Workstations and storage according to the 5S Methodology at Don Whithley Scientific LTD. in West Yorkshire

Fergus Murray, Product Engineering Director at Don Whitley Scientific Ltd.

Taking your efficiency to a higher level!

Usually, when talking about increases in efficiency or production, businesses have the production line itself in mind, with higher feed rates, more manpower or even additional production lines considered. You would probably not think about a higher efficiency when it comes to the work environment itself, but this was exactly what Don Whitley Scientific Ltd. had in mind when they contacted Hoffmann Group’s sales manager Paul Walker to refurbish their workshops in West Yorkshire.

Being the leading manufacturer and supplier of innovative equipment and services to the microbiology and tissue culture industries - primarily for use in hospitals, public health laboratories, food testing organisations, pharmaceutical companies and research institutions - DWS required a reliable partner when it came to quality and service.

"We have decided to work with the Hoffmann Group because of the quality of their products and the servicethey provide." Fergus Murray, Product Engineering Director at DWS.

During MACH 2016, Mr. Murray and Managing Director Paul Walton developed a first impression of the quality of the Hoffmann Group’s workstation and storage solutions so they asked the experts of the Hoffmann Group to take a look at their workshops. During a visit at DWS, the team around Paul Walker produced a first draft of the workshops showing how they might look like equipped with new workstations and tool cars. Using state of the art software for planning and design, the team were able give a very clear impression of the new layout. Ideas could be implemented immediately during the planning process and changes could be made by just one click.

To help DWS achieve their goals of improving their working environment, increasing the throughput of products and the general layout of their production department, the Hoffmann Group introduced the 5S methodology. The 5S methodology was developed in Japan; it is a systematic and methodical approach allowing teams to organise their workplace in the safest and most efficient manner.

Due to the crucial nature of their business, DWS knows all about the importance of cleanliness and safety, which can be easily achieved with 5S. The workstation and storage solutions offered by the Hoffmann Group support these features in the best way. Not only can the workstations be individually customised and equipped, even the foam inlays in the tool cars can be designed for each individual purpose.

The two-colour system shows at a glance whether a tool is missing. Every single tool gets its own place, reducing the time being spent on looking for it.

Don Whitley Scientific Ltd.

develops, manufactures and sells equipment and associated products for microbiology and cell culture applications worldwide. DWS sells to both public and private sectors in a variety of scientific disciplines in organisations such as health protection agencies, pharmaceutical companies, food laboratories, contract microbiology organisations, hospitals, university research departments, water analysis companies and other research facilities. In the UK, Australia and Germany products are sold directly. In other parts of the world the products are being supplied and supported via a carefully chosen distributor network.

"We will definitely be purchasing more equipment from the Hoffmann Group as we have been able to increaseour productivity by approximately 10 to 20 % of available man hours, just by optimising the work environment", Paul Walton adds.

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