Discussion

What are some opportunities in your value stream where a Work-Out or Kaizen event can be applied?

The most significant opportunity I would address would be the discipline that can present an area of 5S safety.  The Cleanliness of the Distribution Center (DC) is substantial.  I came from an environment where we preached that a clean environment is a safe environment.  We currently have a pick-by-tier process, and while it makes things look decent FIFO, picking by quantity will alleviate a lot of the stress.  One of the opportunities stated in the readings referred to taking the opportunity to invest in technology and automation. What this brings to mind is the TIM WOOD acronym. When I reference this, I tend to think of the Motion aspect. I know we have individuals clean a location before they leave it because they pick it apart.  The motion refers to “non-value-adding movement by workers. Widely dispersed material and excessive bending and reaching by the operator are examples of this type of media. Poor work-center layout and poor storage procedures are causes of unnecessary operator motion.”(Goldberg,1)

Which Lean tools would be most helpful in these events?

Lean Tools I would use would consist of implementing the Standard of work.  In the military, I am a Vertical Construction specialist Supervisor; we use a Schedule of work system that determines how much personnel we need down to every tool and minute we intend to use.  We calculate this based on an average of work studied and performed. With this process, we figure every task appropriate to getting the job done, and we put them in what we call a logic diagram where we jot the activity down, place them in order (PIB), and jot this data down.  We determine critical paths (bottlenecks and length of entire process or capacity utilization).  I find it intriguing that the military has implemented processes that incorporate what makes the military more effective. “Standard work allowed for repeatable, consistent processes that improve safety, quality, and effectiveness.”(Goldberg,1)

What challenges have you seen or anticipate in deploying Lean in your industry? How would you address those challenges?

I have worked with lean and non-lean companies. I prefer working for lean companies because I desire to be the best possible manager I can be.   Moen has shown me that companies can be successful without it; however, I see areas of opportunity that can be challenging.  I did, however, implement some change, which they operate heavily off Candor.  I agree with Jack Welch where he states that you have to speak the truth through your process. I put a cleaning Kaizen into motion where we used the individuals who worked in those areas (Gemba) to help develop a plan to get the site into better condition. I was able to do so by going out there and picking up trash myself.  Showing that it meant that much importance to me that we worked in a great/clean environment. It helped that once we were able to get things in motion, the job did get better.  I implemented cleaning counseling where locations left in shambles would have to account for their inefficiency was.  Surprisingly to some, the veterans’ bad habits were

those, and after a bit of counseling, we dialed back.

Resources:

1. Rebecca Goldberg and Elliott N. Weiss, The Lean Anthology: A Practical Primer in Continual Improvement (Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2015).