Case Study: Bobcat Company boosts laser-cutting speed and quality with Minitab

Bobcat boosts laser-cutting production by more than 20% with Minitab

Bobcat Company, a leading manufacturer of compact industrial equipment, sought to improve the speed and quality of its laser-cutting process for steel parts. The challenge was to find optimal machine settings that would boost production rates without sacrificing cut quality, thereby reducing the need for costly outsourced work and avoiding the purchase of additional million-dollar lasers. To accomplish this, a Master Black Belt at Bobcat used Minitab Statistical Software.

Using Minitab's Design of Experiments (DOE) capabilities, the team efficiently designed and analyzed a series of fractional factorial experiments. This approach identified the key factors affecting the process and helped determine the optimal settings for both speed and quality. The solution implemented with Minitab improved production rates by more than 20%, established a new standard for quality, eliminated the need to purchase a new laser (saving over $500,000), and reduced outsourced work by 2,000 hours, for a total potential impact of more than $1 million.

Bobcat Company