Tipco Asphalt Group Secures 3 Awards at Thailand Kaizen Award 2024
On August 9, 2024, Tipco Asphalt Group, Nakhon Ratchasima, Surat Thani, and Phitsanulok plants received awards at the Thailand Kaizen Awards 2024. The event, organized by Technology Promotion Association (Thailand-Japan), took place at BITEC Bangna from August 6-9, 2024. The competition featured 7 categories of Kaizen projects, with 141 companies submitting 417 project entries. Of these, 114 projects made it to the final round for presentation at BITEC.
This year, Tipco Asphalt Group submitted 8 projects in the Kaizen Suggestion Systems (KSS) category, all focused on process improvement with minimal equipment costs or budget. Out of 32 projects in the KSS final round, 3 were from our group, and all 3 won awards: “Spring-Powered Drum Handling Cart” project by Khun Sompong Pengsoongnern, Senior Warehouse Officer, from Nakhon Ratchasima plant received the Golden Award, “Emergency Kit for Trucks” project by Khun Phumin Thanyadi, Senior Technician – Vehicle Maintenance, from Surat Thani plant received the Silver Award, and “Easy Fit: No More Screwing Around” project by Khun Yodrak Thonchangya, Forklift Driver Warehouse, from Phitsanulok plant received the Bronze Award. These 3 awards reaffirm the group’s commitment to encouraging and supporting employees in innovating and improving work processes for greater efficiency and effectiveness. This dedication will elevate the organization’s performance in the future.
The project from Nakhon Ratchasima plant, titled “Spring-Powered Drum Handling Cart,” was developed by Khun Sompong Pengsoongnern, Senior Warehouse Officer at Nakhon Ratchasima plant. This initiative stemmed from the need to improve a work process that previously relied on waiting for forklift availability, causing delays in operations and customer deliveries. The project aimed to reduce the risk of accidents associated with the previous process, which involved forklifts lifting drums during the loading process. The new solution not only ensures timely deliveries to customers, maximizing the efficiency of machinery, but also allows employees to minimize downtime, freeing them up to focus on other creative improvements within the organization.
The project from Surat Thani plant, titled “Emergency Kit for Trucks,” was invented and developed by Khun Phumin Thanyadit, Senior Technician – Vehicle Maintenance, at Surat Thani plant. This initiative was driven by a safety goal to reduce accidents involving transport vehicles and to empower drivers to handle emergencies effectively when their trucks break down on the job. The project benefits the business by ensuring timely and complete deliveries to customers, reducing emergency repair costs, and enhancing safety for the community by providing greater confidence to other road users.
The project from Phitsanulok plant, titled “Easy Fit: No More Screwing Around” (Improved Easy-Fit Pump Guard), was invented and developed by Khun Yodrak Thonchangya, Forklift Driver Warehouse at Phitsanulok plant. As in the deep cleaning process of the asphalt pump, workers previously had to unscrew and remove the pump’s protective guard to clean and inspect it for potential issues that could cause sudden breakdowns. This process was time-consuming and involved unnecessary steps. As a result, Khun Yodrak invented an easy-fit pump guard that can be quickly and securely attached without the need for screws. This innovation reduced work time and minimized unnecessary movement and fatigue. Previously, workers had to walk back and forth to the maintenance room to borrow tools, but with the new design, tools are no longer needed, streamlining the entire process.
