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PRODUCTS FINISHING — PFonline.com 25 Romer says. "And honestly, the people operating the system just don't know it is happening." When the Mauser audit was finished, it was like night and day operationally, DiFonzo says. Among the results were: • Yearly savings on paint through improved transfer efficiency. • Improved paint quality on the drum heads. • Improved paint quality on the drum sidewalls, specifi- cally on multi-colored drums. • A well-defined process with specific work parameters that simplifies setup for the operator and enables consistency when the primary operator is out. • Fewer line stops due to equipment issues, thanks to improved preventive maintenance by operators on spray nozzles and on the system in general. • Improved quality in general through better practices in handling/managing the raw material inventory, including paint. $104k in Savings Through Increased Efficiency Overall, Mauser saw an 18 percent reduction in the amount of liquid paint it used, leading to a monumental savings financially. "We saved just over $104,000 in paint costs alone," DiFonzo says. "It got everyone's attention around here. I'm a process engineer, and I can get really excited about 5 and 10 percent improvements. What Steve did for us was absolutely fantastic." The company achieved this savings by identifying and improving on different parts of its processes. For example, the team homed in on a specific application for coating the lid of a 55-gallon drums, a 22.5-inch disc that required use of four paint nozzles at Station 2. After carefully examining the existing setup, the opera- tors determined that the four spray guns were affecting each other's streams, causing overspray. They tried several different setups and altered the number of guns, eventually separating the four guns and placing two at Station 2 and two at Station 3. The reduction in overspray and drips was remarkable, DiFonzo says. "It's all trial and error," he says. "Part of it is using best practices, and part of it is having a guy like Steve who has been in a lot of plants and knows what works best." Several months removed from the audit, DiFonzo says there is little to no drift from the protocols that were set up after the audit, and he and his team are watching more closely for changes from original settings. He says the shop and its operators weathered the audit well, and have come to appreciate the experience as a way to better themselves and the processes. "It was a commitment from us dollar-wise, but the result was truly more than we ever imagined," DiFonzo says. For information on Mauser, visit mausergroup.com. For infor- mation on Sames Kremlin, visit sames-kremlin.com/usa/en. Update your chroming system: Bath Chemistry Impurity Control Production Expansion Anodizing & Fixturing System Engineering Operator Training Quality Control Zero Discharge Troubleshooting On-site & email services provided by Dr. Chrome Plating Resources, Inc. 2845 West King St., Unit 108 Cocoa, Florida, 32926, USA www.plating.com email: sales@plating.com phone: USA+321.632.2435 Hard Chrome Technology Provided Worldwide IN-TUNE EQUIPMENT