Old Economy, New Tricks.

• Author: MCKIMMIE, KATHY
• Position: Statistical Data Included

High-tech advances at Indiana manufacturers

When it comes to using high-tech processes in manufacturing, the size and type of the company don't really matter.

Less than three years ago, the 25 employees at Rivar's Custom Show Apparel in Albany were still making clothes the old-fashioned way. They'd place a pattern on the fabric and use electric scissors to cut around it. Although customers of the glitzy costumes--including Indiana University's Singing Hoosiers, Sweet Adelines International and the Purdue Music Organization--were pleased with the final results, the production processes were slow and waste was inevitable.

"The addition of a CAD/CAM system gave us an accurate pattern every time," says Barbara Frost, Rivar's chief operating officer. "It also gave us the ability to arrange the pieces in the most efficient manner. Before, people were using their eyes to line up the patterns."

In mid-1999 Rivar's added an automatic cutting system which takes the pattern from the GAD and uses it. "You don't even have to get a hand in there to move around the pieces," says Frost. "It gives us extreme accuracy and enhances our cuffing operation."

Frost says she and CEO Jane Rivar Waskiewicz visited other companies that used advanced technology before making the $225,000 investment.

The payback is estimated at three years for the CAD system and three to five years for the automatic cutter.

GEARING UP

Purdue University is working with such companies as South Bend's Schafer Gear Works to improve the flow and efficiency of manufacturing processes. Last year, Purdue's Technical Assistance Program helped transition Schafer from an outdated 50,000-square-foot building to a 115,000-squarefoot state-of-the-art facility. The new $4 million plant is located in Blackthorn Industrial Park.

"Purdue looked at the major higher-volume part numbers and actually measured the number of feet they moved from the front to back door," says Doug Fozo, Schafer's project manager. "Lots of the parts were getting the grand tour of the shop--maybe more than once." The new layout reduces "a lot of the processes to moving 50 to 75 feet," says Fozo.

But while the new layout was important, the purchase of computer-numerical-controlled lathes was essential for Schafer to remain competitive in its market. It makes custom gears and machined components for such large manufacturers as Gummins, Dana, Eaton and Chore-Time Brock. "Without a doubt, we couldn't make it long without new...