FlexTM Embraces Automation and Workforce Upskilling to Drive Efficiency and Stay Competitive
FlexTM
Located in Wahpeton, ND, FlexTM, Inc. is a family-owned, worldwide supplier of stampings, weld assemblies, precision CNC machining and assembly of complex fabrications. For over 50 years, FlexTM, Inc. has supplied OEM’s and Tier 1 suppliers from simple stampings to complex weld assemblies and machining. FlexTM is an ISO 9001:2015 certified production facility. Whether it is a medium size company or the Fortune 500 companies, FlexTM delivers products to plants in both the USA and abroad. Our capability to be flexible to our customer’s needs and our collaborative approach to solving problems, encompassed with our drive toward quality and on-time delivery is the cornerstone for which FlexTM is successful.
Over the past several years, FlexTM has faced a number of significant challenges—including difficulty finding qualified employees and navigating downturns within the manufacturing industry. To address these issues and strengthen their operational capabilities, they turned to Impact Dakota for their expertise in plant flow optimization and automation strategies.
As a small business, they believe it is essential to stay abreast of industry trends, particularly in the area of automation. Over the past year, they successfully implemented three new robotic systems: one welding robot and two material-handling / Machine tending robots. These additions have provided valuable learning opportunities, allowing FlexTM to identify and overcome various implementation obstacles while simultaneously upskilling their workforce to support and benefit from advanced technology.
Impact Dakota played an instrumental role throughout this process. Their support in value stream mapping—combined with their extensive industry knowledge—helped them refine and enhance the mapping work they had already initiated. With the continued integration of automation and the development of their employees’ technical skills, they are positioning FlexTM to operate more efficiently and remain competitive in the manufacturing marketplace.
Impact Dakota supported FlexTM with value stream mapping to better understand how their automation would affect the flow of parts and labor. Given the number of interconnected processes involved, it was challenging to capture all of the impacts accurately. While they were aware of the key moving parts, they were not fully confident in how to represent them in a value stream map using the appropriate symbols and conventions.
Impact Dakota was especially helpful in guiding FlexTM through that process. They brought strong expertise, ensured the map reflected the system correctly, and asked insightful questions that they had not considered during their preparation. Their input strengthened the final value stream map and improved our overall understanding of the automation’s effects.
FlexTM has already seen a 9% overall increase in efficiency and expect those gains to continue over the coming years. As they expand the automation to additional parts and processes, they anticipate further improvements in performance and throughput.
The automation has also had a positive impact on their employees. Continued investment in automation reinforces their commitment to remaining competitive as a company, while also creating opportunities to up-skill their workforce. Employees are developing the capabilities needed to operate and troubleshoot the robots when issues arise, which strengthens both individual skill sets and their long-term operational readiness.
“Impact Dakota was a tremendous asset to our organization, bringing deep expertise in manufacturing across multiple areas. They played a key role in supporting our value stream mapping efforts and helped us identify meaningful opportunities for improvement. Impact Dakota is highly professional and easy to work with, and we look forward to partnering with them again as we continue to grow and evolve our organization.”
— Matthew Port, VP