Does Continuous Improvement Have to be Industry Specific?
I often meet people who are interested in the work I do, and sometimes, these conversations turn into future business opportunities. One statement I hear quite frequently goes something like this: “I see you’ve made great strides working with manufacturers in [insert industry here]. But we’re different, so I want to know what experience you have in my industry.”
Hope is a Precious Commodity
Once the workers in Mississippi saw how quickly the reliability techniques made their line safer and more efficient, they became unstoppable.
Working Like a Business Owner
The hourly operator knew more about the science of board drying than anyone on the benchmarking team. This ownership correlated to the best running factory in our company.
Simpler is Safer, Lighter, and Better
With focused questioning, we were able to eliminate a process that was challenging, dusty, and unsafe. And, we saved the plant over a million dollars.
The Birth and Quiet Death of Definitions
We created a beautiful, highly complicated product that no one bought. In the end, it led to many great innovations.
Leadership Commitment in a Challenging Situation
When my team leader came down with COVID, I thought it would be wise to delay the Kaizen event. He wanted to push through and joined us virtually on the first day. Even without him physically in the room with the team, we didn't miss a beat and made some significant improvements.
Getting More than they Bargained for
We were conducting the first 5S Kaizen at the plant. With so much disorganization and clutter, it was affecting the team's changeover performance. When I introduced the concept of Spaghetti Diagrams, it opened their eyes to the possibilities and reduced the changeover time by more than 50%.
Carrying a Heavy Weight on my Shoulders
We had a challenging relationship between our hourly workers and management. I never realized how much it affected me, until I left and my neighbor saw the difference in me.
A Challenging Place to Work
What appeared to be the hardest and hottest job in the company was the one valued most by the technician doing the work.
An Unlucky Break
Thanksgiving was always my nemesis at work. Things always seemed to happen over the holidays. This time, a water main break in the city of St. Helens Oregon shut our plant down and we had to figure out a way to get things running again without more disruptions.
Go to the Source
There were twelve different reports from eight different states all due at the same time. The only way to stay compliant was to contact each state agency and ask for their help.