Managing Automation - September 2007 - (Page 6)

david r. brousell/EIC TAKE 1 There are few topics in the industry today that get as much attention as lean manufacturing. Mention the words in a meeting of manufacturing people, at a conference, or even in a magazine article, and engagement immediately ensues. People like to talk about what they are doing with lean — their successes, their frustrations, their hopes for the discipline. One reason there is such passion about the lean manufacturing concept is that it is looked upon, rightly or wrongly, as an essential strategy for survival and success in today’s market. Lean means not only efficiency and continuous improvement to many people, but also, on an emotional level, that better ways of doing things can be found. That sense produces a feeling of forward motion, which, in turn, makes people feel good. The rush that people experience from pursuing lean in their organizations, however, often gives way to frustration over time. As this magazine has chronicled, after the initial rah-rah phase of lean has passed, many manufacturers struggle to sustain lean thinking and practices. Why? Pick your reason: Top management attention shifts, education about lean trails off, cultural problems persist, lean champions move on — the list is long and complicated. Many lean practitioners cite the importance of top management’s support as key to the success of lean in their companies. There is no doubt that sustained top management attention and investment can make or break lean. But it is equally true that the day-to-day efforts of people on the ground implementing lean ideas and practices — those doing the blocking and tackling day in and day out — are crucial to the discipline’s prospects. This lesson came across loud and clear at a re2007 Blocking and Tackling Dbrousell@thomaspublishing.com Broad visions of what lean manufacturing can do for manufacturers are fine, but don’t underestimate the value of small wins. cent roundtable of manufacturers I had the privilege of moderating in Chicago, part of a series of seminars on lean manufacturing hosted by Managing Automation and underwritten by IBM and Harris Data. Presentations by Commercial Grounds Care, a manufacturer of lawn care equipment, and Hornady Manufacturing, Inc., a maker of ammunition for hunters, drove home the point that small wins really matter when it comes to lean. James R. Messing, specialty product manager at Hornady, recounted that it typically took Hornady 30 worker-hours to set up its equipment to respond to a new order. After going through a lean exercise, the company reduced the setup time to 10 hours. A small win, admittedly, but it was significant because it changed mind-sets. Another example came from Dan Sikora, continuous improvement manager at Commercial Grounds Care. He described how one Kaizen exercise in a floor operation resulted in a saving of $212.80. It wasn’t the amount of the saving that was important, he noted, but the effect on how people thought about what they were doing. Thinking broadly about lean at what some would call the “enterprise” level certainly has its points, but don’t underestimate the value of the small wins. Those seemingly tactical projects with a few dollars saved here and there can spark something truly big in the minds of people in manufacturing. The small wins can add up to bigger payoffs down the line — if organizations can build upon them and communicate their value to their companies as a whole. What has your experience been with lean manufacturing? Write to me at Dbrousell@thomas publishing.com. ■ maonline managingautomation.com For more of David R. Brousell’s views, visit: ❏ The Quest for Speed www.managingautomation .com/takeone38 ❏ Seismic Shifts www.managingautomation .com/takeone37 ❏ Introducing Leo www.managingautomation .com/takeone36 ma September 6 Photo: Peter Kolk http://managingautomation.com http://www.managingautomation.com/takeone38 http://www.managingautomation.com/takeone37 http://www.managingautomation.com/takeone36

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Managing Automation - September 2007

Contents Take 1 Europe’s Automation Chiefs Upbeat on ’08 Business Prospects Vendor Coalition Pushes Human Element of SOA Wireless: Users Still Approaching with Caution One Year Later, IBM Shows Plan for MRO’s Maximo Study: More Work Needed to Lure Next-Gen Talent Executive Q&A Notes Cover Story: 2008 Companies to Watch Special Report: The 2007 Progressive Manufacturing High Achievers Progressive Manufacturer of the Year Business Model Mastery Innovation Mastery Customer Mastery Supply Network Mastery Data & Integration Mastery Education & Training Mastery Operational Excellence Mastery Leadership Mastery Transformation: Orchestrating the Multi-Tier Supply Network Integration: The Timeless Quest for Accurate Data Industries: Maintenance No Longer on Schedule Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - September 2007

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