Find It - Fix It Challenge

Congratulations to the 2011 Winner!

The Timken Company, Manchester, CT

Bull Gear Deburring Plant

Timken’s improvement focused on improving the posture and comfort of the worker responsible for deburring a bull gear, weighing 856lbs., by improving the accessibility.  Prior to the fix, the worker manually deburred the gear twice – deburring is the finishing method used to smooth rough edges on metal.  The operation was performed with the gear placed on a cart and in a horizontal position. The worker had to stand and bend over the gear, in order to reach the gear teeth, for several hours. When the first side was complete, the gear was flipped 180-degrees to deburr the other side.

The company engineered a solution that raised the gear to eye level and positioned the gear to a vertical  and upright position.  Now the worker is able to sit and perform the operation without bending.  This improvement reduces the injury risk of handling the gear, decreases the time spent deburring, improves accessibility and comfort of the worker, and reduces the stresses placed on the neck, back, shoulders and elbows.   Congratulations to The Timken Company’s team for implementing not only the winning improvement but two other improvements among the top 15 finalists!

 Honorable Mentions

To view the recorded webinar announcing the 2011 winners, 

please click 

Stay tuned for our 2012 Find It – Fix It Challenge in July 2012!

 2011 Top 15 Finalists