Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1372612
MAY 2021 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 21 We literally have developed hundreds of met- rics over the past decade; now we are trying to reduce the reports to just what matters most and avoid analysis paralysis. Johnson: When we talk operational excellence, we start to think about the efficiencies on the manufacturing floor, our overall ability to de- liver great yield, to deliver quality product that won't fail in the field, to be able to work well with your customers, to make sure that they receive those sorts of benefits. ose are the systemic things that one thinks of right away when looking at operational excellence. So far, to get there, we've been discussing concepts that are more intuitive. Brassard: One of the most significant discov- eries that we have made on our journey to get better are the principles of world class manu- facturing. We were first introduced to world class manufacturing at a customer suppli- er conference. It's very easy to be dismissive when somebody hands you the next book to read, but we did eventually read the book and it began to change how we approached oper- ations, especially on our manufacturing floor. Some of the ideas in the book were complete- ly counterintuitive and we discovered we were doing a few things exactly wrong. I see world class manufacturing as a superset of lean manufacturing where the focus is more about reducing waste than improving efficien- cy, although many will argue it's the same thing. For example, we used to believe a machine on our manufacturing floor was only making What drives this? Does this seem to be some- thing where you fall into one method or the other based on the kind of technology or the objective you're aer? Is this a personal style based on who's in charge? How do you get to the different styles within your organization? Brassard: I agree that it seems to be personal- ity driven and influenced by the type of work being done. It's important to understand that just because an intuitive personality might be less concerned with having the strategy writ- ten down, they do indeed have the strategy in their heads; it's just not easily communicat- ed to others who have less experience or are new to the journey. Diving into new technol- ogies also requires a balance of initiative and methodical thinking to make bold but careful and in-control decisions. What was transformative for our organiza- tion was taking the intuitive knowledge of lead- ership and reducing it to paper. e impetus for the undertaking stemmed from the work we were doing to improve culture at the com- pany to improve our career paths and opportu- nities for our employees. We felt it was impor- tant that the strategic plan get out of the board- room and into daily operations. We needed ev- eryone to be on the same page for the company to move faster. If you have a plan and don't communicate it effectively within your company, you're not only doing your employees a disservice, but you are doing your business a disservice as well. Everyone within an organization needs to know the plan, at least in a general but mean- ingful sense. What's more is the plan must be communicated in a fashion that people can get their heads around. In the last five years, we've made a number of strategic hires based on the individual's interest and capability with S.M.A.R.T. goals in mind. As we have worked toward operational excellence at Calumet, our interest in metrics and measures has increased significantly. What are the right metrics and how can they be kept simple and actionable? One of the most significant discoveries that we have made on our journey to get better are the principles of world class manufacturing.