ABOUT NAMMO COMPOSITE SOLUTIONS
NAMMO is one of the world’s leading providers of ammunition and rocket engines for both military and civilian customers. Headquartered in Norway, the international aerospace and defense company has office locations in 14 countries and 2,200 employees across more than 30 sites. NAMMO’s site in Salt Lake City, Utah, known as Nammo Composite Solutions, has just over one hundred employees, and over 20 years of experience in providing composite design and manufacturing services for the commercial, aerospace, and defense markets.
THE CHALLENGE:
Nammo Composite Solutions needed to identify and eliminate waste in the manufacturing process and increase output in order to support new requirements from its Department of Defense customer. Lacking the necessary in-house expertise, company leaders called on the University of Utah Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Center, part of the MEP National NetworkTM, for assistance.
MEP CENTER’s ROLE:
The U of U MEP Center conducted a Value Stream Mapping (VSM) event at the Salt Lake City facility to help address some of the issues NAMMO was experiencing. MEP Center staff worked with the TOW Missile cell’s cross-functional team to document the current state and establish SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). The team identified improvement ideas to support the SMART goals. Next, they designed a future state, and prioritized improvement projects based on impact and complexity.
NAMMO successfully reduced part travel by co-locating process steps, and throughput capability increased in the facility. MEP Center staff trained and coached the teams on Lean principles and waste identification, and the company is benefitting from cost-savings as well as a significant increase in annual sales.
Results:
- $3,640,000 in increased annual sales
- $10,000 in cost savings
- 30% reduction in part travel
- 40% increase in throughput capability
