News

Since its acquisition in July 2007, Weir SPM has made tremendous strides in implementing the Weir Production System, including establishing Lean manufacturing methodology, embedding  improved 5S housekeeping standards in its manufacturing practices and improving the facilities at its global service centre network. All of these introductions have led to dramatic improvement in delivering on time to our customers.  5S standards have been a driving force for Weir SPM as steps have been taken to transform the manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, Texas. Easy to implement actions such as painting production facility floors to better aid employee and equipment traffic flow, installing guard rails to increase safety and ease traffic flow, work stations re-organized and tool storage areas labeled to decrease waste and improve organization. These simple efforts contributed to a 28% improvement in SPM’s Lost Time Accident record in 2008 over the prior year.  Manufacturing processes have also been updated to increase work efficiency with implementation of Standard Operating Procedures and improved focus on preventative maintenance and continued training for employees.  Communication has been a key area of improvement, with ‘war rooms’ established throughout the manufacturing facility to better track the movement of product and evaluate the efficiency of production processes. Continued Lean training by managers and their employees and the implementation of a computer program that allows more consistent and detailed tracking of product and materials as they flow through production, has aided in streamlining many processes.  Weir SPM has also invested heavily in new machinery in order to boost production to meet the demand of customers.  The result of all these improvements has been seen in the delivery of product to the customer.  Lead times have also decreased considerably.  A key strategy and differentiator to competitors is the Weir SPM service center network. Since the acquisition, Weir SPM has established new service facilities in Longview, Texas, Searcy, Arkansas, Grand Junction, Colorado, Williston, North Dakota, Elk City, Oklahoma, and Perth, Australia, with further regions being evaluated.  The existing Weir SPM global service network has also seen great improvements with funds allocated to improve safety and operation standards. For example, building expansions were carried out in Odessa, Texas and Red Deer, Alberta, Canada and all of the original centers have implemented new safety and facility improvements.  The operational improvements in Fort Worth as well as across the service centre network have transformed Weir SPM into a market leader in delivery, efficiency and product quality. Customers visiting the facilities who were familiar with its prior appearance are astounded and also highly impressed with the improved product output. With such a quick turnaround on a large scale, Weir SPM is proving to be a model for what can be achieved utilizing the Weir Production System framework.