Continuous Innovation: What is it?

At Fastco, we believe in continuous innovation. But how does innovation happen? It happens through small actions, through thoughts that spark ideas that turn into discussions, which turn into trying something new. It all starts with our team members.

Ergonomic Improvements are Essential

Over the last several years, Fastco has been making strides in improving the ergonomic impact of the working in manufacturing. These jobs are hard on a body and it is imperative that we continue to explore innovative ways to lessen the physical burden of the labor to keep our team members physically healthy, happy, and productive.

Sometimes, it takes someone outside of the job to come up with a clever and effective solution. Brandon Schell has been with Fastco for over 9 years. He started in preventive maintenance, moving up to machine repair, and now serves as our 3^rd shift lead. He has been an integral part of the maintenance team during his tenure, and helped us make a range of improvements. This includes improving the dump pans in our cold heading bay 2 so that the bottom pulls out to dump parts instead of the operator having to lift and dump the pan.

While pulling is a better ergonomic solution than lifting and dumping, our Facility Manager, Steve Kowalczyk, and safety team were still hoping to find a better solution. In addition, most of our cold heading machines were still set up with dumps that require lifting and dumping, a motion that also requires the operators to twist their bodies.

Continuous Innovation: New and Improved Dump Pans

To eliminate this, Brandon thought that if you designed a pan that rotated, it would be an improvement. First, he developed a model, a miniature version of the concept. It was a semi-circular pan, rather than rectangular, that would be mounted under the conveyer. Parts would go from the machine into the pan and then, when it was filled and checked, the operator could simply turn a wheel on it, rotating the entire pan and dumping the parts with minimal effort.

After receiving approval for the idea, Brandon and our other 3^rd shift machine repair tech, Luke Vawter, worked to set up the pan. They mounted the brackets and added the stoppers to lock it when it rotates and prevent the pan from tipping. They started by mounting it on machines with higher conveyer belts. As of now, the device will not work for machines with a lower conveyer. Luke is working on an idea for an arm on which to mount the dump pan. This will allow it to be moved and adjusted for lower conveyers.

We are currently testing out a couple of these dump pans to gage effectiveness. We will be checking in with operators that use the equipment to determine how well the pans work. The goal will be widespread adoption in all the bays. Eventually, we’d like to replace the turning wheel with a button to automate the process further, removing all physical strain from the operator.

Visual Sorting:

Human vs. Robot

At Fastco, we use have a few different options for visual sorting parts. There’s EZ sort (shown in the video) in which parts feed down a track and a person inspects them as they pass. There is also table sorting, in which a person picks up and inspects parts by hand. And finally, there’s our 6-axis robot, Ellie.

So which is better: the human eye or a robot?

Here’s a quick breakdown.

Team Robot

Robots don’t need breaks or vacation.

Robots don’t lapse in attention. They are 100% binary and will always find the defect they’ve been programmed to find.

Team Human

Humans can find other potential flaws, not just what they are “programmed” to find.

Humans can visually sort very quickly. EZ sort is fast, though not as thorough as table sorting.

Visual Sorting Winner

Sorry to disappoint, but this one is a draw. There is no definitive “better” method of visual sorting. There are benefits to each sorting method and different parts call for different methods of inspection. In addition to Ellie, Fastco has many other state-of-the-art machines capable of sorting for everything from length under head to presence of patch or threads to hardness and cracks.

Department Updates: Cold Heading Initiatives

In 2023, Cold Heading has been working on several initiatives. For this reason we have developed an “SQDC” board in every bay. SQDC stands for: Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost.

Safety, Quality Delivery, and Cost

First and foremost is Safety. Working safely every day is and always will be our department’s top priority. No other initiative is as important, since nothing can ever replace lost lives or limbs.

Quality of product is our second focus. Making lots of parts and hitting our delivery or production targets are meaningless if the product is not useable.

Next is Delivery. As part of this focus, we use “heat maps,” which tell us what parts are due and how many are due each week. Being in tune with what is needed to help the downstream operations (thread roll, outside processing, sort) and to keep the customer supplied is critical.

Last, but certainly not least, is Cost. To this point, the primary way that cold heading helps contribute to the success and profitability of the company is to generate as little scrap as possible. This year, we continue to reduce the amount of scrap we generate compared to previous years. This is a never ending battle with the ultimate goal always being zero scrap.

For each of these categories, we have simple reporting systems. Because the process is new, we continue to learn how to use these boards in the best and most efficient ways possible.

Open Book Management Initiative in Cold Heading

These boards help support Fastco’s philosophy on open book management. Open book management has been a real eye opener for many reasons in Cold Heading.

For one, we now better understand the impact of raw material expenditures, the number one cost for our product. In addition, we also have a better understanding of how more we have to sell to make up for the losses associated with a quality issue. Finally, we have a better understanding of what our true profits are after expenses.

For me, it has been humbling to realize how long I worked in manufacturing without truly understanding how the business worked. The only comfort is to know I was not alone. It is a privilege to work for a company that educates us and involves us in strategic decisions.

by Jim Wolters, Cold Heading Team Leader

What exactly is a stainless steel alloy?

Simply put, stainless steel is an iron and chromium alloy containing at least 10.5% chromium. Other common additives include:

1. Nickel – Nickel containing grades make up 75% of stainless steel production. In fact, more than two thirds of global nickel produced is used in the production of stainless steel alloys because nickel improves the formability, weldability, and ductility of the material.
2. Carbon – To be clear, steels that are typically referred to as “carbon” steels contain less than the 10.5% chromium required to be stainless. Stainless steels have less than 1.2% carbon.
3. Manganese – High-manganese (200 series austenitic) have lower nickel content, making them more affordable in the current market.
4. Molybdenum – This element improves the resistances to pitting corrosion of stainless.
5. Nitrogen – Nitrogen is a strong austenite stabilizer, increasing the strength, hardness, and brittleness of stainless steels.
6. Copper – Copper can improve corrosion resistance in stainless steels.

In addition to improving corrosion resistance, adding other elements to stainless steel alloy may also:

• Improve high or low temperature resistance
• Improve weldability or formability
• Control magnetism

Different stainless steel grades will contain different additives in different amounts. When selecting a stainless steel, the forming process and end application should be considered.

At Fastco, we work primarily with 300 and 400 series stainless steels, as well as high-nickel alloy A286. Learn more on our materials pages.

Got a stainless steel fastener need? Send us an RFQ on this form or give us a call at 616-453-5428.