the floor team on operations and testing. The focus here is ensuring all testing procedures are done correctly so the process can move smoothly. Then, we’re ready for the new product line.

Boosting Efficiencies

Another pivotal role for our manufacturing team is boosting efficiency. Much of this comes down to learning from past challenges and gaps. Today, our turnaround times (TATs) are exceptional thanks to our unified team and lean practices. 

Of course, this has entailed significant work educating the rest of the Walbar Peabody team and standardizing our procedures—and we’re still working on it! We continuously iron out the kinks by: 

• Reviewing processes
• Identifying bottlenecks
• Finding solutions—including automation—to make them more efficient

This often involves removing mundane processes, which often means working with our customers to determine how and where we can streamline things. 

Manufacturing Engineering & Ever-changing Processes

At the end of the day, leveraging technology, training our team, and boosting efficiencies is a constantly evolving process. 

We have learned that cross-training our workforce and making countless small changes by removing tedious tasks in our current processes have been key as we strive for better. They may seem like minor details, but they make a difference!