Production processes
Operators have the closest and most consistent view onto your manufacturing processes. As such, they are a valuable source of practical information that can be leveraged to improve the process. However, gathering information from operators is not easy when their first priority is running the process. To balance this - we’ll follow the principle that “small hinges swing big doors.” In this email, we’ll map out how to leverage small amounts of operator time into big improvements. We’ll explore this topic in three parts:
- Building an Insights Pyramid
- Creating policies to guide your operators
- Leveraging operator insights towards structured improvement
The Insights Pyramid
The Insights Pyramid is a simple framework for optimizing the contribution of your operators. It enables your team to provide the most valuable information with the least amount of time.
Automatic data capture
The base of the Insights Pyramid is created by automating data capture - capturing a rich foundation of data with virtually no time taken away from your operators. It is easy to automate counts, event durations, and even OEE scores. All of this data can be generated from two count sensors. This leaves your operators with more time to focus on where they add the most value - interpreting key events.
Reasons for key events
The middle of the Insights Pyramid is created by asking your operators to capture reasons for key events, such as equipment stops. You may ask, why not automate this as well? Why not capture reasons from PLCs? In our experience, there are three reasons to tread lightly. One - it can be very expensive to make the necessary changes and integrations. Two - it can be quite difficult to consistently scale reason capture across different types of equipment. Three - while PLCs are excellent at describing what happened, they are less helpful for understanding why. This is where insights from operators can really shine.
Here is an example of what combining information from the base and middle levels of the Insights Pyramid can provide.
The tip of the Insights Pyramid is created by having your operators provide comments that add context to key events, such as long down events or problematic part runs. What went wrong? How was it fixed? Is additional action needed? These are critical events - but also infrequent ones. That means very little time is needed to capture information critical to driving improvement.
Here is an example of comments related to a part run, a changeover, and a down event. Together, they create a rich picture of what went wrong.
As a quick aside - we all know that pyramids are synonymous with Egypt. But did you know that the ancient Egyptians were also amongst the earliest manufacturers? They manufactured glass, metalwork, pottery, textiles, basketry, bread, and beer. In fact, a 5,000 year-old beer factory was recently discovered in Egypt that had a production capacity of 22,000 liters per batch.
Policy Provides Structure
It is important to establish structure around the information to be gathered by operators. The goal is for your team to invest time where it will add the most value. We recommend that you define a simple set of policies for what information should be captured. Here is an example to get you started. What values (in bold) would you use?
Once you have well-established guidelines, follow up with audits and training to ensure your policies are followed (i.e., make it standardized work from a lean perspective).
Here is an example of an audit page for part runs with an OEE score below 80% that are missing comments.
From Information to Results
All too often information is collected only to sit unused in deep, dark, dusty corners. This is a perfect example of where it is helpful to rely on the principles of IDA (Information, Decision, Action), Structured Improvement, and Great Meetings. In other words, use structured improvement meetings as the pivot between information and action - where decisions are made to transform information into results.
Only collect actionable information that you are confident will be used. Then, incorporate reviews of that information into existing meetings. That is the essence of structured improvement.
Here is an example of a Shift Review report that succinctly integrates information from all three levels of the Insights Pyramid (automatically collected metrics, down reasons, and comments).
Close the loop by regularly providing positive feedback to your team, so they know their work is valued and valuable. Do this especially in the context of acknowledging actions and improved results that stem from their insights.
Interested? Contact us:
Some of the descriptions and graphic materials are from https://www.vorne.com/.
