WCM certification for Case Construction Equipment
European Excavator Hub achieves World Class Manufacturing Bronze Level certification
CASE Construction Equipment have received Bronze Level World Class Manufacturing (WCM) certification for their European Excavator Hub in San Mauro, Italy, following an independent audit. The achievement comes on the back of investment to transform the facility into a flagship production site for excavators in the EMEA region.
WCM is one of the global manufacturing industry’s highest standards for the integrated management of manufacturing plants and processes. It is a pillar-structured system based on continuous improvement, designed to eliminate waste and loss from the production process by identifying objectives such as zero injuries, zero defects, zero breakdowns and zero waste.
The plant achieved Bronze Level certification for its successful implementation of the Focus Improvement pillar, which drives the other pillars in managing projects to reduce and eliminate losses at the site in terms of productivity and material. The plant further demonstrated strengths in a number of Managerial Pillars within the WCM programme, including Clarity of Objective and the Allocation of Highly Qualified People.
The San Mauro plant recently underwent an extensive redevelopment project that fits within CASE’s manufacturing strategy for the region. The strategy aims to optimize the brand’s European footprint with the creation of two production hubs and by focusing manufacturing expertise on specific product families in each facility: one for excavators in San Mauro; the other for wheeled equipment in Lecce.
The redevelopments at San Mauro have included the introduction of crawler excavators with Sumitomo technology into production, building on more than 20 years of successful partnership with the Japanese manufacturer. Today, the plant produces crawler excavators for the European markets, wheeled excavators for the EMEA, APAC and LATAM regions, and mini-excavators for worldwide distribution.
San Mauro plant manager Giacomo Stella said: ‘The World Class Manufacturing approach has meant a smooth introduction of new products and practices at the plant. Every member of the production team is involved in the process and takes responsibility for every step and for identifying possible improvements.
‘For several months, everyone at the plant has pulled together and, with great teamwork, driven our progress towards this excellent result. We are very proud of this achievement and will carry on applying World Class Manufacturing continuous-improvement principles to work towards further improvements as we go forward.’
