Cardboard factory in Nizhny Novgorod region to increase production by 26%

Cardboard factory in Nizhny Novgorod region to increase production by 26%

    Cardboard factory named after Kalinina implements lean technologies in the Vetluzhsky municipal District of the Nizhny Novgorod region. According to experts from the Regional Competence Center (RCC), this will increase production on the pilot stream by 26%.

Optimization of production: How it works

    For the first stage of optimization, the cardboard parts production workshop was chosen as one of the key sites. The RCC experts, together with the company's working group, analyzed the technological processes and identified 14 growth points. 

Among them:

•     - optimization of material movement routes;
•     - reduction of operators' time for auxiliary operations;
•     - reduction of the marriage rate.

    Maxim Cherkasov, Minister of Industry, Trade and Entrepreneurship of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, noted that solutions had been developed for each of the bottlenecks and an action plan had been prepared. The implementation of the proposals will make it possible to increase production on the pilot stream by 26% by the time the project is completed.

Restructuring thinking: staff training

    The restructuring of production requires a change in personnel approaches. RCC specialists taught 16 factory employees the basics of lean manufacturing.

    The company is currently training two internal trainers: they will take over the training of colleagues so that the company does not depend on external consultants in the future. This is a matter of sustainability of change — when implemented practices become part of the corporate culture, rather than a one-time action.

Key parameters of the project:

Participation in the national project

    Cardboard factory named after Kalinina became one of nine paper industry enterprises in the Nizhny Novgorod region that joined the federal Labor Productivity project. In total, 327 companies in the region have received state support in this area.

    The interim results show that even traditional industries can find reserves for growth — not through the purchase of new equipment, but through the restructuring of processes.

Importance for the forestry industry

    The experience of the cardboard factory named after Kalinina demonstrates that in conditions of economic uncertainty and shrinking markets, timber industry enterprises can increase efficiency without large-scale capital investments.:

1. - Increased productivity without investing in equipment. A 26% increase in output was achieved by restructuring processes rather than purchasing new machines. This is especially important in conditions of high key interest rates and limited access to credit resources.
2. - Cost reduction. Optimization of routes and reduction of auxiliary operations directly reduce the cost of production, which increases competitiveness in the market.
3. - Quality improvement. Reducing the rejection rate means fewer losses of raw materials and finished products, which also affects financial results.
4. - Sustainability of changes. The training of internal trainers ensures a long—term effect - the factory will be able to independently maintain and develop lean practices without the constant involvement of external consultants.
5. - An example for the industry. Cardboard factory named after Kalinina shows that lean production tools are effective not only in mechanical engineering or metallurgy, but also in the timber industry.

The prospects

    The successful implementation of lean technologies in the pilot stream creates the basis for replication of the experience to other parts of the factory. In the future, the company can not only increase production, but also shorten the production cycle, reduce storage and transportation costs, and improve the working conditions of employees.

    For the timber industry of the Nizhny Novgorod region and Russia as a whole, the experience of the factory named after Kalinina is an example of how systematic work on efficiency can become a growth driver even in a stagnant market. Lean manufacturing is becoming not just a fashion trend, but a tool for survival and development.

Result

    Cardboard factory named after Kalinin in the Nizhny Novgorod region will increase production at the pilot stream by 26% due to the introduction of lean technologies. 14 growth points, staff training and training of internal trainers is a systematic approach that can be scaled to other enterprises in the industry. In conditions where investments in new equipment are difficult, process restructuring becomes the main reserve for improving efficiency.

Tags: #Nizhny Novgorod region #cardboard factory #lean manufacturing #production_work #forestry