Bendix brought parent company's Knorr-Bremse's Value Stream Academy (VSA) program to its plant in Acuna, Mexico, Bendix says. This is the company's first VSA program in North America, it says, and it will explore strategies for waste elimination and value enhancement in manufacturing.
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"Our global vision for the future is to secure Knorr-Bremse's long-term position as a worldwide market and technology leader through operational excellence," says Piotr Sroka, Bendix's president, CEO and COO. "To do this, we are laser-focused on becoming faster, more efficient and more effective through a comprehensive operational transformation underway at Bendix. This is just one of the ways we will make the most of our full potential. The collaboration and results complement the expansive Knorr-Bremse global BOOST 2026 program."
The inaugural class started last fall when an international team of 15 engineers from the United States and Mexico met for four days. Since then, VSA training has continued through programs around North America.
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"Since 2012, VSA training has played a key role in the Knorr Production System (KPS), providing lean manufacturing instruction for Knorr-Bremse employees in both the truck and rail industries," says Fabio Nakai, Bendix's director of operations excellence. "Through a diverse training catalog that begins with the basics and builds to expert levels of problem solving, logistics and soft skills for leaders, our VSAs have had an incredibly positive impact our teams and processes, strengthening our industry relationships and supporting transportation safety around the globe."
The VSA will provide demos and other training programs at Bendix locations, including those in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.
"Effectively teaching lean advanced manufacturing requires a physical classroom with workstations, so we've set that up in Acuna to serve all North American locations," Nakai says. "Other courses are more flexible so, for example, we have advanced lean administration offerings in Avon and Huntington, Indiana, along with a lean logistics program scheduled for Bowling Green, all in early 2025. Moving forward, we'll be able to connect training priorities with individual locations. And we plan to being making courses available to our suppliers next year as well."
