Kilian Manufacturing Corp. makes
products that help the world run smoothly. It's just that some people are
confused about what those products are. Kilian makes bearings that help
van doors glide open, steering columns turn smoothly, and La-Z-Boy
recliners pop up efficiently. But say the word "bearings, and people
conjure up the image of tiny BBs or steel marbles. Steel balls do go into
some bearings, but not all bearings have them. A bearing is a device that
reduces friction between two moving surfaces. Kilian is the world's
largest maker of machined race bearings. The bearings contain little balls
that move around on a track, hence the word "race." The company runs its
operations as smoothly as its products. It uses lean manufacturing
techniques to clear bottlenecks in operations, has quality programs to
keep its customers happy, and programs to keep its employees safe and
healthy. The work force has dropped to 292 workers, off by 9 percent
compared with year-ago levels. To avoid further cuts, the company has
created new products to attract new customers. They include a new bearing
for the McPherson strut suspension used in cars, as well as a stainless
steel bearing called the Kilian Survivor for use in food processing
plants. Few people know much about the Kilian plant, which is squeezed
between Interstate 690 West and Burnet Avenue. Most folks believe the
company makes little steel balls. Kilian was founded in 1922 in a factory
on Pearl Street. It moved to Burnet Avenue in 1939, and added 28,000
square feet of space for assembly operations in 1997. The Torrington Co.,
a subsidiary of Ingersoll-Rand, bought Kilian in 1975, making it a part of
its industrial division. Steel bars come in one end of the 96,000
square-foot plant, and are cut down to make bearings that go out the
other.
Kilian BearingsKilian produces a broad range of precision
machined bearings and assemblies for standard industrial applications and
specialized uses. Kilian ball bearings and roller bearings are supplied in
various configurations under the Kilian, Argosy and Kilrol brands primarily to
original equipment manufacturers worldwide. The company makes hundreds of thousands of bearings a year for use in van door hinges. They are the largest single application for the company's bearings. About 150 workers make them. Kilian is the sole provider of bearings for van hinges for General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. Last fall, Kilian began implementing lean manufacturing techniques at the company. The company installed more quality controls on its equipment and placed quality inspectors next to workers to catch mistakes early. An auditor who looked at Kilian's quality assurance systems recently recommended the company receive a QS 9000 designation. The designation means the company maintains systems to guarantee the quality of its products. It also implemented a manufacturing system that makes parts to order, instead of building up inventory. As a result, inventory dropped 40 percent. The company will sent 15 operators and two supervisors through training to learn more lean manufacturing techniques. Money for the training came out of an up to $25,000 grant from the Workforce Development Initiative of the Metropolitan Development Association. The plant has a portable defibrillator in August. A dozen workers are trained to use it should someone have a heart attack. |
Accent Bearings Co. Inc.
367 -G South Rohlwing Road
Addison, Illinois 60101
(630) 916-1930
Fax
(630) 916-7740
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