About
RADVA Corporation is an industry leader in the design and manufacture of protective and temperature-sensitive packaging and shapes. Applications include electronic equipment, furniture, mail-order fresh food, and heat-sensitive medical and pharmaceutical shipments. RADVA has maintained operations in Radford, Virginia, for over 57 years, and currently employs 67 people.
The Challenge
Based on a press area site visit, GENEDGE proposed documenting the current press mold changeover process and incorporating new steps to reduce the changeover time. Having an effective mold changeover would help RADVA in achieving their overall objectives of cost reduction, order fulfillment, competitiveness, and profitability.
MEP’s Role
GENEDGE partnered with Virginia Tech (VT) to provide access to student resources for specific project work that would provide value to clients and real world experiences to students including career opportunities. Project Manager James Smith led the VT Industrial and Systems Engineering Senior Design Team in helping RADVA to reduce changeover times on their molding presses, which were responsible for a majority of their operation. This was accomplished through organizational improvements, process changes, and new equipment.
Results
After improvements were implemented, RADVA saw a significant reduction in the amount of time it took them to change out a mold. This corresponded to substantial financial savings currently and well into the future. The estimated number of jobs created or retained was 5, cost savings of $135,000 and an overall dollar impact of $450,000.