b'We typically run lower-risk parts in the lights-out over the weekend.machining during the weekend shift. ture, pretty much everything can gobetter, making it better, making it bet-We typically run lower-risk partsthrough it. ter, Tumanic said. Its a continuous in the lights-out over the weekend,Nonetheless,thereisnofin- improvement journey. It never stops.Tumanic said. ish line when it comes to cellularFor more information about JR To help staff the shop, he saidmachining. Machine, call 715-526-5970 or visit JR Machine invests in the machineWe just keep refining it, making itwww.jrmachine.com.CTEtool programs at area high schools. Those programs expose students to machining career opportunities and enable interested students to work at the company during the summer. After graduation, prospec-tive workers are offered full-time employment. They shadow a senior operator for 90 days as part of the onboarding process, and then they enter a two-year training program.In addition to wages, which Tu-manic said progress quickly after training is completed, employees are rewarded financially on a quar-terly basis for improvements made over the baseline. Improvements might come from reducing tooling supplies or cycle times, as well as other variable expenses.We are transparent with the em-ployees as far as financial metrics, he said.With the economy gaining steam, however, JR Machine also seeks workers who dont come from local high schools. Its website, for exam-ple, advertises positions for CNC machine operators with a $2,500 sign-on bonus after a 90-day proba-tionary period.Tumanic said a move to cellular ma-chining starts with identifying the part mix that best lends itself to such an ar-rangement. JR Machine developed a part matrix in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to characterize part fea-tures and the opportunities for in-creasing productivity with work cells.Attheonset,hesaid,you want to see the parts you can put through a work cell. Later on, as you get more used to it and you drive that continuous improvement cul-ctemag.com/cteguide.com33Workcells.indd 33 8/17/21 3:22 PM'