Process documentation
Cobalt documents a plant's process at two levels from the same video: a value stream map of how a unit moves between stations, and SOPs for how the work is done at each one.
The value stream map
A value stream map shows each step a unit passes through, how long it is worked on at that step, and how long it waits before the next. It is normally built from interviews and a floor walk, and reflects what people believe. Cobalt builds it from video and, where they exist, job records.
Current-state value stream map
One canister family. Median queue before each step, and hours worked at it.
- 2.0 dCut and form3 h
- 1.5 dRoll2 h
- 2.5 dLong seam4 h
- 7.0 dFit-up: heads6 h
- 3.0 dCirc seams9 h
- 8.5 dFit-up: nozzles5 h
- 2.5 dNozzle welds7 h
- 5.0 dRadiography2 h
- 2.5 dPressure test2 h
- 2.5 dFinish3 h
- Lead time
- 50 days
- Queued
- 37 days
- Worked on
- 43 hours
- Share of lead time worked on
- 3.6%
SOPs and visual work instructions
An SOP, or standard operating procedure, is the written method for a job. Cobalt identifies the best-observed method, in sequence and staging rather than technique, and writes it down step by step. Each step is illustrated, so that a new hire can follow it at the station.
Standard work: fit up and tack, head to shell
Best-observed method, Fit-up Station A. Reviewed with the station's leads.
- Steps
- 6
- Standard time
- 41 min
- Revision
- A
- Step 13 min
Confirm the drawing revision and weld map
Stop if the revision does not match the traveler.
- Step 26 min
Stage the shell, head and tack consumables
Staged by the material handler before the shift, not by the fitter.
- Step 38 min
Set the shell on the rollers and level it
Level before the head is lifted. Re-levelling under the crane holds the crane.
- Step 412 min
Align the head and check the gap
A gap over 1/8 in goes back to forming. It is not welded up.
- Step 59 min
Tack at four points in opposite pairs
Re-check the gap after the second tack.
- Step 63 min
Sign the traveler and call the hold point
Call the inspector now, so the booth is not left waiting.
Other capabilities
Process improvement
Cobalt baselines the floor from video, traces lost time to its root cause, proposes ranked changes, quantifies each one, and tracks the result.
Read morePlant layout simulation
A 3D model of the floor, used to compare layout options and their expected throughput before equipment is moved.
Read moreSafety monitoring
The same video is reviewed for unsafe conditions. Observations are reported by area and shift, with the clip behind each one.
Read more