Co-operation with THM (Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen) and Hassia Verpackungsmaschinen GmbH

The beginning of the project

Till Dinger’s bachelor’s thesis at Hassia Verpackungsmaschinen GmbH in Ranstadt drew the attention of the responsible professor at THM Friedberg, Professor Dr.-Ing. Timo Nuyken, to the packaging machine company and the interesting engineering projects that are realized there for customers around the globe. In a conversation with the company’s Supply Chain Director, Mr. Ingolf Bleyer, he received further information and asked whether a project with students would be possible. After further discussions, a joint project was set up on the topic of ‘Planning an assembly workstation according to lean principles in special machine construction to increase efficiency‘. This project enabled around 30 students from the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management at THM Friedberg to have a look at the day-to-day work of various departments in a manufacturing company.

The project started in January 2024 when Hassia Verpackungsmaschinen GmbH hosted the students at its plant in Ranstadt for a week. Ingolf Bleyer, Supply Chain Director and co-initiator of the project, welcomed the participants and introduced the company and the project. During a tour of the company, the students were able to gain a first impression of the company.

The project

In several working groups led by Till Dinger, Tamim Hille and Ewgenij Marchanka, the students analysed the current situation and processes in individual departments, such as purchasing, logistics, quality assurance and assembly, and developed proposals on how processes could be made more efficient by introducing lean management.

Process improvement

The general idea for improvement is the development of a modular system with the following advantages:

• Cost reduction through economies of scale and industrialization in
  – design (engineering)
  – production
  – assembly and
  – procurement
• Improved market adaptation through shorter engineering times
• Easier maintenance and service
  – Shorter delivery times for spare parts (standard components)
  – Simple and fast maintenance thanks to standards

The following suggestions were developed by the students:

• Assembly:

a)  Optimization of the workplace – 5A campaign

• Purchasing/Logistics:

a) Optimization of scheduling

b) Merge of information

c) Optimization of lead time

• Quality management:

a) Consistent supplier qualification

b) Continuous quality control

c) Standardized communication system

d) AI and Industry 4.0 in pre-assembly

These were presented in a final presentation.

A proposal drawn up by the students is already being implemented.

The next project for the students in Ranstadt is already being planned for the coming months.