Transforming Manufacturing Communications

Kingfield Galvanizing is Australia's first sustainable hot dip galvanizing facility, recognized for their plant innovation and commitment to sustainability. With over 40 years of experience in the galvanizing industry, Kingfield has worked on a wide range of projects, from art installations to large-scale construction and infrastructure works.

Despite their expertise and state-of-the-art equipment, Kingfield faced challenges in managing their high-volume manufacturing process and coordinating between teams and customers.

Kingfield faced several key challenges that were impacting their manufacturing process and overall efficiency:

High Volume Manufacturing with Significant Manual Processes

• Kingfield's manufacturing process involved a high volume of orders, which was difficult to manage due to significant manual processes
• The manual nature of these processes made it challenging to support the high volume of manufacturing efficiently

Kingfield's manufacturing process was characterised by a high volume of orders, which put a strain on their operations. The significant manual processes involved in supporting this high volume made it difficult to manage efficiently. These manual processes were time-consuming and prone to errors, leading to delays and inconsistencies in the manufacturing workflow. As a result, Kingfield struggled to keep up with the demand and maintain a smooth, streamlined production process.

Coordination Overhead and Information Loss

• Coordinating between the factory team, office team, and customers required significant overhead
• This high level of coordination often resulted in large amounts of information being lost

The coordination between Kingfield's factory team, office team, and customers was a complex and time-consuming process. It required significant overhead to ensure that all parties were aligned and informed about the status of orders and projects. Despite the effort put into coordination, there was often a large amount of information loss. This led to confusion, delays, and errors in the manufacturing process, as well as frustration for both internal teams and customers.

Misalignment Between Material and Documentation

• There was often a misalignment between the material and documentation supplied by customers
• This misalignment caused parts to go missing, leading to costly delays in locating them

Another major challenge Kingfield faced was the frequent misalignment between the physical materials and the documentation provided by customers. When customers supplied materials for their orders, there were often discrepancies between what was physically delivered and what was documented in the paperwork. This led to parts going missing, which caused significant delays in the manufacturing process. Locating these missing parts was a costly and time-consuming endeavour, further impacting Kingfield's efficiency and ability to deliver orders on time.

To address the challenges faced by Kingfield, Workhorse implemented several key solutions using a combination of technologies:

Customer Communication Platform

• Developed a customer communication platform to enable project and order monitoring
• Incorporated auto-notifications to keep all parties informed and up-to-date
• Streamlined communication and coordination between Kingfield and their customers

Workhorse developed a comprehensive customer communication platform that revolutionized the way Kingfield interacted with their clients. This platform allowed for seamless project and order monitoring, providing real-time updates and visibility to all stakeholders. By incorporating auto-notifications, the platform ensured that all parties were kept informed and up-to-date on the status of their orders and projects. This streamlined communication and coordination between Kingfield and their customers, reducing the overhead associated with manual updates and reducing the risk of information loss.

Projects and Pickup Request Concept

• Created a new concept called "Projects and Pickup Request" to assist with customer communication
• Improved coordination and clarity around project requirements and pickup details
• Reduced confusion and delays associated with misaligned expectations

To further enhance customer communication and coordination, Workhorse introduced the "Projects and Pickup Request" concept. This innovative approach provided a structured framework for managing project requirements and pickup details. By clearly defining and communicating these aspects of each project, Kingfield was able to reduce confusion and misaligned expectations. This, in turn, led to smoother project execution and fewer delays caused by miscommunication or unclear requirements.

Transaction-like Order Updates

• Implemented transaction-like order updates to ensure consistency of information
• Ensured correct delivery of information across orders, factory staff, and office staff
• Eliminated data loss and improved overall data integrity

Workhorse recognized the importance of data consistency and integrity in Kingfield's manufacturing process. To address this, we implemented transaction-like order updates. This approach treated each update as a discrete transaction, ensuring that the information was consistent and accurately delivered across all relevant parties, including orders, factory staff, and office staff. By eliminating data loss and improving overall data integrity, this solution helped Kingfield maintain a single source of truth throughout the manufacturing process, reducing errors and improving efficiency.

Since implementing the solutions developed by Workhorse, Kingfield Galvanizing has achieved significant improvements in their operations, including:

• 500+ monthly orders managed through the new system - enabling Kingfield to handle high volumes efficiently
• Data loss eliminated and new data created - allowing for vast process improvements and better decision-making
• Opportunities opened to apply similar solutions to other plant operations - extending the benefits across the organisation

Kingfield Galvanizing has transformed their manufacturing process, enhancing efficiency, communication, and data integrity. The streamlined processes and improved coordination have empowered Kingfield to scale their operations while maintaining their commitment to delivering high-quality, sustainable galvanizing services to their customers.