The primary goal of Walker Stamping’s lean manufacturing system is the reduction and elimination of costly waste throughout our production processes and support systems. Our lean optimizations are continuous, as there is and will always be room for efficiency improvement and waste elimination.
To ensure lean processes, we employ a company-wide philosophy. The key elements in first-class stamping operations are:
- Proper Equipment Setup
- Proper Sequencing
- Governed by a Well-Defined Planning and Scheduling System
Our skilled operators ensure we deliver on the continually changing expectations and requirements of our valued customers.
Rigorous quality controls and the dedication of employees who truly take pride in contributing to carefully maximized efficiency has resulted in a reputation for reliability, consistency and value.
Why Is Walker a Lean Expert?
The lean manufacturing philosophy has its roots in the Toyota Production System (TPS). When Toyota began U.S. manufacturing in 1988, Walker was conveniently close to the joint production plant Toyota was running with GM. As a result, Walker was one of the first U.S. stamping, fabrication and manufacturing companies to adopt TPS and the subsequent lean standards that followed.
Toyota demands a lot from its suppliers, including on-time delivery, competitive pricing, quality products, accountability as well as a strong partnership to improve product manufacturability. As a company that’s always interested in improving processes and reducing costs for our customers, we enthusiastically embraced their methods, transforming Walker into a lean, JIT machine.
We’re proud to say our relationship with Toyota continues to strengthen all these years later, due in no small part to a mutually beneficial partnership wherein we were able to drastically improve our processes while Toyota can count on worry-free parts deliveries from a truly reliable supplier.