The SMRP Wisconsin chapters held its most recent meeting at the Kohler manufacturing facility in Kohler Wisconsin on September 17th. This was a half-day meeting sponsored by Kohler and went extremely well. 23 members attended. Any attendees interested in obtaining a certificate of attendance for PDH purposes, please contact Earl Hill at eshill@loma-consulting.com
The meeting began with attendee introductions followed by a brief overview of the Kohler Company and its history. Kohler is the largest maker of bathroom and kitchen fixtures in the US and several other countries. The host then conducted a tour of their Cast Iron Facility, where they make components for a number of product lines. In effect, Kohler makes molds from especially crafted sand, then adds molten metal from their forges. The tour lasted an hour and showed how well Kohler, in using older equipment, has maintained its quality. Kohler has also implemented robotics in places as well. The tour was very interesting. 
Following the tour, Kohler staff presented the results of an investigation they made of a dust collector equipment problem in February 2024. A facility that uses significant amounts of sand will generate lots of dust. Kohler has been very efficient in recycling sand, but the dust collectors are important elements of their sand control efforts. The dust collector in questions experienced high vibration leading to a bearing replacement. Unfortunately, this bearing was the wrong type, so the bearing was replaced again. This did not solve the problem.
For some time, Kohler personnel had noted problems with the floor beneath the dust collector. To address this, Kohler brought in RDI to conduct motion amplification studies of the dust collector. RDI found significant issues that were dramatically presented in their deliverables to Kohler. The floor and the equipment above it vibrated significantly. Further review showed a drain line underneath the dust collector. During heavy snow melt earlier in the winter apparently sufficient flow in the drain created or expanded voids in the concrete. Kohler addressed these through mud jacking, which eliminated the floor vibration. A longer term fix will probably be needed eventually. Overall, the response to the event was considered a success. Kohler also reviewed circumstances at other dust collectors in the facility as well.
Afterwards, the group discussed a number of common problems, mostly centered on identifying “bad actors” in a facility. As usual, the exchange of information was excellent and useful to all parties. The meeting concluded with dinner at local restaurant in the Sheboygan area.
SMRP-W plans to continue this type of exchange in our next meeting, planned for 4PM to 6PM November 12th at the Rockwell Clock Tower in Milwaukee. This focus of this meeting will be planning and scheduling – a very popular topic these days. Members are invited to discuss their successful improvement efforts or difficulties they have encountered. A flyer for this meeting will be issued soon.