OAKLAND, NJ – Amerlux recently announced that it will ship all of its standard products in 10 days or less.
Five years ago, Amerlux launched a QuickShip program that pledged a short turnaround for a small handful of standard products that included recessed linear fixtures, recessed downlights and exterior floodlights.
Since embracing Lean manufacturing virtues in 2014, Amerlux has decided to disband the old program and offer a 10-day pledge for all standard products company-wide. The banner that hangs on the wall in the company’s production facility reads, “It’s not the BIG that eat the SMALL…it’s the FAST that eat the SLOW.”
“Time is money,” said Amerlux CEO and President Chuck Campagna. “We speak the same language as our customers. They plan, spec and maintain facilities and we do everything in our power to make sure that our products are shipped on time. No matter how complex the challenge, we take every opportunity personally until we exceed expectations.”
Thanks to thoughtful planning, employee feedback and continuous improvement, Amerlux has dramatically improved its manufacturing process, which continues to yield benefits for its customers through rapid efficiency. Consider a sample of progress:
Amerlux moved its entire production process from six buildings into one large 200,000 square-foot headquarters. In other words, one part would have to travel three-quarters of a mile or 3,960 feet before it became a fixture. Today, all parts are within five feet.
The company uses planning software so supervisors from production, planning and customer service departments can see orders visually move through the internal process, which eliminates constant “update” meetings.
Amerlux leverages a “supermarket” approach to production by organizing all the parts in bins behind the assembly lines so employees can turn around and quickly select what items they need.
Assembly lines were transformed into product lines instead of project lines so employees became more efficient in the process.
The company uses a vendor management inventory system to ensure that it’s never out of hardware (e.g. screws, washers, nuts), which is within 25 feet of the assembly lines.
Forklifts are relegated to traveling on “right of ways” or grooves built into the floor of the production facility to reduce the incidence of accidents, which cause down time for the pickers.
At daily assembly meetings, which last 5-10 minutes, issues are discussed that can be immediately resolved or they are elevated for more attention.
A recent internal report revealed that the time it takes Amerlux to produce one downlight has been reduced from 330 seconds to 60 seconds since it has implemented Lean procedures. Since 2016, on-time performance has improved from 40 percent to 95 percent.
A large portion of Amerlux’s portfolio is available for shipment within 10 days, including its new line of exterior lights, which underscore its commitment to value and reliable performance.
For more information about Amerlux, visit http://www.Amerlux.com.
