Holley Performance Products Builds a Leaner Carburetor
Air Academy Associates’ SPC XL software

For the first wave of lean Six Sigma projects at Holley Performance Products of Bowling Green, Kentucky, it made sense to direct attention to the cornerstone product in the company’s portfolio: the carburetor. This is the product that launched the company back in 1903 and remains its highest-volume and most recognized product today.

Main-body machining was chosen as an area of focus for this project for a number of reasons: It is the largest component within the carburetor assembly, requires the most machining operations, is the most complex to cast, and serves as the mounting point for many other components. In addition, the manufacturing area was plagued by a number of problems. The process utilized many old, worn-out, manual machines and was labor-intensive. The long changeover time for all of the machines was a huge problem due to the high product mix (approximately 90 part numbers) and small lot sizes (as few as five pieces). The process also generated significant scrap/rework due to variation.

Baseline capability data were gathered for two features on the part. The team chose these features because they were thought to be problem areas. Statistical analysis on the data sets was performed using SPC XL software from Air Academy Associates of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

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A Standards-Registration Triple Header
Business Enterprise Mapping Inc.’s process-mapping system

In February 2008, Arizona’s Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department’s Conveyance Division (PCRWRDCD), which has 113 employees and serves a population of more than one million, became the first enterprise in the United States to receive three management system standard registrations simultaneously-- ISO 9001, which specifies requirements for a quality management system; ISO 14001, which addresses various aspects of environmental management; and OHSAS 18001, a health and safety standards certification. Business Enterprise Mapping Inc., a Scottsdale, Arizona, process improvement consulting company, collaborated with the public utility throughout 2007 in preparation for simultaneous management audits that were conducted by TÜV SÜD America Inc. during October and November 2007.

The results of a third-party audit were the catalyst for management commitment to improving quality. Leadership elected to establish a business management system that would incorporate registration to all three international management system standards as a tangible indication of that commitment.

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