Knowing Where You Are Going (And How Far You Have Gone)

Last week we had a chance to visit Bob Garde and Dave Sousa from MagSeal in Warren, Rhode Island. Dave Sousa has been doing this for several years and he’s built an impressive model line.  Bob has taken over leadership of the company and it is clear he is eager to get them to the next level.  Just like us, they have their challenges shifting their culture, but the important thing is that they are making progress every day.  And every day they are creating a slightly better competitive advantage.  Here is how they are doing it:

1. Visualize your vision

I have lost track of the number factory tours I have participated in, but Bob and Dave have done a great job of showing everyone the “future state” of the factory floor. All too often we use our A3 problem solving sheets to describe the desired condition.  These guys made it visible to everyone by modifying pictures of their current line to the new line they want.  The visuals, combined with the timeline and tasks, make the project real to everyone instead of a pipe dream.

2. Identify a “model” line and make it visible

Bob and Dave selected a key product assembly line and moved the entire line up to the front of their manufacturing space. It is the first manufacturing area you see when you leave the office and it is surrounded by inspection, quality, and management.  Everybody, every day walks past the cell and sees the progress that Dave and his team are achieving.  They’ve done a great job making their work visible through 5S.  Dave also hosts the weekly company progress reports right outside the cell to always use the cell as a reference.

3. Use your metrics continuously to improve your system

In Dave’s case, there are several feeder cells that need to meet their targets in order to feed the model assembly cell enough product to meet demand. Each cell leader reviews their metrics daily to ensure production is on target and, more importantly, action is being taken to address issues.  The feeder teams not only measuring production to target, but they are also measuring set-up time to target, first piece inspection targets, in-process inspection targets, 5S audit scores, training progress and gemba attendance.  Too much?  Dave doesn’t think so; it is helping shift the culture.

So you think Mag Seal is complete? Hardly.  Dave is off getting quotes to upgrade the floor and Bob has just returned from touring a company that sets the standard in 5S.  Even our own Jonathan Bowen was able to suggest a few things that would help accelerate lean adoption.  Just like ETM, the folks at MagSeal are still changing.  During our tour they were busy making room for a new product line.

Many thanks for Dave and Bob for their willingness to share their progress on their lean journey. One possibility is that we work on projects together that will help accelerate our learning and lower training costs.  I think training happens faster when we all have the same mindset.  In the end, we are both after the same thing – providing our customers with great products, every time, on-time.

from ETM Manufacturing http://etmmfg.com/3575