The Colfax Business System.

Our unique business-management system guides the way we operate. It is a repeatable, teachable process that allows us to create superior value for our customers, our shareholders, and our associates.

How it works.

The Colfax Business System (CBS) provides the tools, techniques, and values that ensure we are continuously improving our ability to meet or exceed customer requirements each and every day.

Tools.

We identify the right tools to define and solve problems, apply lean practices, promote growth, and improve business operations.

Process.

We drive improvement by applying our core CBS processes, learning from the results, and adapting as needed.

People.

We foster collaboration to build a deep culture of continuous improvement across all our business teams.

CBS delivers results.

We apply the principles of CBS at all of our locations around the world to drive continuous improvement while creating superior value for our stakeholders. From voice-of-customer research, to kaizens, to gemba walks to 5S, CBS offers a variety of flexible and effective resources that deliver powerful results – regardless of geography or business platform.

CBS at work.

ESAB used voice-of-customer research to learn what fabricators were really searching for in a welding helmet before designing one with a look like no other. The huge success of Sentinel^™ is a testament to the way our companies work under the Colfax Business System.

CBS at work.

In 2020, Colfax evaluated the packaging process at our Bogota plant to improve efficiency and safety conditions while meeting daily production demands. After evaluating the use of an operator who used a tool to align electrodes, Colfax improved this process with an automatic device. Colfax also decided to move devices such as printers, computers, and trays closer to the operation areas where they are used, which improved efficiency.

Other improvements that were made included the adjustment of pathways to avoid incidents, the removal of exposed anchors in the floor, and the elimination of accumulated product in the electrode inventory line. The results of these enhancements included increased productivity and improvement in ergonomic conditions.

CBS AT WORK.

Now that our Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Distribution Center has successfully transitioned from an outsourced facility to an operation run by DJO, we have started to use CBS tools like kaizens and gemba walks to remove barriers, streamline processes, and optimize performance.

As a result, productivity has improved over 100%, and capacity has increased by 40% at this important site.

CBS at work.

ESAB uses the power of Voice of the Customer (VOC) and its CBS tool of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) to shape product development and innovation. For example, by consistently focusing on customer needs and identifying customer problems, QFD helped the ESAB team better understand the challenges and opportunities of using welding and cutting equipment.

This critical information established the design direction for the Rebel^™ project as users discussed the variety of welding processes and the availability of input power at different jobsites. By successfully employing QFD, there are now five models of Rebel in the market – the Rebellion continues!

Establishing a foundation for success.

Over time, the Colfax Business System has allowed us to maintain a key focus on our customers, set aggressive targets, and grow organically. The systematic methodology that CBS provides helps ensure we can execute and sustain every business long-term by keeping continuous improvement at the center of everything we do.

Discover what drives us.

Read more about the core components of our vision, the values we hold, and the behaviors that help us keep creating better.

Learn more