Production process optimized. Outdoor is becoming increasingly important for Luxaflex®

Luxaflex® is, of course, known primarily for its indoor aluminum blinds, the brand of which has almost become a generic name. A particularly efficient form of sun protection. This Luxaflex® invention from the early 1950s is now part of the assortment of numerous manufacturers. At the same time, the range of Luxaflex® itself has also become much broader: not only the luxaflex, not only for indoors, but now also for outdoors.

Many window and patio awnings from Luxaflex® are manufactured in Eindhoven, the capital of manufacturing in the Netherlands. During the second meeting in a short time - for number 6 of 2021, Z&R was visiting Hardinxveld-Giessendam - marketing manager Jaap-Jene Langevoord and manager of sales Geurt de Haas are once again the discussion partners. On this occasion they are assisted by their colleagues Edwin Bosma, responsible for technical support and training, and operations manager Andersen Nišandžić.

For Luxaflex®, it's a logical step to pay a lot of attention to "outdoors," Langevoord begins the conversation. "The Dutch are unique in Europe when you look at what we invest in the outdoors. We would like to capitalize on that and become an even more significant player in outdoor than we already are. We are also focusing abroad, including Scandinavia, where many affluent consumers live." Because there is a lot of wood construction, three-tube systems with movable supports are supplied in particular, because you can't just hang anything on a wooden facade.

Streamlined production

In recent years, Luxaflex® Outdoor has focused primarily on streamlining production and less on new products. "But improving our products has our constant attention and we have modified many of our products," notes Geurt de Haas. "The Beaufort screen, for example, which has received a different bottom bar, snap profiles to bring the screen forward and new supports with a cable passage for the motor. Also, the screen can now be supplied up to 5.5 m wide."

But modifications usually get a little less attention than new products. "Moreover, customer contacts have been more difficult due to corona in the recent period, Edwin Bosma notes. "Therefore, we have been less able to bring the improvements to the attention of our dealers. Moreover, product training sessions used to be face-to-face, over one or two days. Because you can obviously spend less time online, we had to adjust our training sessions. That has made it all more difficult, but hopefully we are almost rid of that now."

As operations manager, Andersen Nišandžić is responsible for the course of the production process at Luxaflex® Netherlands - not only at Outdoor, but also at the other production facilities in the Netherlands. Luxaflex® is improving the entire process in Eindhoven step by step. "We are in the process of getting rid of 'yellows,'" he says, pointing to a board on which a large number of improvement steps are depicted with yellow Post-it notes. "The goal is to further increase efficiency. We use the analogy with a tree. Mistakes fall out of the tree, onto the ground, and are food for new fruit, improvements in this case." 

Under Nišandžić's leadership, production at Luxaflex® Outdoor has been streamlined, for example by having products made by two fitters. This reduces the number of operations per fitter, making it easier to hire additional workers. This in turn makes it possible to scale up production more quickly when demand increases. Another change is the production carousel, with multiple production steps. "That also helps to produce more efficiently," Nišandžić explains. "We are now working on a plan to be able to use a carousel for multiple products by working with alternating parts sets."

Extrusion and injection molding of aluminum and plastic is not done in-house by Luxaflex® Outdoor, and drives and controls are also purchased. But everything else involved in outdoor awnings and canopies is made in-house. The fabrics are also manufactured in-house. The assembly of a product only begins when all the parts and components needed for it are ready and complete. Everything is collected at a so-called Q-point where the quality is first checked: is nothing missing or damaged? Then the cart of the particular product can go to the assembly line. Since this year, each product is tracked during the production and assembly process, so that the customer can always follow the status of his order.

To further streamline inventory management at Luxaflex® Outdoor, a separate person has been made available. A buffer stock of parts and lengths of material must ensure that production can continue at all times, even if, for example, sawing or powder coating comes to a standstill. Incidentally, Luxaflex® Outdoor in Eindhoven will soon have fully automated lines for the pre-treatment and powder coating of aluminum parts. "The pre-treatment involves a chemical process that will be more environmentally friendly as well as more pleasant and safer for employees," Edwin Bosma notes. "In addition, the treatment time will be halved, which is obviously also an advantage. The automation of powder coating should lead to greater efficiency and more consistent quality."

Training

By the way, to train personnel, a separate training room has been set up in the factory, where novice fitters can learn the trade under the guidance of an experienced fitter: product knowledge, parts knowledge and actual assembly. Because the instructors are experienced practitioners, they naturally know all the tricks of the trade and all the specific characteristics of the various products produced at Luxaflex® Outdoor. According to Nišandžić, the great advantage of this method is that the new colleague can build confidence without feeling the "pressure" of the regular production line. "Building self-confidence is very important. That's why in training we always focus on the positive: a mistake is a learning opportunity. In analogy to the tree! This of course applies to all our employees, not just the new ones."

Luxaflex® Outdoor does a lot of training, including of its permanent staff. This is seen - alongside a positive approach to people - as an important tool for achieving quality improvement. In order to increase commitment, the staff is also regularly informed about the company's course of business, special points of interest and current key areas of company policy.

Making a good product is of course the first objective, but is just as important to deliver it to the customer undamaged. "All products are first subjected to an extensive final inspection, and then we use an in-house developed packing machine to package the finished finished product properly so that it can be transported safely and without risk of damage," said Andersen Nišandžić. In addition, Luxaflex® uses its own transportation. The drivers - one regular driver in winter, two in summer - work on a fixed schedule and serve a different part of the country every day. They know the dealers personally, creating a bond of trust. "Not infrequently they have a key to the customer's workshop, so they can leave the ordered blinds in the dealer's workshop, for example if they come before or after closing time or if the dealer is off to a quotation meeting or an assembly job," says Edwin Bosma.

"Of the products manufactured at Luxaflex® Outdoor in Eindhoven, this year's main focal points are the Smart Choice NXT - an upgrade of the Smart Choice - and the Nova Shade launched last year," says Jaap-Jene Langevoord at the conclusion of the visit. "Of course, without shortchanging the other products we make. More on these screens in the Articulated and Drop-Out Screens Theme in this Z&R."