Contact: Phyllis Levine at 845.896.6934 X3001 or by Email
HVTDC & Fala Technologies Featured in Plant Engineering Magazine
Thomas G. Phillips, Sr., Executive Director of HVTDC, announced that the success of applying the Center’s award-winning Lean Principles of Manufacturing’s Value Stream Mapping Methodology to the ongoing operations of FALA Technologies, Inc, in Kingston, NY, is featured in the February 2006 issue of “Plant Engineering” magazine (www.manufacturing.net/ple/article/CA6308264.html). The Illinois-based publishers of this revered industrial trade magazine chose to feature the methodologies that HVTDC provided to FALA Technologies to improve the company’s day-to-day operations. The magazine is published for executives responsible for the design, building, installation, operation and maintenance of the systems, equipment, and services of industrial plants. Areas of editorial coverage include HVAC, electrical, fluid handling, materials handling, power transmission, maintenance, safety and equipment concerns. Nationwide circulation of this magazine exceeds 100,000 readers each month.
HVTDC (www.hvtdc.org) is a not-for-profit business and technology resource center that helps small to mid-sized manufacturers, technology-based companies, inventors, entrepreneurs and other businesses to adopt new technologies and business practices to grow their business. Their services are available to businesses throughout seven Hudson Valley counties – Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, Ulster, Orange, Sullivan and Westchester. FALA Technologies is a globally-recognized, award-winning semiconductor and nanotechnology equipment manufacturing company that was founded over 60 years ago by the parents of the company’s current President and CEO, Frank Falatyn. In November 2005, Mr. Falatyn was presented with the “New York State Small Business Person of the Year Award”. He received the award from New York State’s Lieutenant Governor Mary Donohue who commented, “the award demonstrates how small town values can lead to big successes.”
The current “Plant Engineering” story highlights how FALA Technologies contacted HVTDC in 2005 when the company’s executives wanted to streamline the day-to-day operations. “We needed an objective review of how we were operating,” explained Falatyn, “because my parents founded this company as Ulster Tool & Die in 1946 and for five decades we operated as a family-run machine shop. Ten years ago we shifted to the design and precision manufacturing of semiconductor and nanotechnology products. So we transformed from what was originally a domestic IBM-centric supplier to a manufacturer of next-generation tools serving a global marketplace.”
FALA Technologies Inc.’s Operations Manager, Mr. Jaime Chorvas, stated, “We needed to apply Lean Principles of Manufacturing to our operations but we never had anyone come in to facilitate and guide us through the Value Stream Mapping process to get ideas on how to streamline our operations.” HVTDC visited the company and HVTDC Field Services Director Robert Winrow, stated, “Our objectives are to understand how a business operates, then create and suggest activities specifically designed to improve a business’ performance. When we observed FALA’s operations, we quickly realized that applying our Value Stream Mapping (VSM) process, which is under the umbrella of our Lean Principles of Manufacturing, would help the company obtain greater profitability and streamline operations.”
HVTDC spearheaded the initiatives for FALA to apply for an Industrial Effectiveness Program (IEP) grant from New York State to assist and to defray some of the expense to implement the identified project activities. Chovras stated, “The whole process of lean manufacturing and reviewing our operations began when we received the grant in April 2005.” Value Stream Analysis focuses on a specific process of a business and ‘maps’ out the steps of how something is currently getting done. It identifies “Value Added” aspects of a business operation that equate to steps required to put actual value into producing a product. “Non Value Added Time” is the time devoted to activities that diminish the operations of the business and production of a product. In most businesses, the Value Added activities are actually a small percentage of the process time.
Chovras continued, “When HVTDC came in and guided our staff through the Value Stream Mapping process, our staff quickly came up with great ideas to streamline operations. Working with HVTDC has been a very productive gain for our company. I don’t believe we would have accomplished what we have without the assistance and guidance provided by HVTDC and the New York State IEP Grant. It does take time to go through the Mapping process, but the improvements, benefits and everyone’s participation in molding our future are well worth the effort.“