Throughput from 20 days to 3, OEE from 67% to 90%
Eight years as General Manager Operations at Vestas Aircoil, a maker of marine and industrial cooling systems, with plants in Romania, Denmark and China. The result: throughput cut from 20 to 3 days and OEE raised from 67% to 90%, then rolled out across all 3 plants.
What I found
An order sat in production for 20 days from intake to delivery, even though the actual work took a fraction of that time. The rest was waiting between stages, large intermediate stock, and a plant layout that didn't follow the product's real flow.
What I changed
I mapped the value stream and redesigned the plant layout to follow the real production steps, not the historical organization by department. I applied 5S and standard work routines, so every station performed the same way regardless of who was on the line. In parallel, I ran a €3M CAPEX project — 14 new machines, from specification and tender to commissioning and operator training — delivered on time, with capacity doubled on the same headcount and the same floor space.
I also launched a new production line (Charge Air Coolers) from tooling to stable serial production, without letting quality drop during ramp-up.
The result
Throughput dropped from 20 days to 3. OEE rose from 67% to 90%. The practices proven in Romania were then rolled out to the plants in Denmark and China, with direct coordination of multi-site operations.
Want to know how much of your production time is real work and how much is waiting? Try the Value Stream Mapping tool or let's talk.