Fast Track to Waste-Free Manufacturing

Straight Talk from a Plant Manager

John W. Davis

• Publisher: Productivity Press
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781563272127
• eBook ISBN: 9781000077551
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Manufacturing
• Index: Business

Manufacturing in the United States is currently undergoing a major transition, yet large numbers of manufacturers simply do not recognize what it is all about. Many still operate under out dated manufacturing practices and do not see that the enemy is not the competition, but rather their own system of production.

1

Confronting the Deep Dark Dungeon

YOU ARE JUST OUT OF COLLEGE, tops in your class, interviewing for a job in manufacturing, and now you’re on your way to visit the shop floor. The noise is the first thing you notice as you enter the plant–the relentless pounding of huge presses clanking away at huge sheets of rolled steel. You stop to observe one of them and note that it looks something like a character from Star Wars–a thing with huge mechanical jaws that slowly open, then slam shut on its prey, to cut and pierce and shape it into a new form before spewing it out, only to quickly grab another.

In the aisles, vehicles scurry along with an endless variety of materials hanging precariously from forks that extend from the lower carriage. You notice people working around machines and equipment. Some are almost shouting to be heard and occasionally their body language and facial expressions indicate frustration–if not downright anger.

Your guide leads you on to a zone where he stops to let you observe an operator changing over a die. The person at the machine is conducting the setup by himself, straining to loosen a series of bolts that tie the die to the bed of the machine. As you observe, the operator’s rather awkward-looking crescent wrench slips off a locknut and before he can recover, his hand slams against the bolster plate. The man drops the wrench on the floor and grasps one hand with the other, bending over in obvious pain. Your guide walks over to him, placing a soothing hand on his shoulder. After a moment, the operator retrieves the wrench and begins again, but you can clearly see the skin has been peeled off the knuckles of his right hand. Your guide returns and explains what is already evident–the wrench slipped and the man had a minor accident. “He’ll be fine,” he assures you.

Next, you stop to observe a final assembly process, as your guide explains the product produced and the steps taken to assemble and test the units. On the line, you observe approximately 50 people at various work stations along each side of a moving transfer conveyor performing progressive assembly work. In the space of 10 minutes the line is down twice, and you witness a foreman hurrying from one operator to another trying to get things up and running.

At the back of the assembly line, a repair loop is completely filled with products needing rework, and workers are busy trying to complete the task and feed the products back onto the main assembly line. At the packing station, two operators are sitting idle, because the latter 30 feet of the transfer conveyor is completely empty. For the time being, at least, there are no finished products flowing off the assembly process.

As you move along to the next process, you see a person moving up the aisle toward you. He suddenly stops, glances down at his feet, and realizes he has inadvertently stepped into a small pool of oil that has dripped from a fitting in an overhead conveyor. He turns, steps to the edge of the aisle and wipes the bottom of his shoe against the edge of a parts container. While there, he drops the cigarette he is smoking on the floor and grinds it out, leaving a darkened footprint, before proceeding on his way. No one seems to notice or care. And as for you, you certainly are not impressed with this thing called manufacturing. In fact, later, after reflecting on the apparent chaos and confusion you observed throughout the operation, coupled with the obvious frustrations of the employees and what appeared to be a total disregard for safety and cleanliness, you are completely appalled and decide to seek a career elsewhere.

WORLD CLASS CULTURE SHOCK

Because of factories around our nation that resemble the one just noted, we have lost a global leadership role in manufacturing. This, along with steady increases in labor costs over the years, have resulted in operations being driven out of the United States to third-world countries. As a result, we have repeatedly seen once proud industrial plants in America age and close, throwing hundreds of thousands of people out of work and forcing them to take on less financially rewarding jobs and careers.

The root problem is that companies have not been quick to address “the hidden costs” which would effectively serve to offset most of the general labor increases and have been even quicker, as competitive pressures mount, to pull up stakes and move an operation to a more appealing labor base. But as the years go by, just as in the United States, labor rates will gradually increase in the new operation and those “hidden costs” (if not addressed) will still remain, thus setting up a never ending spiral.

Both management and labor share in the blame. Manufacturing management has, in general, failed to correctly utilize what is most often an extremely talented and experienced workforce and labor has most often balked at any kind of change to the status quo. Labor has been unwilling to give a little in order to preserve the jobs of many, and management has been unwilling (or unable) to grasp the opportunity associated with “the hidden costs” and to muster a concerted effort by the workforce to satisfactorily address and eliminate the wastes that are making them less than competitive.

Over the past few decades the American dream has indeed faded, and the likelihood exists that it could disappear entirely if we do not make a concerted effort to change some alarming trends in our manufacturing sector. Because the change I am referring to is radical, many production managers, supervisors, first-line support professionals, and shop employees have found themselves going through what might best be described as “world class culture shock.” This is the result of first learning, then being asked to accept that almost everything going on in manufacturing today is … wrong!

What they have been told is that the most fundamental procedures that have driven traditional batch manufacturing operations for decades are now essentially obsolete! Where in the past strong emphasis was placed on output–building more to maximize the utilization of each and every production process–today emphasis is placed on cutting lead times and concentrating on fulfilling direct customer orders, thus dictating less (but smarter) output and, consequently, much less overall waste.

Where in the past production workers were asked to basically “check their brains at the door,” today they are being asked (if not expected) to contribute a wide variety of ideas for improvement. And these are only a few examples regarding the magnitude of change taking place in companies around the world. World class culture shock usually kicks into high gear when the work force begins to realize that even when they are willing to change the way they do business, their conventional system of mass production most likely will not allow it.

The production system in most factories can be likened to a vast ocean–for like the sea, it has a powerful inner force that is capable of creating unending waves of opposition, which can wash away any attempt at change like the waves washing the sand on the beach. Resolving this dilemma will not rest with further demonstrations of JIT, kaizen, employee empowerment, and the like. What must be done is to remove the cart from before the horse and understand that fundamental, effective, and lasting change cannot be achieved without first fully and completely changing the existing system of production.

Many in the field of lean manufacturing see the change required to be evolutionary in nature. I believe it is, but it must and can also be revolutionary on a practical hands-on level. Most plants can use a step-by-step method to move from a waste-embedded (traditional) batch mode of mass production to a largely waste-free status–in as little as 12–18 months. How can this be when so many companies struggle for years getting top management committed to a change effort, educating the work force, and then implementing it? By using waste-free manufacturing (WFM). WFM lays the groundwork to help leaders understand the kinds of things they will be forced to deal with and identify the kind of focus that is required to get down to the nitty gritty of changing the system of production. And it provides an implementation process that is doable, evolutionary, and revolutionary–a process that everyone will embrace. But first we must start with understanding the patient–the ailing factory.

CHANGING THE LIFESTYLE OF A FACTORY

Many manufacturing operations resist change until it becomes apparent that without it they may not survive. This is unfortunate because when a factory waits this long to face up to the fact that it is ill, competitively, it can be likened to a patient who has been rushed to the operating room with internal bleeding. If the patient is to fully recover, three things must be done–in very precise order:

1. Stop the bleeding.

2. Go through the healing/recovery process.

3. Decide what must change to avoid a recurrence.

The first step requires a skilled surgeon who doesn’t have time to explain every move he or she makes. The surgeon must go about the business of surgery on the basis of acquired knowledge and skill. He or she doesn’t ask others what to do, but tells them and expects them to follow every order, without question.

The second step deals with getting the patient well. The patient often undergoes considerable pain in making a full and absolute recovery, but generally accepts it as part of the healing process. Additionally, this is where other professionals take over for the surgeon and become the taskmasters. This is also the time when the patient receives an abbreviated education with regard to the illness, what brought it on, and what steps were taken to get back on the path to recovery.

The third step pertains to establishing a clear understanding as to how the patient’s lifestyle must change to ensure no recurrence. It is then up to the patient to make a serious commitment to follow the doctor’s orders, or stand the chance of having to go through the same painful experience again (assuming, of course, he or she doesn’t die in the process).

There are some striking similarities between a manufacturing operation that has allowed itself to reach an unhealthy condition and a standard surgical procedure. The bottom line in both cases is that it is a matter of survival. Of course, if you change your plant’s lifestyle before illness strikes you can avoid the very unpleasant experience of surgery. That’s why you need some preventive medicine before you can confront the deep dark dungeon of mass manufacturing and become a world class manufacturer.

Where Are Our Manufacturing Leaders?

The term world class manufacturing was coined by Richard J. Schonberger. In his related books and seminars, Schonberger provides an outline that is in keeping with world class practices. Nonetheless, turning a manufacturing operation around from a seriously declining competitive position to world class is no small task. Change is complicated by the fact that people in manufacturing generally feel they have little control over their own destiny. They often see themselves as being slaves to the whims of others, and feel there is little they can do to make a real impact on customer perceptions–other than perhaps a negative one, should they produce and ship a shoddy product. Therefore, they are generally reluctant to extend themselves beyond what they are told to do, or what they know is clearly expected of them.

The truth is, manufacturing has been its own worst enemy. It has failed to take appropriate initiative in leading change for the better. It has allowed itself to be chained to the post of ill progress, without so much as a whimper. It has taken second best when it comes to talent and fundamental expertise, and it has shown little (if any) ingenuity in the entire process. It is responsible for creating the deep dark dungeon.

Our educational system has also been misguided as it continues to send hundreds of thousands of graduates into industry armed with inadequate skills. Additionally, professional organizations and institutions have not kept pace. Many have clung diligently to the past, doing little more than serving up modern computer applications to outdated, if not totally inadequate, manufacturing practices. Strong words? Perhaps, but we can decide to face the truth or continue to hide from it. If we choose the latter, we will continue the alarming decline in our industrial base.

The principal culprit for the shift that has aided and abetted the continuing decline in our manufacturing effectiveness is the lack of strong leadership at the manufacturing level and a general quest for self-esteem. This seemingly unrelenting quest has driven some of the best talent in the nation away from manufacturing, for manufacturing is generally perceived as being a slow track up the ladder of success. It is often visualized as the deep dark dungeon–a place for the second-best, a place that certainly does not offer the clean, spit-polished image that most young professionals associate with the rewards of a good education.

For those professionals who do venture into this dungeon, there is a tendency for apathy to quickly set in. They soon discover they are surrounded by leaders who have no interest in making the type of change that would seriously reengineer the standard way of doing business. Many of these leaders came up through the ranks. They are often hardened by the policies and practices they have worked under over the years. It’s all they know or wish to know. They are busy with the business of mass manufacturing and have little time or patience for anyone or anything that does not allow the wheels to keep turning–producing parts and ultimately finished products.

They are far removed from the customer and have no idea who the customer really is, and they don’t care. They are measured, disciplined, congratulated, rewarded, punished, chastised, complimented, and viewed as a success or failure based on how much volume they push through their areas of responsibility. The task is “meet the schedule” even when there is absolutely no connection between what they are doing and what the paying customer has ordered. Producing parts, components, and finis...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Publisher’s Message
• Acknowledgments
• Preface
• Introduction: The Revolution Has Just Begun
• Chapter 1: Confronting the Deep Dark Dungeon
• Chapter 2: The Plant Manager’s Manifesto
• Chapter 3: The New Competition and the Old Barriers
• Chapter 4: Waste-Free Manufacturing–Changing the Rules
• Chapter 5: Examining the WFM Drivers
• Chapter 6: Beginning the WFM Journey
• Chapter 7: Changing the Culture
• Chapter 8: Measuring Progress–What to Measure and How
• Chapter 9: Organizational and Operational Issues to Support WFM
• Chapter 10: Staying the Course on Your Never-Ending Journey
• Bibliography
• About the Author
• Index