Rebecca Matti

Why it mattered

Clean, correctly dosed wash tanks are key to coating quality. Chemicals were added by hand from totes, which took labour and created spill, exposure and dosing error risks. Rinse water also drains back into the tanks and slowly contaminates the solution.

What I did

• Co-created the program and timeline for a chemical supplier change, sent parts out for testing, and finalized the new wash line chemistries.
• Installed an automated dosing system with the vendor, maintenance and the Chem-tech, including setpoints, alarms and SOPs.
• Drew the AutoCAD P&ID for phase 2: automatic tank draining and filling.

How it works

• A conductivity meter in the tank signals the controller, which runs the dosing pump to keep the chemical at its setpoint.
• When the spray pump runs, solenoid valves drain 1 GPM and add 1 GPM of city water, so the level stays constant and the solution stays clean.

P-1 spray pump, P-2 dosing pump, S solenoid valve, FR flow regulator, FM flowmeter, LM level meter, CM conductivity meter.

Results

• Saves $80K a year and removes manual dosing and operator chemical exposure.
• One person can now cover both Chem-tech and QC tasks, saving about 1 hour per shift.
• Automatic draining and filling is expected to save another hour per shift and remove end-of-day and stage 4 drains.

From problem to prototype

1. Problem: hooks tangled in baskets were slow to find and blocked oven airflow.
2. Constraint: designed around the existing burn-off oven rack. Cycles took 6–8 h.
3. Design: hand sketch for maintenance, 36 × 45 × 88 in.
4. Prototype 1: rows at 6 in spacing were too close together.
5. Prototype 2: spacing increased to 8 in and rows raised for easier reach.

Design decisions

• Counted all 620 hooks with two coworkers and sized the rack in Excel to hold 2,520.
• Kept rows near the middle to limit bending and overreaching.
• Used a rack instead of baskets for fewer contact points and better oven airflow.

Results and next steps

• Tripled hook storage, so one burn-off cycle replaces four.
• Oven cycles are expected to drop from about 7 h to 3–5 h. Results were pending at the end of my term.
• Greensolv can be eliminated, saving $300–700 a month plus heating and refill costs.
• Next: a trial with loaders and unloaders, then more racks built to the same dimensions.

Time study

I ran a PDCA time study of loaders, unloaders and packagers on both lines, separating value-added from non-value-added time. Loaders spent about 14% and 9% of their time looking for hooks, which drove the move away from baskets. Unloading was only 15.6% and 9.7% value-added. Most of the rest was waiting.

Schedule and quality

• Created the assembly Gantt chart with the project team and kept it updated.
• Led weekly commissioning meetings for quality.

Budget and funding

• Helped build the project cash flow manager and ran weekly purchase audits.
• Worked on the FedDev Ontario and AMIC funding applications.

Contractor health and safety

• Planned training and documentation for international contractors.
• Installed fire extinguishers and first aid stations with vendors.
• Set up the safety board and documented the fire safety plan.

Layout and lab design

• Made CAD layout changes for phase 1.
• Designed the plant lab: sink with drying racks, chemical cabinet, sample storage, emergency equipment and a workstation.

Dana: battery cooler cleanliness and coating validation

Oakville, fall 2023

• Ran ISO 16232 cleanliness testing on EV battery coolers.
• Added clean suits and a custom sink to prevent outside contamination, allowing accurate particle counts and cleanliness specs for clients.
• Checked powder coat coverage and thickness for a new production launch by sectioning, mounting and grinding coolers, using statistical comparisons.

Cascades: air leak repairs and winder optimization

Mississauga, winter 2023

• Coordinated repairs of 35 air leaks in four months through weekly audits, saving $18K a year.
• Documented root causes to improve preventive maintenance and reduce repeat leaks.
• Ran 300+ hardness and tightness tests in a 3-month winder project to find and remove a faulty component, fixing a recurring quality issue.