Role changes in lean manufacturing

Welcome to our second installment of the lean transformation at our fictitious manufacturing business, Typical Fabrication Co. (TFC). Last month we looked through the eyes of a production supervisor. This month we explore the changes through the eyes of a machine operator and a welder. Over the course of several months, we will see how the evolution of process improvement affects different people at TFC.

Meet Harry, the laser cutter operator, and Mary, the assembly welder. Harry has been with TFC for over 20 years and is seen as a “go to” guy for answering questions on the shop floor. Mary has been with TFC for about six months. She is a recent graduate of a technical program where she developed her welding skills.

TFC Refresher

TFC fabricates steel products. Part of its operation is repetitive (selling to a Tier 1 that then sells to the OEM), and part is very low-volume, high-product-mix (providing structural materials used at construction sites and major refurbish projects). TFC laser-cuts, saws, punches, bends, welds, paints, and assembles various products out of sheet metal and tube. The single-plant operation has 120 employees and runs two shifts.

You have probably seen the issues TFC experiences. They include capacity constraints, unpredictable demand, and lots of schedule and priority changes.

The Traditional Way

Harry and Mary start their shift at 6:30 a.m. They roll in, greet their co-workers, and proceed to their respective workstations. Mary grumbles because the second-shift operator did not clean up to her satisfaction. Harry spends the first 15 minutes separating good parts from bad. The laser does not start cutting sheet until 25 minutes into the shift.

It is a typical day at TFC. The shift startup is rough. The operators go to the line and find the materials and tools in a state of disarray (at least from Harry and Mary’s perspectives). There is no standardization or visual management. Mary says, “It is like this all the time. Why can’t second shift do what they are supposed to?” (The second-shift operators are in fact saying the same thing about Mary.)

Harry is a bit more understanding. “It all pays the same whether I am cutting parts or cleaning up after the night shift,” he says. He puts in his time doing whatever. As long as he looks busy, the boss leaves him alone.

It is time for a changeover in the weld assembly cell. Mary dreads this. She spends the next 30 minutes gathering tools, materials, job instructions, and a special gauge she uses to check the assembly process. As she walks around looking for the gauge, Harry sees her. “What ya looking for, Mary?”

Mary grumbles, again. “I’m looking for that special gauge that never seems to be where it is supposed to be. Why do they make everything so difficult?” Clearly Mary is frustrated. She knows that soon the boss will be badgering her about why the changeover is not finished. She should know these parts are hot!

What do Harry and Mary see in TFC’s operations? They see cluttered workspaces, managers that cannot keep a plan straight (that is, they keep changing the schedule), and tools that are worn past the point of being effective. They see a plant where they are continually being asked to do more with less.

You can see from Harry and Mary’s behavior that they are not satisfied with the way the shop is run and with what they perceive to be management “yanking them around.” Management has a very different view of the situation. They see workers not taking the initiative to work around the “minor” distractions that happen. The workers do not trust management, and management is skeptical about the workers. This is not healthy.

Still, from Mary and Harry’s perspective, some elements of the status quo aren’t so bad. Between jobs Harry needs to walk across the plant to pick up job packets near the production manager’s office. He cherishes this time away from the machine, when he stops in to chat with QA personnel and others on his path to the office. He also offers advice and coaches others about the best way to navigate the system. He knows that TFC’s “system” is dysfunctional, but he knows his way through it. It’s how he’s gained a reputation as the go-to guy on the floor.

Mary likes her independence. Work instructions aren’t documented well, and she knows the system isn’t ideal, but she does feel proud that, within her first few months there, she’s turned into one of the shop’s most productive welders, no hand-holding required. Her bosses may badger her, but they know they can count on her.

Lean Transformation Embraced

Harry is in good spirits. He arrives at the plant for the 6:30 shift start. Over the past several months he finds the area around the laser cutter in top condition. In fact, Harry and his counterpart on the second shift have worked together to get the workplace organized. They used the lean training they received to brainstorm ideas to make their workplace a showcase for the plant.

In particular, they put 5S and visual management tools to work. They now can access tools easily; labels and markings make materials and tools easy to locate; and their workspace is safer because they don’t have to crawl around, over, and through obstacles to laser-cut sheet steel.

As the plant progressed with the lean transformation, many of the lean methods and techniques have been deployed. They streamlined flow and rearranged work centers to minimize travel distances. For instance, Mary has fewer disruptions to the schedule. This allows her to get a good rhythm going that results in smooth, consistent welding.

Workers now have better lines of sight and can see the flow of work through the shop, and they know where products come from and where they go. They now process much smaller lot sizes, which creates faster and more consistent flow velocity. All these changes result in less stress and a much more positive, productive place to work.

The chatter around the plant, whether on the plant floor, in the break areas, or when employees were entering and exiting the building, used to be very negative. Today the chatter is positive and upbeat. Many times it revolves around continuous improvement ideas or how a value stream has met operational targets consistently. It is not unusual for Harry and his second-shift partner to share ideas about ways to make the process better … and then implement them.

When they analyzed the material flow using a spaghetti diagram, they determined that there was too much travel distance; too much back and forth; and too much bending, reaching, and twisting. They rearranged a couple of work tables and moved the skeleton hopper, thus removing the non-value-added activity.

Harry, Mary, and almost all the employees welcome the opportunity to be engaged in improvement and to be recognized for their contributions. At the monthly all-hands meetings, senior leaders review operational highlights and key metrics. They follow this with a brief description of something that was done that has contributed to customer satisfaction, operational results, and employee morale.

Two months ago Harry and the second-shift laser operator were recognized for the laser work center rearrangement. Their peers were impressed because this was a demonstration of how the employees can and do have a voice in the operation. They are empowered to improve.

The relationship between management and the hourly workforce is much more positive and trusting. All parties understand that their jobs are to do great work for the customers. When a hot job drops in and disrupts the schedule, there must be a good reason. But the good news is that this happens very infrequently because TFC’s processes are efficient, quick, and accurate.

Change Isn’t Easy

Change must happen not to, but with employees. Management has to invest in the employees’ understanding of this new environment, create opportunities for employees to develop and run with ideas, and develop a trusting relationship.

Without this, TFC’s workers-versus-management environment would have persisted, and Mary and Harry would have resented change. Harry no longer walks to the other end of the shop for job packets, which he actually liked to do, even though it was obviously inefficient. And Mary’s job has changed too; she receives well-written procedures and follows a predictable schedule—all good things from a general perspective, but it does make her job more repetitive. Previously she came to work and solved a puzzle every day. Now the puzzle is solved for her, and she spends more time welding.

But at TFC, change happened with employees. Mary and Harry participate in improvement projects and help bring about the results. They don’t need to solve puzzles just to make it through the day, but they do need to work the puzzle of making their already smooth workday even better.

A New Experience

Whether the employee is a material handler, a machine operator, an assembler, or an inspector, the plant experience changes as a result of the lean transformation. A plant that has successfully navigated the lean transformation journey has a different look, feel, and sense of urgency. The transformation is a combination of physical changes, information flow and usage changes, and mindset changes.

A challenge for management is to figure out how to develop Harry, Mary, and all the other front-line employees as the plant takes the journey.

Are you doing everything you can to engage your Harrys and Marys so that they are integral parts of continuous improvement?