The Kirby Co. has been manufacturing vacuum cleaners and other home care products in Cleveland for nearly 100 years. Through the past century, the company’s leaders have learned that a business doesn’t stick around by standing still.
Over the lifespan of the business, The Kirby Co. — a division of The Scott Fetzer Co. — has evolved through a philosophy of continuous improvement. The company, which is led by president and CEO Bob McBride, is constantly improving its home care product line and how those products are built in the company’s manufacturing plants in Cleveland and Andrews, Texas.
Sometimes, innovation doesn’t come in the form of profound discoveries. A small change can make a big difference to customers.
Early in 2009, Kirby implemented a significant weight reduction into their products — a response to a call from consumers for a lighter machine. The base pan, which comprises the foundation of the power unit, is now made of an engineered polymer instead of aluminum. That one change removed 1.5 pounds from the unit weight.
Kirby’s leaders have also innovated and evolved the business on a larger scale, expanding the company’s supply chain, which has a worldwide reaction time of one to three days. The company now has eight warehouses and eight satellite warehouses, including a warehouse that recently opened in Russia. The Russian location will allow Kirby to maintain excellent response times in the Russian and central Asian markets.
Continuous improvement also means finding new ways to make established products look even better. Polished aluminum castings are a hallmark of the Kirby brand, and Kirby’s manufacturing processes have evolved to ensure that the products continue to maintain the level of quality that customers have come to expect.
The company’s production facilities now rely heavily on robots to polish the aluminum castings. A decade ago, Kirby owned one polishing robot. As of this past year, the company had invested in eight of the robots.
Robotic units have also improved efficiency in other areas of Kirby’s manufacturing process. Pick-and-place robots now pack the company’s products. Automated injection molding stations cast the base pans for each unit, and robotic help has allowed Kirby to transition from a line assembly set-up to a cellular assembly set-up on the manufacturing floor.
How to reach: The Kirby Co., (216) 228-2400 or www.kirby.com
