Page 27 - MetalForming January 2012

assembly to meet the new require- ments, yet remain cost-competitive and manufacturable using the multi- strip process.
In May 2011, Eclipse introduced a new assembly using a rolled stainless- steel shaft. The assembly matches the value-added cost reduction and cycle time of the previous design, and meets the increased operating temperatures of the engine. Introduction of the stain- less-steel shaft required design modi- fications to the housing and lever. The new design is in full production at 25,000 assemblies/week.
The PMA Excellence in Design Award was created by the Worcester Pressed Steel Co., Worcester, MA, and is sponsored by The Quarterly Club.
Excellence in Process Control
Anchor Manufacturing Group
Anchor Manufacturing Group, Inc., Cleveland, OH, received the 2011 Link Systems Process Control Award for developing an automatic chamfer- measuring station to inspect parts. A required chamfer on the edge of an ID bore had become time consuming for
LVDT measuring assembly inside of the automated cell. A PLC tracks the parts in each station of the machine after they are bored and chamfered, and parts that fail in the chamfer inspection station are unloaded via a pick-and-place unit and isolated in a locked reject bin.
Anchor’s solution for measuring chamfers exceeded inspection require- ments and provides the customer with a consistent and reliable product.
The Process Control Award spon- sored by Link Systems in Nashville, TN.
Excellence in Safety
Anchor Manufacturing Group
Anchor Manufacturing Group, Inc., Cleveland, OH, received the 2011 Pitch- er Insurance Agency Safety Award for its outstanding safety and health pro- gram, which features an active safety committee, management commitment to a safe work environment and three incentive-based programs.
Anchor management maintains an open-door policy for reporting or sug- gesting ideas related to safety and health. Managers and supervisors take responsibility for ensuring that all oper- ations are performed with the utmost regard for the safety and health of all personnel. In addition, the firm strict- ly enforces safety rules and requires that all employees comply with these rules as a condition of employment.
Anchor’s safety committee meets monthly and conducts quarterly departmental safety audits to ensure the use of safe work practices. The com- mittee, which includes at least one member from each department, promptly and thoroughly investigates accidents to discover root cause and initiate corrective actions.
The safety program also includes three incentive-based initiatives—a No Lost-Time Accident Program, an Employee Excellence Program and a Safety Lunch Program. In 2008, Anchor implemented the No Lost-Time Acci- dent Program and set a goal of zero lost-time accidents. Special safety
boards hang throughout the plant and track the days the company has gone without such an accident. For every 90 days without a lost-time accident, the company holds a prize drawing for all eligible hourly associates. In addition, a prize drawing is held at each of the monthly departmental meetings. If an employee has an accident or receives a disciplinary action for a safety viola- tion, he is not eligible for the drawing. The company’s record to date for days without a lost-time accident is 518 days.
Anchor’s Employee Excellence Pro- gram allows employees to earn points (equivalent to dollars) by completing certain tasks; points can be traded in for gift cards or for credit to purchase tools, Anchor merchandise, etc. As part of the program, each department sets its own unique safety-related goals, which are tracked on safety boards. For every 90-day period without an accident, department members receive 30 to 60 points; Anchor invests more than $40,000 annually on the program.
Lastly, Anchor rewards employees with celebratory lunches for meeting departmental safety goals. Depending on the goal that is met, employees may be treated to a pizza party, cookout or catered meal.
The company’s safety program has yielded outstanding results. In each of the last three years, Anchor was invited to attend the annual Occupational Safety and Hygiene Awards Banquet, sponsored by the Greater Cleveland Safety Council and the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, where it received the Achievement Award, pre- sented to companies that reduce their accident rate by 25 percent or more over the previous year. In addition, in 2011 Anchor won the Group Award for having the best safety record in its industry classification; the 100 percent Award for working the entire year with- out a lost-time injury or illness; and the prestigious Special Award for obtaining a minimum of 500,000 hours and six months without a lost-time accident.
The Safety Award is sponsored by Pitcher Insurance Agency, Chicago, IL.
Anchor technicians to inspect manu- ally. Bore size is approximately 40 mm, held to a ±30 micron (0.0012-in.) tol- erance. The boring operation machines a chamfer into the open end of the bore.
Due to component part variation, chamfer depth can vary. To guarantee that the chamfer is present and within specification, Anchor sought to elimi- nate the use of a handheld chamfer gauge by modifying the gauge and incorporating it into a custom-made
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