WASTE NOT

SuperTrapp cleaned house and increased efficiency

Reprinted from Inside Business magazine, May 2003, by Karin Connelly

SuperTrapp Industries Inc.'s management did a little housekeeping in August. But this wasn't just the usual clean-the-plant-floor-and-spit-shine-the-machinery cleaning. It was a complete overhaul of the way the Cleveland-based exhaust manufacturer does business.

"We started by throwing out all of the old stuff we didn't need anymore, scrubbing and moving machinery around," recalls Jon Hedges, the general manager. "You don't want anything on the plant floor that doesn't have to be there. We threw out things that had been sitting around for years."

SuperTrapp Industries began manufacturing comprehensive exhaust systems for motorcycles more than 30 years ago. Dreison International-owned SuperTrapp, which bought competitor Kerker in 1991, makes two of the leading brand names in the aftermarket exhaust industry. When Hedges joined the company in June 2001, SuperTrapp decided it was time to reexamine the business model and turn to a lean manufacturing approach. "When I [joined the company] we knew we had to improve productivity and reduce costs," Hedges says. "Those were two of the bigger challenges."

SuperTrapp's successful transformation to a lean manufacturing model included production of its 2:1 exhaust systems, which resulted in better overall operations and efficiency.

Previously, SuperTrapp invested heavily in hardware and software upgrades. Then came training and implementation of the 5S program -- sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain -- to introduce lean manufacturing values.

"5S is a philosophy of organizing and keeping things in order, keeping the plant clean," Hedges says. "We had to start the 5S before we could go to lean manufacturing."

Teams of employees from various parts of the company were established to help more the initiative forward. Then it was time to do "value stream mapping," in which the 2:1 production process was analyzed.

After eliminating waste in the process, production of the 2:1 exhaust system began under its new production approach in December 2001. The positive results have been marked by a decrease in inventory and a 35 percent improvement in production cycle time, while also improving customer service and market presence. "We've had lots of comments from our customers that we're more responsive, that we communicate better and our on-time delivery had improved," Hedges says.

The journey, as Hedges calls it, has just begun. SuperTrapp launched production of its drag pipes under the lean manufacturing approach in February, and plans to continue the transition with other products in the future. "The future looks bright," Hedges says. "We have significant growth in market share."

Hedges is quick to praise both CAMP Inc., which assisted SuperTrapp in lean manufacturing training, and Frank Jesensek, the company's manufacturing manager, for the success of the program.

Copyright Inside Business 2003, all rights reserved.