Assembly line cost reduction exercise for major manufacturer

Priory was made aware of an assembly line problem being experienced by a major customer. For historical reasons, a threaded castor had been specified, and installation of the four castors each involved two production line operatives and a cranked air tool to fit and secure the castor nut. This was inefficient and too expensive. Priory was invited to examine the job, which resulted in a design modification being specified, and subsequently implemented by the customer. This involved a larger hole in the chassis body, permitting a peg-fitting castor to be used. Castors could then be simply assembled by push fitment, removing the need for special tools and significantly reducing both component cost and assembly time.