Lock Joint Tube

Lock Joint Tube

Leading tubing manufacturer increases uptime through changeover optimization

About Lock Joint Tube

Lock Joint Tube manufactures mechanical and structural grade steel tubing in five plants located in Indiana, Ohio, Texas, and Tennessee. The company services fabricators and distributors, as well as original equipment manufacturers with different sized and shaped steel tubing used in industries like solar, automotive, office furniture, health care, exercise, and display fixtures. Lock Joint Tube was founded in Indiana in 1919, and in 1991 it became a member of the privately- owned Lerman Enterprise network of companies.

The Opportunity

Efficient tooling and equipment changeover processes are critical to operating a cost-effective tube mill. Rapid changeovers on mills can reduce downtime and improve profitability. Lock Joint Tube partnered with iNDustry Labs to analyze opportunities to decrease the average changeover time at a key facility, recognizing that lessons learned at this facility may represent a scalable model for improving other mills.

iNDustry Labs Engagement

Over the course of ten weeks, iNDustry Labs analyzed Lock Joint Tube’s changeover process through activities that included: value stream mapping, single-minute exchange of dies (SMED) analysis; quantification of scheduling complexity, and research of best-practices for relevant changeovers. The analysis resulted in a set of specific recommended action items for the internal and external process improvements that are segmented by strategic and financial impact, taking employee safety into account.