Introduction
Merrill is a worldwide corporation with a plant based in Sartell Minnesota. Merrill
produces a wide variety of complex business communication and information needs. They
print and assemble informational packets and books for a wide variety of marketing and
investment companies. Merrill is currently Beta testing a high speed press. Above all
Merrill is a lean company structured with time study, value added production; Operating
with a repetitive and continuous shop flow and a product layout.
Current Lean Manufacturing Processes
There are many lean processes already being used by Merrill. 5S is the most prominent
lean process in affect. The shop is extraordinarily clean and tidy. The workers are
constantly cleaning up any mess made. The shop is laid out in a horse shoe fashion to keep
the products moving in a quick and efficient fashion. Merrill is a strong believer in 6
sigma. This is when a defect is noticed it is immediately pulled. Then measures are taken
to immediately fix the problem. 5 why was a big part of the company. They offered a
percentage of the profit to the employee who could notice a problem and come up with a
solution to fix it.
Where lean can be applied
1. Large quantity of kits piled in collation area. Large amounts of kits (kit is an individual
designed product) were piled up when they were moved from station to station.
2. Shelves not organized. In the packing area where product was boxed and sent out to
shipping. Bins were just put onto shelves in no particular order.
