Risk Control in Sintered Magnet ProductionZhaobao Magnetics, Ningbo China, Mining & Metallurgy
Zhaobao Magnet is a leading manufacturer of rare-earth permanent magnets in China, serving high-performance motor applications including compressors, servo drives, elevator motors, wind turbines, and EV traction systems.
Eddso supported the client through a Supplier Risk Control Project focused on powder forming, sintering bottlenecks, and final packaging alignment. The goal was to improve process safety, stabilize takt rhythm, and enhance inboard delivery performance.
Challenge
The pre-sintering and sintering processes presented safety and stability risks due to material sensitivity and long oven cycles. Final packaging was frequently reorganized due to magnet customization, and inboard delivery was inconsistent.
- Explosion-Prone Forming Operations
Orientation forming required special equipment and trained operators to mitigate risk. - Sintering Bottleneck
Oven release was slow and often mismatched with downstream demand. - Flexible Layout Pressure
Magnet shape variation caused constant layout changes in boxing and magnetization. - Poor Inboard OTD Control
Supplier delivery lacked scheduling standards and failed to meet takt requirements.
Solution
A targeted risk-control initiative was deployed across forming, sintering, and packaging areas to balance process safety and supply-chain resilience.
- Process Risk Checklist
Identified critical risks in forming and created operation-specific safety lists. - Sintering Flow Buffering
Added buffer zones and takt-based planning between ovens and final stages. - Modular Packaging Layouts
Introduced flexible magnetization and boxing modules to reduce reconfiguration time. - Delivery Control Routine
Set up weekly OTD review and 8D root cause tracking for inboard supplier issues.
- Process Risk Checklist
Results
Process compliance and supply stability improved within 8 weeks, creating measurable gains in takt rhythm and supplier collaboration.
- +20% Safety Compliance
High-risk operations aligned with corporate safety protocols. - +15% Output Rhythm
Sintering-to-packaging flow improved overall line balance. - 95% On-Time Delivery
Inboard supplier adherence rose with structured delivery governance. - Supplier Status Upgrade
Audit score reclassified the supplier into preferred-tier for strategic partnership.