Saltillo

Kaizen Summary – Mold Change Time Reduction
1-Hour Reduction in Mold Change Time

Background:
Mold changes previously took an average of 3 hours. A process improvement was implemented that reduced the mold change time by 1 hour per change.

Implemented Action:
The cooling system connections on the mold were visually identified to speed up reconnections:

Blue color for inlet water lines

Red color for outlet water lines

This visual aid allows technicians to connect and disconnect cooling lines faster and more accurately, reducing mistakes and downtime during mold changes.

Mold Change Frequency:

3.5 changes per day

4 days per week

52 weeks per year

Annual Time Savings:

1 hour saved × 3.5 changes/day × 4 days/week × 52 weeks
= 728 hours saved annually

Labor Cost Basis:

Monthly salary of mold technician: $30,000 MXN ($1,765 USD)

Annual salary: $360,000 MXN ($21,176 USD)

Hourly labor cost: $173.08 MXN/hour ($10.18 USD/hour)

Estimated Annual Savings (Labor Only):

728 hours × $10.18 USD/hour
= ~$7,409 USD per year

Conclusion:
This Kaizen reduced mold change time by 33%, with a simple but effective visual improvement to the mold’s cooling line connections. The result is an estimated 728 hours saved per year and $7,409 USD in labor cost savings, along with enhanced process standardization and safety.

Kaizen Summary – Mold Change Time Reduction
Title:
1-Hour Reduction in Mold Change Time

Background:
Mold changes previously took an average of 3 hours. A process improvement was implemented that reduced the mold change time by 1 hour per change.

Implemented Action:
The cooling system connections on the mold were visually identified to speed up reconnections:

Blue color for inlet water lines

Red color for outlet water lines

This visual aid allows technicians to connect and disconnect cooling lines faster and more accurately, reducing mistakes and downtime during mold changes.

Mold Change Frequency:

3.5 changes per day

4 days per week

52 weeks per year

Annual Time Savings:

1 hour saved × 3.5 changes/day × 4 days/week × 52 weeks
= 728 hours saved annually

Labor Cost Basis:

Monthly salary of mold technician: $30,000 MXN (~$1,765 USD)

Annual salary: $360,000 MXN (~$21,176 USD)

Hourly labor cost: $173.08 MXN/hour (~$10.18 USD/hour)

Estimated Annual Savings (Labor Only):

728 hours × $10.18 USD/hour
= ~$7,409 USD per year

Conclusion:
This Kaizen reduced mold change time by 33%, with a simple but effective visual improvement to the mold’s cooling line connections. The result is an estimated 728 hours saved per year and $7,409 USD in labor cost savings, along with enhanced process standardization and safety