OCTOBER 20249MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY INSIGHTSWORLD CLASS MANUFACTURING PLANT AND OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCEat their own pace without embarrassment. Even if they only grasp 30 percent of the material, that is still 30 percent more than ground zero. Respect the Health and Safety of the TeamThe daily Gemba should not be limited to managers and leaders. Including operators in the process gives them a sense of ownership and accountability. In manufacturing facilities across the country, there is a lack of oversight and care for the health and safety of the employees. Companies feel like they do enough by providing coffee and snacks in the workplace or giving out gym memberships. A leader needs to respect what the employees are doing on a daily basis and the toll it can take on them. I worked in a facility that was predominantly women. I saw them lifting product that was well over forty pounds. Women in the facilities are not supposed to lift more than thirty at a time. While it is expensive and time-consuming to speak with suppliers and reconfigure packaging and the allocation of parts to make each component lighter, it is a necessity to ensure that we are looking out for the health and safety of our employees. When you show respect, you earn respect. Keep Your Team in the LoopVisual management should not be limited to leadership and customers. It should be for the entire operations team. Operators spend over eight hours a day on-site and are the most critical to the plant's success. Sharing targets and forecasts creates transparency with the team. I have found the best practice to include employees during Gemba reviews. Team members that are efficient and effective need to be recognized in the plant. I always implement a system that evaluates my employees so they are able to gauge their performance. This also allows us to build improvement plans for internal growth.Normally neglected in a plant is the area that contains the non-conforming parts. Improper stacking, parts left without their original packaging, and misidentification signal that there is disorganization and a lack of pride in the plant. When this area is clean and organized, it propels the facility to a world-class plant. The team needs to know that the leader is capable of doing, not just delegating
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