We had a problem with handling materials in a production department. Our process required raw materials to enter the department, be processed, and leave the department. The raw material was placed on pods, delivered for production, removed from the pods, placed on a staging fixture, removed from the fixture and process materials were then placed on another pod and delivered to an internal customer. Internal customer had to place on still another pod.
Someone suggested placing the material from the fixture onto the customer's internal pod to reduce handling, errors, etc. Room was tight (because two different style pods were used, one for raw material and one for processing) and someone long ago suggested moving a wall to create more space for easier movement of the pods.
After we realized that involving people would give us the improvements we wanted, someone suggested modifying the pods into a cart that could hold more material and reduce our need for more space. Others became involved; Martin developed possible designs for the cart while speaking with his coworkers to find out their ideas.
A cross-functional team designed and built a new cart. It held more raw materials, eliminated the need for the staging fixture, and allowed raw material and processed material to be transported on the same cart, eliminating the need for the second pod. The cart was built by reusing materials from the old pods.
Immediate benefits included less movement and less contamination of materials, also the new cart was more ergonomically friendly. After using the new cart, others came up with more ideas. All together 20 people contributed improvements to eliminate unnecessary equipment, combine processes, and reduce cost. Fourteen process steps were reduced to seven, operator motion was reduced, material was moved less, quality improved, and the job of the operator was made easier.
Recently someone had the idea of using the cart in a different area, so more improvements are to come.
Copyright © 2005 Chuck Yorke - All Rights Reserved
Chuck Yorke is an organizational development and performance improvement specialist, trainer, consultant and speaker. He is co-author of "All You Gotta Do Is Ask," a book which explains how to promote large numbers of ideas from employees. Chuck may be reached at ChuckYorke@yahoo.com
It is a sad fact that many employees are still... Read More
How can I make my community of practice truly effective?How... Read More
Maximization methodologies have long been used in business to produce... Read More
Supervisor-employee relations are a critical part of a work place... Read More
The study of Behavioral extension involves investigating the source of... Read More
You're at a networking function and you've made that all-important... Read More
With deference to Dr. Covey and his very popular Seven... Read More
Here's an easy quiz to check the health of your... Read More
Many books have been written about managing people, and an... Read More
The recent news about one of America's most powerful woman... Read More
Current Situation:As of this writing, the MCI Board of Governors... Read More
In running any kind of business, it's inevitable that sometimes... Read More
Maybe it's the season or just a more buoyant job... Read More
A successful leader told me, "The biggest challenge I've had... Read More
Conservative and staid organisations generally have a harder time implementing... Read More
Are you ready to raise money for your startup?Leslie Mitts,... Read More
There's a common phrase used by Organizational Development and Human... Read More
Intangible Corporate Assets such as Organizational Capital, Blue Sky and... Read More
In light of recent corporate scandals, from Enron and Global... Read More
Hiring employees is a huge responsibility. Before hiring anyone, be... Read More
Transitioning from Vertical Hierarchies to Decentralized / Flatter OrganizationsThe need... Read More
IntroductionThere are a group of people in the community that... Read More
An ongoing series of articles exploring the seven critical areas... Read More
'Goodwill' is regarded as an intangible asset in a business.... Read More
The title implies that some people are and others not.This... Read More
Recent studies have shown that industrial supervisors are working at... Read More
1. Eliminate wasteEliminate reports, habits, products, duplicate input, and processes... Read More
Project heroes. We've all heard of them. Some of us... Read More
Companies are welcoming a diverse range of employees (The Sunday... Read More
One of the biggest problems we encounter in our consulting... Read More
When you know you need to shift up a gear,... Read More
DECISION BY AUTHORITY RULE: Many groups start out with-or quickly... Read More
In a management role procrastination can seriously hold back progress... Read More
Recognizing good performance through praise or other positive action is... Read More
Usually, we're most interested in communicating outwardly; getting our messages... Read More
A Nightmare That Really HappenedOver 10 years ago, when I... Read More
When you're starting a business, you might wish for a... Read More
Creativity Starts Here!The ability of an organisation to create new... Read More
Nearly all leaders I've encountered are underachievers. They're getting a... Read More
Part Two of Creating Well-Defined Processes SeriesNext Week: ImplementationLast week,... Read More
What really amazes me, with all the personal and professional... Read More
Being a good trainer requires experience and skill. Experience comes... Read More
A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that... Read More
We go to meetings to share information, to report on... Read More
Few things are more destructive to a career than a... Read More
On communication: One of the biggest strains on the communication... Read More
This article relates to the Safety and Working Environment competency... Read More
Do you find yourself easily becoming bored or tired at... Read More
If you sit at a computer for most of the... Read More
Recently, I felt appalled to see a political candidate running... Read More
AbstractThe electrical products industry is one characterized by fierce competition,... Read More
People sometimes interchange the terms "know-how" and "knowledge", but there's... Read More
Does this sound familiar? You were hired for the new... Read More
It is essential to understand what work and what do... Read More
One of the most important of all motivators at work... Read More
Do this simple excercise, and transform your life.First, Make a... Read More
How we feel is really more important than what we... Read More
In these days of restricted head count and tight budgets,... Read More
Where there is people there is politics! Bullying is now... Read More
Here's a brief story I encountered while leaving Newark International... Read More
The second you quit being the 'best deal' for your... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
"? [get] the right people on the bus, the right... Read More
What is document management: When we think about "Document Management"... Read More
If you are a department, division or subsidiary manager, your... Read More
Business Management |