QUALITYSERVICE

SAFETYCOST

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No Charge Process

Assessment

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We understand that to maintain the competitive advantage in tough economic times you have to be leaner and more productive than ever before. Through the Saint-Gobain Process Solutions Program we can analyse your grinding operation to significantly reduce rejection and scrap rates.

Assessing cost, quality, safety and service PSP will show you how to produce parts faster with fewer rejections; substantially driving down costs to make your operation more profitable.

Prioritising needs/activities

Developing a specific action/testing plan (PSP case) fully complements our customers’ needs

Analysing accounts

Global technical expertise

With a PSP trained sales force, dedicated engineers and a range of specially designed PSP diagnostic tools we are qualified to review your entire manufacturing operation.

We are also fully trained in Kaizen techniques, Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma.

Influencing your process through PSP

QUALITYSERVICE

SAFETYCOST

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Delivering added value (cost savings)

Strategic partnership

Professionalsystematic, disciplined, documented

On average abrasives and cutting tools only account for about 3% of total manufacturing budgets. Therefore the impact of price reduction or increased product life is an insignificant cost saving.

PSP will help improve productivity, therefore having a much greater impact on the overall cost saving. See examples below.

Decreasing the price of abrasivesA 30% price reduction will only reduce costs per part by 1%.

Typical cost reductions

15%1%

1%

Increase overall productivity through PSPWith a 20% decrease in cycle time per part there will be a reduced total cost per part of more than 15%.

Increasing the life of abrasivesEven a 50% increase in product life will only reduce costs per part by 1%.

Machinery27%

Labour31%

Abrasives & cutting tools3%

Buildings & administration22%

Workpiecematerials17%

Variable CostsFixed Costs

Understand your process & determine your needs

Identify your key metrics & programs that we can align ourselves with

Document a baseline that can be used to measure process against

Mutually align and agree on an improvement plan that delivers added value

The PSP system approach

Saint-Gobain AbrasivesEuropean Headquarters Rue de l’Ambassadeur - B.P.8

FranceTel:

+33 (0) 134 90 40 00Fax:

+33 (0) 139 19 89 56www.saint-gobain.com

Form # 1972

A cost savings exampleThe opportunity assessedThe customer’s goal was to improve productivity, reduce swarf and waste generation when grinding turbine components. In addition the new grinding process needs to ensure the metallurgical integrity of these components are maintained.

ProcessSaint-Gobain Abrasives Application Engineers base-lined and analyzed the current process using their Field Instrumentation System (FIS). A new CNC program was developed that needed our high performance TARGA abrasives grinding wheels to optimize the grinding process.

OutcomeThe customer received a 34% reduction in total cost of the component. Included in this number is a 45% reduction in abrasive cost, a 31% reduction in machining cost, and 87% increase in up time because of less wheel changes. In addition the customer also received savings in the cost of maintaining coolant and overall implemented a higher efficiency process.

Power vs. Time plot using FSI analysis for 5 parts