REDUCING SEALANT WASTE

Project on the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Course

Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 2
Data tables………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4
Exercises and time estimates……………………………………………………………………………….………………………………….6

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Introduction

Aero-Technologies, a manufacturer and assembler of major aerospace

components has been in operation for the last 10 years. Aero-Technologies is a
partner with larger aerospace companies and provides complete aero structures.
The management team noticed over the last year that the cost of premixed and
frozen sealant was increasing rapidly. For the New Tech Wing assembly area, the
sealant costs have increased by $300K over last year. Management speculates
that due to a lax process and recent changes in leadership in various areas
assembly areas sealant usage is out of control. A six sigma team was brought
together to investigate the cause of high sealant usage and sealant waste and fix
the problem.

The assembly supervisors have a weekly order for premixed and frozen sealant.
There are different types of sealants for different products. They are available in
1oz, 3oz, and 6oz tubes.

See Table 1 for current standing sealant order volume.

The Six Sigma team discovered that there is no documented process and
observed the sealant orders and usage process for a week:

The sealant arrives every week to Transportation’s warehouse for initial

inspection. Then a sample of the sealant is inspected by the Quality department
per process documentation. If sample sealant does not pass inspection the entire
batch is scrapped. If the sealant passes inspection, PCU (Production Control Unit)
delivers the batch to the assembly areas main freezers. PCU then loads the main
freezer and the POU (Point of Use) freezers. The POU freezers are smaller than
the main freezer and are a closer to the mechanics work stations that will use the
sealant. PCU guesses on the amount of each type of sealant required for each
POU freezer and changes the distribution quantity when there are complaints. It
was also observed that PCU does not delivery the sealant on a consistent day of
the week due to other responsibilities but delivers when time allows.

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When there is a requirement for a particular sealant type per product
instructions, the mechanics will procure the sealant in their POU freezer. If the
sealant is available, the mechanic will remove the sealant, allow it to thaw, use it,
and dispose any unused sealant that remains in the tube. Sometimes the
mechanic will not document how many tubes were checked out of the POU
freezer on the check-out sheet and will only estimate the number of tubes or
ounces needed for the task. Estimating could lead to more or less sealant than
required for the task. Any sealant that thaws cannot be refrozen and must be
disposed. The team noticed one occasion where a few freezers stopped working
over the weekend due to a power outage which caused the sealant to go bad. The
assembly team was not aware of the bad sealant until it was used and the rest of
the batch was scrapped.

If the required sealant is not available, the mechanics will inform their assembly
supervisor. The supervisor will then work with the PCU to determine if an update
to the weekly order is necessary.

Every sealant type has a shelf life and an expiration date given by the quality
department. The Quality department inspects all the sealant freezers each week
to record the expired sealant and dispose of it.

During initial investigation the team discovered that two drivers were critical to
reduce the wastage of sealant—accurate order quantity and sealant delivery to
POU (Point of Use) Freezers. Accurate sealant usage data and tube size variation
are factors that could impact accurate order quantity. Point of contact for POU
freezer delivery, monitoring of POU freezer inventory, and cycle time for order
quantity changes were the identified factors that could impact delivery to POU
freezers.

The average wastage of sealant data for the last few months is shown in Table 2.

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Data Tables

Table 1
Current Delivery Volume/Week Total Total
Sealant Type 1oz 3oz 6oz Count Ounces

1995C 50 50 300
2082 B2 40 160 200 520
870 C6 24 24 144
870 GRV 50 50 300
AC730 B2 50 30 80 330
5896-2 B1/2 440 100 540 1,920
5896-2 B2 620 100 720 2,460
5896-6 400 900 250 1550 4,600
Total Count 440 2,170 604 3,214
Total Ounces 440 6,510 3,624 10,574

Table 2
Ounces Average Total
Expired
Sealant Type Ounces/Week Scrapped After Ounces
Use/Week Wasted/Week
1995C 140 35 175
2082 B2 201 120 321
870 C6 - 40 40
870 GRV 122 10 132
AC730 B2 32 44 76
5896-2 B1/2 776 324 1,100
5896-2 B2 1,641 375 2,016
5896-6 260 1,061 1,321
Total 3,172 2,009 5,181

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Exercises

Read the case study reading

Exercise 1

Map the Process

Using the information in the

case study map of sealant
order/usage process

Exercise 2

Descriptive Statistics

Use graphical
methods to show the
order volume and
wastage of sealant

Exercise 3

Process capability
Using the data given in Table 2, determine the process capability if every ounce of
wasted sealant is considered a defect

Exercise 4

Identify Problems and Countermeasures

Userecommend
We the data and
you information presented
to first solve the tothen
project and identity
view and prioritize
the solution the problems
to assess in
your learning.
the process and brainstorm a solution for each problem.
**Solutions can be downloaded from the ‘Download Center.’

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