Lean assemblies for HSP – reduce process costs, accelerate production

With its expansion into Canada and the USA, HSP Hochspannungsgeräte GmbH is pursuing its goal of serving the North American energy market more quickly and locally.

The new plants should be able to manufacture high-voltage components "in-house" in the future—with minimal logistical effort and maximum process stability.

The main challenge lay in the complex supply of parts: each end product requires up to 62 individual items, the procurement, picking, and provision of which previously incurred considerable process costs and handling expenses. The company was looking for a solution that would enable structured, ready-to-assemble provision while reducing errors, search times, and material bottlenecks.

Zilken developed a fully integrated assembly kit concept for HSP to supply the new production sites in North America—optimized for process costs, transparency, and lean principles.

• Analysis and standardization of parts lists for all end product variants.
• Definition of ready-to-assemble kits (assemblies) with up to 62 items per assembly.
• Assembly, packaging, and labeling of kits according to production logic – "ready to assemble" directly on the line.
• Global supply chain with European quality standards: Centralized manufacturing and kit assembly in Germany, optimized export and customs clearance to Canada/USA.
• Process integration: Serial number tracking, unified labeling standards, and electronic delivery notes for direct production feedback.

With its process-cost-optimized assemblies, Zilken now provides end-product-specific kits that are fed directly into the production line in Canada and the USA.

Each kit contains exactly the components required for a production run – fully tested and fully documented. This eliminates the need for time-consuming individual orders, checks for missing parts, or subsequent deliveries.

The result: significantly lower internal process costs, stable material availability, and a high degree of automation in the supply chain between Germany, Canada, and the USA.