Integrating Excellence: How Brunswick Set Standard Work in Motion

Standard work is often associated with repeating the same process over and over. But, what if your operation isn’t so predictable? What if customers can choose exactly what they want and every product becomes a custom build?

For companies like Brunswick and VKS, this isn’t a problem.

As a global manufacturer of marine recreation and boating equipment, Brunswick is consistently pursuing the best innovations of the industry. It was through their drive and determination to consumer-focused technology that led Brunswick to integrate new methods and technologies into their facilities.

We had the opportunity to talk with several of Brunswick’s Boat Group’s (BBG) North American team members and discuss their use of VKS Enterprise within four of their facilities.

In just two short years with VKS, each Brunswick location has been able to achieve impressive results. For example, their New York Mills facility was able to implement auto-work instruction configuration through integration with their MES while streamlining continuous improvement measures that resulted in reduced labor costs. Additionally, one department experienced a 46% reduction in defects per unit (DPU) and a 15% increase in productivity.

And these stats are just a part of the whole story.

Given Brunswick's success and determination for excellence, we’re excited to dive into how they implemented their unique and powerful form of standardization with our work instruction software.

Why VKS for Brunswick’s Boats?

Impressively, Brunswick handles the entire boat production process. From fabricating fiberglass and metal pieces to welding and assembly, and even painting, there are a lot of processes to cover under Brunswick’s operation. For this reason, they sought out an innovative standard work solution that would allow them to maintain their flexibility and consumer-focused mindset while reaping the benefits of smart standardization using an application that could be adopted across multiple sites.

Before VKS, Brunswick was using paper instructions while capturing data on Excel spreadsheets. But, as Nathan Schwendeman relayed to us, Brunswick wanted a more advanced solution for a few reasons.

One of the problems with paper instructions is that they are very hard to update and monitor. This hinders the company's ability to enact control over their processes.

Paper is cumbersome for companies like Brunswick that have an enormous amount of combinations that can be applied to any one boat.

In the end, paper instructions just don’t cut it.

Similarly, capturing data is always a worthwhile venture, but using various Excel sheets can often complicate the data and even cause the information to be lost.

Brunswick was searching for a solution that would achieve the four following goals:

1. Visual standard work
2. Connection with other systems
3. Work order integration and responsive guidance
4. Quality Traceability Methods

Our work instruction software enables companies to visually standardize their procedures, collect valuable data, and determine the best practices that fit their unique operations.

In Lebanon, MO, deck boats were commonly built by workers and their accumulated tribal knowledge. But now, with detailed guidebooks that walk employees through the right steps in real time, Lebanon’s team has been able to move deck boat production between multiple departments, allowing for greater flexibility within the facility.

The Push to Upgrade Their Work Stations

Before the implementation of our work instruction software, Brunswick had already integrated other digital systems into their facilities. This includes Andon lights, a warehouse management system, a QMS (Quality Management System), and an MES (Manufacturing Execution System).

However, to fully utilize these other systems, you need a computer at each workstation. As Nathan Schwendemen and Kali Schwantz explained to us, VKS and its capability to guide workers through their tasks while providing communication with other systems was the final tipping point that pushed Brunswick to place a tablet, laptop, or computer at each station.

MES Integration: Custom Industry 4.0 Workflow

With the diverse range of boats offered to customers, from colors, seats, steering wheels, and more, each boat is a custom build. While this is an incredible offering to customers, it does complicate the standardization of any practices, especially if you want to streamline your instructions. Brunswick needed a way to make their work instructions dynamically change based on the specifications of each work order.

To do this, Brunswick leveraged our API (Application Programming Interface) to build strong communications between their MES and VKS.

Once a work order is made in their MES, VKS receives the information and then presents a version of the guidebook that fits the unique work order. All of the part numbers, options, and links to specification media in their QMS are fed directly into VKS.

What’s beneficial is that the information from the MES carries over from workstation to workstation and operation to operation, creating an intelligent and responsive sequence flow through their facility.

For example, Brunswick could have 4 workstations that are needed to complete one finalized boat. Each workstation (A, B, C, D) has a specific operation to fulfill. VKS receives the work order information from the MES and then auto-configures a guidebook with all the required custom steps and specifications.

As soon as Station A has completed its task, the custom work order information is carried over to Station B. VKS then again uses the information received from the MES to auto-configure a work instruction that directs the worker with the correct steps and parts to use for the process. This enables each station’s work instructions within VKS to be custom to the work order.

Brunswick’s Vision for a Multi-Site Implementation

As a world-class company, it's no surprise that Brunswick had a keen and well-thought-out vision for implementing VKS Work Instructions in their multiple facilities. With four sites using VKS and plans to expand usage to other locations, Nathan Schwendamen relayed to us that it was critical to deploy VKS in a standard way across their facilities.

In this way, Brunswick doesn’t simply aim to standardize the processes at each site, they aim to standardize how their operations are achieved across multiple sites. To do this, Brunswick developed an intelligent team and plan.

One Standardized Source of Truth

A method they standardized across all sites is linking to the engineering drawings, PDFs, and other materials directly within the VKS Guidebook. As Nathan described it, this ensures that there is one source of truth across their standardized methods and workforce.

Cory Sarago, Manufacturing & Engineering Manager in New York Mills, MN, outlined for us how this linking capability has enabled them to implement VKS at various levels within their operation.

As opposed to creating multiple sources of information, all pertinent information is accessible from the VKS guidebook. For example, an assembly instruction will direct the worker through the best practices to fasten pieces together and assemble the final product. If the worker needs to review the dimensions of any of the pieces, they can simply click a link within the VKS Guidebook and the user will be shown the engineering drawings, dimensions, and any other specifications immediately.

This practice ensures that no additional and unnecessary copies of information are created, allowing Brunswick to accurately maintain the correct information for the right jobs.

Built-In Quality: Enhancing Traceability & Culture

For Brunswick and the brands they represent, quality is incredibly important. For this reason, Brunswick has leveraged VKS to incorporate a practice they call Built-In Quality (BIQ).

This BIQ process is a great way to set the tone and ensure that there is a strong quality culture within the workforce. Using VKS Smart Forms which allow people to capture data and use digital checklists at key points during a process, Brunswick employees perform peer inspections of each other’s work. At the beginning of each operation, the work instructions guide the worker through an inspection process where quality data, serial numbers, and more are transferred and stored within their QMS for quality control and traceability.

Similarly, the Brunswick team explained that they’ve also incorporated what they call In-Process Checks and End-of-Process Checks to ensure an operator performs all critical quality steps during their tasks and before passing the work on to the next station.

The idea is to eliminate defects from going to any subsequent stations down the line. And this method has worked for them. From Brunswick’s innovative quality plan, Lebanon, MO, experienced a 49.7% decrease in DPU. Nathan relayed to us that their New York Mills, MN, facility has also seen impressive quality and productivity improvements.

SPC Data & Analysis Directly within VKS

Additionally, Fort Wayne’s Systems Administrator, Otis Rencher, saw an opportunity to use VKS to monitor process performance and detect trends over time. This level of performance monitoring is made possible by VKS’ SPC (Statistical Process Control) charting system.

During an instruction, workers are prompted with an SPC Form. Workers then fill in the fields with the current readings on their machine or measuring devices and the data is then compiled with past values. Once the data is entered, workers are shown the current trends with a comprehensive SPC chart. This chart can also be accessed afterward.

Using the SPC charts, Brunswick employees can analyze the data and monitor the process's performance closely. If the readings go outside of specification boundaries or if patterns arise, Otis Rencher and his team can act proactively and make informed adjustments.

Easy Continuous Improvement: Decreased Labor Costs

For fast-paced companies like Brunswick, their digital work instructions need to move and evolve as fast as their operations do. When using paper, this can be difficult. Each set of instructions needs to be tracked down, updated, and then redistributed. This process takes time and the possibility for errors and rework are all too high.

However, since using VKS, Brunswick has been able to streamline the improvement and evolution of their processes.

Using embedded guidebooks, Brunswick is able to embed common processes into their guidebooks. When these common processes are updated, all affected guidebooks are updated simultaneously, greatly reducing the time and money it takes to keep documentation up to date.

Additionally, as soon as a process is updated, all workstations immediately have access to the latest procedures, ensuring that Brunswick employees are always utilizing the best practices and following the most up-to-date methods.

Overcoming Language Barriers

At Brunswick’s Edgewater, FL, location, about half of the workers are non-native English speakers. When providing instructions and training to the workforce, this can be quite an obstacle.

However, Brunswick’s Varenya Karuturi, Manufacturing Engineer, explained how they are able to overcome the language barrier using our translation features within VKS.

With VKS, all instructions can be instantly translated into 30+ languages, enabling companies like Brunswick to overcome language barriers when training employees. This technology provides the information their employees require in the language that best fits the worker.

Customer Success Story

We had the privilege to visit one of Brunswick Boat Group's facilities in New York Mills, MN, and see firsthand how Nathan, Kali, and their teams are utilizing VKS to build quality into every process and gain the most out of their digital transformation.

What’s next for Brunswick?

Brunswick is currently using our VKS Enterprise model, empowering Nathan and his teams to connect their instructions with their MES and achieve a strong digital thread throughout their operations.

But Brunswick hasn’t finished innovating its processes just yet.

Amongst plans to integrate other systems such as their BOM (Bill of Materials) and Quality Management System with VKS, Brunswick is also looking at incorporating connected tools into their assembly processes. With ToolConnect IoT, connected torque tools automatically apply the right torque value while monitoring, capturing, and validating the process in real time.

For companies like Brunswick, innovation is a way of life. Finding the right methods to provide their customers with the most innovative technology and options is the philosophy that sets them apart.

With more Brunswick facilities poised to receive VKS Work Instruction Software in the future, we here at VKS are excited to see Brunswick continue pushing the boundaries and lead the industry as true champions of modern manufacturing.