How well do we tap the experience and creativity of our employees? When was the last time we asked for suggestions on how to improve our operations? Many of us like to think that by spending considerable time on the shop floor we can drive real improvement, but I bet we’re still missing some golden opportunities.
A couple weeks ago we were told about the results of Quick Changeover training at a local manufacturer. As usual, there was the initial skepticism until real-world examples were presented that demonstrated the huge potential time savings. By the end of the presentation the enthusiasm was clearly evident, and several technicians stayed after the meeting to discuss opportunities. There were many comments along the lines of "I’ve always known how we could drop the mold changeover time from two hours to twenty minutes… could I try some things?" Wow. Where were those ideas over the past few years? How much time could have been saved?
It’s important to build off of that enthusiasm by immediately assigning a point person, creating a team, and implementing ideas that create some quick wins.
But it’s also important to analyze some of the ideas. We once heard the story of another molding operation that had many products with long machine cycle times. So long that the press operator would often doze off while waiting for the cycle to end so that he could unload parts and load the next set of cores. If the unload/load process didn’t occur quickly after the end of the cycle, the mold would cool off and the next product would have rejectable short shots. The operator soon found that the sound of the automatic metal press guards opening would wake him from his slumber, thereby ensuring that the unload/load/slumber process could be immediately repeated.
What was his idea for process improvement? Add the same style of press guards on the other presses so that the other operators could be similarly awakened at the end of each press cycle! Yes, that would optimize machine output, but is it really what should be done to optimize the business? Perhaps a better solution would have been to stagger the cycles of the presses so that the same operator could stay busy by running multiple machines?
Stay in touch with your team and always ask for suggestions… but be sure to evaluate the ideas to ensure you’re really improving the total business.
bhavna says
I read your blog on outsourcing. This blog is quite informative for my business, even I have blog on outsourcing so can we exchange the links to share our knowledge resources.
http://www.offshoreoutsourcingworld.com
Wayne Lundberg says
Some years ago I was the project leader in a massive effort to cut setup times by 30% within six months at a Caterpillar division, to remain un-named for this posting. I organized 16 teams, one from each machine or fab shop and went to work brainstorming and applying new ideas from the shop floor personnel, QA, supervision, etc. We reached our objective sooner than expected with a clearly defined measurable which indicated we had reduced setup time to the equivalent of 16 machinists. Guess what happened the very next day?
HR laid off 16 machinists instead of bringing work back from outsourcing machine shops.
The consequence? Morale dropped to an all time low and efficiencies gained, were lost.
My point is that as you involve people from the floor in problem solving and strategic breakthroughs, you must have an end game in sight for those who will be left with nothing to do. This is the main reason, I believe, that manufacturing has been going offshore for over 40 years.
I gave up on manufacturing engineering at one time because I had spent at least six months putting together the details for shifting a farm equipment manufacturing process from shears and brakes, to rolling mill and flying cutoffs all to be lost because the union refused to allow management to retrain for other jobs which would come along with the increased potential volume and lower costs. The company shut the doors six months later and opened ops in Chihuahua, Mexico with Mexican dollar an hour labor. 60 high paid machinists were laid off in Denver, and I went to San Diego to take up work with the maquiladoras.
Wayne