Hej! (that’s hello in Swedish)
I will be creating a blog post every night for the next 2 weeks to showcase everything that we do each day. I’m starting that process a little early while we’re still on U.S. soil. Earlier today, our team visited Bruno Independent Living Aids, located in Oconomowoc, WI. This was about an hour and a half north of campus, plus a stop at Starbucks.
Bruno is an amazing company because they empower individuals with mobility issues to regain and maintain their independence by offering stair lifts, vertical platform lifts, and scooter and powerchair lifts for vehicles. Our time at Bruno began with a presentation about the family-run company’s 35-year history, its product lines, the industry, and manufacturing. Bill Belson, the Director of Engineering, was very knowledgeable about the intricacies of the products and processes.
After the presentation, we donned our safety glasses so that Bill and Steve, another employee, could show us the manufacturing facility. Bill also discussed lean manufacturing, including the utilization of the kanban scheduling system. Bruno often partners with vehicle manufactures to determine how to best tweak their products to work well with the car dimensions. It was through one of these partnerships with Toyota that those lean techniques were implemented to increase efficiency. Utilizing the Just in Time (JIT) inventory system, color-coded kanban cards, and streamlined processes, orders are manufactured, tested, packed and shipped very quickly. In fact, Bruno has an inventory turnover every 2 weeks, with 85% of orders shipped in just 48 hours!
I learned that Bruno pioneered the battery-powered stair lifts in the industry. This made bulky power cords unnecessary, effectively decreasing the associated fire hazard. Bruno offers both a standard straight rail stair lift and a custom curved rail lift so that it can mold to any angles required. Photogrammetry is used to ensure the correct measurements of customers’ homes are recorded. Many photos or a particular stairway are taken from many different angels, then those are combined to create a digital 3D structure. It was very cool to see a steel blank as it was run through rollers to form the exact curve a specific order required when we were in the facilities.
I found it amazing just how important a few minutes can be in manufacturing. We saw a new robot Bruno installed which helps to conserve 2 minutes of time, which Bill was very enthusiastic about. Bruno’s experienced welders excel at what they do, but sometimes technology can help the process move a bit faster. I was surprised to hear that welders seem to be in high demand, but they are hard to find.
After the conclusion of the tour, we returned to the training room for a longer Q&A session during a lunch of Jimmy John’s. Bill talked about how demand for auto-related products decreased, but demand increased for home lifts during the last recession. This showed how the economy plays a big role in a company’s success, but not always in predictable ways.
My roommate Leslye and I presented Bill with gifts for taking time out of his day to speak to us. I had a great experience at Bruno and I love how they positively impact the lives of their consumers in such a significant way.
Daily Reflections:
- Vending machines are great for pens, glue, and other equipment
- 1 minute can be a lifetime in the manufacturing industry
- Pairing welders within 2” of each other at the same station saves a lot of setup time each shift
- A good competitor keeps you strong
- Work for a company that you’re passionate about
Thank you Bill and Bruno for the wonderful experience!
Adventures in Sweden 