IT is indeed an honour for the Coimbatore manufacturing facility of L&T Valves to have won a silver medal at the National Awards for Manufacturing Competitiveness 2021 organised by the International Research Institute for Manufacturing (IRIM).
Presented this January in Mumbai, the award is a meritocratic recognition based on the assessment of the facility.
Several factors contributed to L&T Valves’ Coimbatore facility garnering this honour. New product development led to niche offerings. Order processing lead time was reduced, and design optimisation was undertaken. Talent retention and development at mid-management level played an important role in the facility’s manufacturing competitiveness.
L&T Valves scored 79.2 on the Manufacturing Competitiveness Index, which measured attributes such as adaptability to customer and market requirements, performance stability in a changing world, planning and implementation of improvement initiatives, hands-on leadership deployment, ability to map and optimise the workflow, and data-based decision-making at all levels.
IRIM placed on record its appreciation for the many strengths of the Coimbatore facility. Over 85% orders are delivered on time, while the on- time delivery of special projects is 100%. IRIM commended the technical and operational capability of the team and the strategic location of the facility.
The new stores coming up at the site came in for special mention since it will help the facility build a full kit of items needed for assemblies, leading to better operational efficiencies for customer orders. The facility’s structured approach for layout optimisation improves material flow, leading to higher throughput and inventory control.
Moreover, value stream mapping has led to a drastic reduction in billing time – from 97 days to 10 days. The facility’s repair and maintenance operations have enabled it to maintain availability at over 75%.
This latest award spurs the L&T Valves team to continue in its quest for even higher standards of competitiveness.
