How a Medical Device Manufacturer Lifted Production 25%

Client: Hologic — healthcare & diagnostics manufacturer (mammography systems) · Sector: Medical device manufacturing · Result: +25% production efficiency

The challenge: cramped lines and a forced relocation

Hologic, a leading healthcare and diagnostics company in the global Flexpipe network, had to move production lines between buildings — and the flawed floor layout it inherited made space a critical constraint. Workspaces were cramped around production equipment, there was no consistent material flow, and time pressure ruled out slow, welded fit-outs.

The solution: a lean transformation built on modular structures

Led by the plant's continuous-improvement leader, the team ran a large-scale lean manufacturing transformation using the Flexpipe tube and joint system. Staff attended a hands-on moonshine-shop style training, then designed and built their own workstations, flow racks and line-side delivery structures — matched millimetre-by-millimetre to the equipment they serve.

• Workstations sized to each assembly task, with tools and parts at point of use
• Line-side flow racks establishing one consistent material flow through the plant
• Structures built and iterated in-house — no waiting on external fabricators

The results

• Production efficiency up 25%
• Consistent material flow through previously cramped work areas
• An in-house capability to keep improving layouts as products change

What this means for Australian manufacturers

Regulated manufacturing — medical, food, pharma — needs clean, adjustable, documentable infrastructure. Modular pipe & joint structures let your team reconfigure a line without hot works permits or downtime, using components that wipe down and don't flake paint. Flexpipe Australia supports bespoke designs and supplies kitted structures Australia-wide.