Lean manufacturing principles such as respect for people , standardization and continuous improvement are a key part of its culture and central to every capital investment decision – including the VR paint simulator described in this article .
As a contract manufacturer , the company works hard at engineering highly capable and stable processes . Not only do stable processes help produce high levels of quality , they also allow Skills Inc . to hire from a broad and diverse talent pool , including persons with disabilities . The CEO , Todd Dunnington , explains that an inclusive culture is the foundation for their lean manufacturing efforts – including the recent foray into a virtual reality training software . “ Our goal ,” states Todd , “ is to make sure that processes are understandable and easy to follow . When there is an error , we focus on the process and do our best not to blame the operator or mechanic .
Just the opposite , we want to understand the employee ’ s role in each process and actively share best practices with one another .”
The company operates two divisions , serving commercial aerospace , military , and space . The manufacturing division provides a variety of aluminum metal cutting , punching , machining , forming and assembly capabilities . The finish division offers outside processing services to Boeing and its many suppliers in the Puget Sound region . Finish includes non-destructive testing , anodizing , shot peening , and paint applications – both primers and top coats . As a job shop , Skills Inc . is on the approved supplier list of multiple aerospace OEMs and is working to customer specifications and requirements . It adheres to the regulatory requirements of AS9100 and Nadcap . As one would expect , the finish division involves capabilities and processes that can be labor intensive . Painting is one such example ; it is highly operator dependent . Finding ways to integrate new technologies that can reduce the time required to onboard , train and certify new painters has been a priority for several years .
A strong proponent of technology , Skills Inc . has been researching and evaluating augmented reality and virtual reality paint systems for several years . Automated or robotic painting can be found in high production environments . Such an approach was not viewed as a good fit for the company due to the high variability in components being painted at Skills Inc . The twelve painters spraying dozens of different aerospace primers and top coats will see thousands of different part configurations from small washers and brackets , all the way up to complex aluminum-machined wing ribs , floor beams , and bulkheads . This type of painting does not lend itself to automation .
OCTOBER | NOVEMBER 2023 ISSUE NO . 35 49