TPT November 2020

T E CHNOLOG Y

for potential waste, reduced by better layout and better aligned process flow. - Trial & error or excess processing: due to the composite characteristics of the GRP pipe, redundant steps are quite common, and they have to be reduced. The EFW ® proceeds with such a process in steps, avoiding any disruption in the complete process. In the GRP pipe industry, the same actions done in a different order does not lead to the same results. The EFW method involves the creation of a flow diagram, describing each and every step in the value process. Such a map allows for evaluation of all steps, to identify all the waste (including the hidden waste) and inefficiency, in order to lower the cost, yet increasing the final product technical characteristics. This strategy is one of the most powerful and important tools of the Effective Filament Winding method. Documenting and managing these procedures and taking input and feedback from all members of the company, for the continuous improvement, will produce powerful changes for the better. Following these EFW principles and concepts, and reducing key waste, manufacturers who currently specialise in GRP turnkey project create highly desirable successes. The application of the method results in an improved agility in meeting the competitive demands of a highly evolving marketplace. The clearer the information and data flow is through the entire organisation from start to finish, the faster that company can respond to market demands and satisfy the consumer, and the more efficient that process is, the more quality the company can afford for each dollar to boost profits. Mauricio Facchinetti, CEO of Topfibra, together with his partner and Topfibra CFO Fabio Fracasso, lead a team responsible for implementing the Effective Filament Winding system from the start, towards the complete investment of high capacity GRP production plants. Combining the supply of the EFW Production Lines, that includes smart data feedback and dynamic sensors together with the EFW method, the GRP plant can define and achieve the forecasted results and even accomplish results previously considered impossible. Topfibra www.topfibra.eu

- Internally manage the GRP information exchange. - Brings about greater employee morale and buy-in. - Focuses on the optimisation loops for continuous improvement. Without increasing the number of employees or adding new equipment, meaningful output is increased as a ratio to busy work. - Increases cash on hand. The idea of waste in many industries is intended as the material which is discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use after the production process. The EFW ® method focus on waste reduction using a wider approach. “Waste is anything other than the minimum amount of equipment, materials, parts and working time which is absolutely essential to add value to the product or service,” said Ohno Taiicho. It may seem obvious that waste hurts productivity and profitability in any industry but the importance of reducing waste is often underappreciated. In the GRP market, there are numerous areas of waste that go overlooked and that are solved through the EFW method: - Overdesign: the GRP pipes are custom designed to satisfy the project needs. But the final design also depends on the raw materials characteristics and their compatibility, the GRP being a composite material. Only a 100 per cent EFW analytical approach avoids overdesigns during this process. - Defects: a defective pipe, caused by poor quality inputs, process, user error or other problems, is costly and easily avoided. The EFW ® covers all the

Effective Filament Winding ® Method Certification

phases from the raw material to the final installation, reducing or eliminating the threats before the defect occurs. - Unexpected downtimes: the timespan that a GRP production line is unavailable or offline is usually a result of some system failing to function because of an unplanned event. In the GRP industry, due to the interconnected variables, the cause may not be easy to discover if the plant is not collecting data during the complete process. The EFW ® method, being a data driven analytical system, prevents and corrects the potential source of such unplanned events. - Bottlenecks: they occur due to oversupply or undersupply and they are handled by the EFW ® through better supply chain and personnel management. - Not utilising talent: waste may occur when the skills of the workforce are underutilised or misappropriated. In the EFW ® method, human talent is a highly valuable and often overlooked commodity. - Transportation: GRP pipes must be handled and transported in an appropriate way. Internal handling and movement to the site is an area

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NOVEMBER 2020