Overcoming Resistance to Change
Process Improvement Partners was brought in to help a consumer goods manufacturer cut their changeover time (the time it takes to switch tooling and equipment over from one product to another) in half. By doing so, they would be able to reduce inventory and improve process performance.
The company has five different shifts operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Each crew believed it had the best approach to changeovers, but the results didn’t show it. There was major variation between and within shifts and none of the crews were able to start up their lines consistently and effectively coming out of a changeover.
The Path to Improvement
Process Improvement Partners recommended a 4 ½ day changeover reduction event, or SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die) Kaizen, using representation from each of the crews. By doing this, we could identify best practices across all of the crews and teach changeover reduction techniques to be shared once the Kaizen was over. The leadership team agreed, and we began preparations for this critical event.
Our leader, the Operations Manager for the production line, picked a team of “All Stars” to participate in the Kaizen. He felt their experience, creativity, and enthusiasm would lead us to a win.
This was the first changeover reduction Kaizen in the history of the plant, and the team was skeptical when we stated our objective: cut the existing changeover time in half, without increasing safety risk to the crew or quality risk to their customers. The team members assumed this meant they would have to rush around, with intense pressure to meet the new target time. The truth was using SMED techniques, we would be able to reduce enough waste in the existing changeover process to take significant time out and reduce safety and quality risk. Then, using the Wheel of Sustainability, we would be able to continue to get great results for years to come.
Turning Skepticism into Excitement
The first day of the Kaizen, we taught the four step SMED methodology (with a little spin from Process Improvement Partners):
1. Assess the current changeover and identify steps that must be done while the line is shut down (internal steps) and steps that are done while the line is still running (external steps)
2. Convert any internal steps to external steps
3. Streamline any remaining internal steps and then any external steps
4. Eliminate any adjustments and put in all aspects of the Wheel of Sustainability
For step one, we videotaped the changeover, did some motion analysis, and made numerous observations of waste. The team was excited to see opportunity they hadn’t realized existed. They never had stepped back and watched what was happening, as they always had to participate in the changeovers.
As we entered step two, the team prioritized the steps they thought could be converted from internal to external. Their creativity helped them invent and build a number of jigs and fixtures that allowed work to be done in preparation for the changeover, while the line was still running. By the morning of the third day, the team tested their efforts and found the time required to change the line over had already been reduced by 50%. They weren’t satisfied, there was much more they felt they could do.
For the rest of the third day and part of the fourth day, the team worked on improvements to streamline remaining internal steps, found ways to eliminate adjustments, and created visuals to help all team members do the changeover the same way every time. Now it was time to give the changes the ultimate test: let another crew try the new changeover procedure.
Working Through Opposition
Each team member was assigned a crew member who wasn’t on the team. They were assigned to review and teach them the new method and answer any questions or concerns. They were sent out onto the factory floor and had approximately 1 ½ hours to teach and discuss the new methods and approach one on one. After a while, one of the team members came into the meeting room and asked for my help. Her assigned crew member was not interested in participating in the test of our new changeover procedure. I came out on the floor to find out if I could help the situation.
The crew member, let’s call him Roy, was visibly upset, so I asked him what was bothering him. He started yelling at me, saying we hadn’t listened to him or anyone else on his crew, didn’t videotape their changeover, and generally didn’t care what they thought. I told him the team had representation from every crew and had done their best to use the best practices from each shift as we worked during the week. He was having none of it. I let him know that we needed to let someone other than the team try out the new method, so we could get feedback and make improvements to it, before locking in all of our changes. His anger grew. I knew I needed to do something extreme, or he would be lost and we wouldn’t learn what was needed to finalize our new procedure.
I asked, “Are you telling me you’re unwilling to try the new procedure?” Roy realized he was being asked if he was being insubordinate, which is a disciplined offense in most companies. He answered he was willing to try the new procedure, but just wanted to voice his protest about the lack on inclusion. I told him I respected his opinion and thanked him for his willingness to try the new approach.
Testing the New System
At 4:30 pm, we gathered all crew members to explain the new procedure, set the expectations for them to follow it to the letter, and would give them the opportunity to provide feedback once the changeover was complete. We would also pair a team member from the Kaizen team with each crew member, so they could be coached during the changeover, just in case they didn’t remember or understand the new steps or approach. All crew members affirmed their commitment to try the new procedure, and we started the new changeover at approximately 4:40 pm.
Three minutes into the changeover something didn’t look right. One of our Kaizen team members, let’s call her Julia, looked extremely uncomfortable. I took her a few feet away from her assigned crew member and asked her if her assigned crew member wasn’t following the new procedure. She nodded and I called the Kaizen team leader over, to talk about what was happening. He wasn’t happy and we agreed to stop the changeover immediately.
We gathered the crew back together, explained what was wrong, why it wasn’t ok to try their own procedure as we wouldn’t learn anything if they did. We then instructed them to put the line back to its original condition before the changeover. After that, we would start the changeover again. There was tension in the air.
At approximately 5:00 pm, we started the changeover for the second time. In two minutes, one of the Kaizen team members, let’s call him Jack, came over and informed me his assigned crew member wasn’t following the new procedure. We stopped the changeover again, gathered the crew, and in an impassioned way, did our best to convince them to try it the right way, or we would do this all night. Would things work out on the third try?
We started out third attempt at 5:10 pm and this time everyone followed the new procedure to the letter. You could see the tension fade away from the Kaizen team members. Now, something else was creeping in. The team had been working since 6:30 am and they were getting tired. 65 minutes later, the changeover was complete. Now it was time to bring the crew into the meeting room and get their feedback and reaction to the new procedure. I was wondering how Roy and his crew mates would respond to the new procedure and the two stoppages we imposed on them when they tried to go “rogue”.
A Surprising Conclusion
In the meeting room, I set up a flip chart and gathered all crew members around a table. I asked each of them to tell us, one at a time, what they thought, identifying out the things they liked and the things we could improve for them. As they spoke, I would write their comments on a flip chart for everyone to see.
Roy started out the feedback session by telling us he “loved” four very specific improvements the team had made. He also offered some constructive feedback on some simple things we could improve. Others had the opportunity to share their feedback, and all of them had positive and constructive things to say. I have to admit I was a bit shocked at the change in the tone in the room. I had figured the crew would save up all of their anger for the meeting room. Instead, they were appreciative for all of the Kaizen team’s efforts. They had realized our Kaizen team was doing their best for everyone in the crew, and the test proved it to them.
We thanked the crew and the Kaizen team, and sent everyone back to the line or home. There were many handshakes and high-fives before they left.
At the report out to leadership, the team remarked how important it was to get everyone’s input and also to test out new ideas with a group that wasn’t involved in the changes. It illustrated how difficult change can be, as most people tend to expect the worst and hope for the best. Since then, the line has been able to sustain the reduced changeover time and has many more believers in changeover reduction and Kaizen.