Assembly hall in South Korea – worldwide quality

Assembly hall in South Korea – worldwide quality

The construction of our new assembly plant in Busan, South Korea, provided an opportunity to design the entire site in accordance with the principles of lean management right from the beginning.

Good experience with lean management

We were able to integrate the positive results achieved through the lean management program PULL@BCAG in Winterthur in the preconstruction planning phase. Production lines are based on the one-piece flow principle and are
absolutely lean.

Same quality standards

This is but one of many aspects that ensure that our assembly plant in Busan meets the same quality standards as in Winterthur. Employee training is equally important. South Korea has a long machinery manufacturing
tradition, particularly in building ship engines. The employees there are therefore well qualified and have considerable technical know-how.

Intensive training program

Before the assembly plant was completed, a group of these South Korean employees attended an intensive two-month training program in Winterthur. They first received introductory training at our in-house training center and then worked with employees on the assembly plant floor, where they were also familiarized with all the details of our reporting and operating processes. Direct integration of continuous quality control at the very start of the production process was an important aspect of this training. This method guarantees continual quality control in addition to individual inspections of quality at the end of key stages of the compressor manufacturing process. It helps to anchor the aspect of quality as an integral part
of the production process.

Efficient team

The team in South Korea is now operating independently and efficiently. Every employee is responsible for the quality of their work. Thanks to the targeted promotion of quality awareness and ongoing training, the quality
standards at Busan are identical with those in Winterthur. The employees in Busan can, of course, still count on the full support of their colleagues at the Winterthur headquarters in the event of any problems or uncertainties.

Continuous improvement

Our philosophy of continuous improvement is also practiced at the Busan site. Its operating procedures and production processes are reviewed and optimized on a continual basis, just like at every other Group site worldwide.
Employee suggestions for improvement are also welcome as an integral part of the quality management process.