 |
 |
 |
 |
The Right Tool at the Right Time
Lean Manufacturing was originally introduced to Yakima area manufacturers in 2001. The program is a partnership of the Yakima County Development Association (YCDA), the Tri-County Workforce Council, and Washington Manufacturing Services (WMS).
One of the "early adopters" is Manhasset Specialty Company. Located in Yakima, Washington, Manhasset manufactures high quality music stands and other music-related products.
Lean Manufacturing seminars hit the right note with Barry Heid, Manhasset's General Manager. After attending a Lean seminar and workshop, Heid rapidly became convinced that Lean could be of benefit to Manhasset. "The introductory seminar was my first exposure to Lean Manufacturing. The second, more detailed workshop was basically the motivator for me to say we need to look at this and go further," Heid explained.
"Now, a little less than one year into the process, it's a very definite success story for us on so many fronts," he reported. Heid points to an improved bottom line, more rapid response to customer orders, increased production in less time, and a four-day workweek which further reduces costs and contributes to employee morale. "It's been amazing, just immediately we started seeing benefits. It mushrooms, one thing happens and everybody starts getting on board," he said.
With a success story so close at hand, it is easy to see why Lean Manufacturing has become one of the primary initiatives of the workforce retention program of YCDA. "Lean Manufacturing helps companies quickly learn about tools they can use to improve their operations," reports YCDA President David McFadden. "Helping companies modernize their operations is a key part of retaining local businesses."
This program in the Yakima Valley of Eastern Washington is unique. "Our Lean initiative marries the resources of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), our organization and our local Workforce Council. This initiative wouldn't have happened without the strength of all three partners," McFadden said.
Evolution of Lean in Yakima
"The introduction of Lean Manufacturing principles to manufacturers in Yakima began with introductory seminars," explained Mark Mochel, Business Development Manager of YCDA. "The training is put on by WMS, a not-for-profit organization affiliated with MEP, offering services to help make manufacturers more competitive. The Tri-County Workforce Council pitched in with some matching funds to help make the training more affordable for companies." YCDA plays a coordinating role, using information gleaned from nearly a decade of workforce training initiatives and in-depth studies designed to identify the needs of local manufacturers. They worked closely with WMS to be sure the offered training dovetailed with identified needs.
"Some of the basic principles of the Lean Manufacturing training being offered are modeled after the Toyota Production System," explained Mochel. "Invented more than 50 years ago by the Japanese auto maker, the principles are being adopted by manufacturers worldwide to remain competitive in a tough economic climate." As Yakima area manufacturers learn in the introductory seminars, "Lean Manufacturing is really a quality improvement program for manufacturers that helps them understand and identify improvement projects within their companies," Mochel explained.
"This classroom introduction is another special feature of the YCDA initiative," Dave McFadden said. "We found that it can sometimes be difficult to go in and convince a company it should do a big Lean Manufacturing initiative on its own. Our model, involving a mixture of classroom training and on-site consultation, has allowed companies to work together, lower their upfront costs, and learn more clearly how a Lean enterprise can increase their profitability. The key thing is to get the manufacturers working together. What we have done is given them an opportunity to come together, collaborate, and learn together about how Lean applies in their given situation," McFadden said.
Since November 2002, more than 100 employees of 40 companies have gone through the introductory seminar. YCDA also offers a full-day workshop, with several all-day visits at the company site, further detailing processes involved in Lean, introducing owners and managers to terms such as "kaizen" and "Just-in-Time". ("Kaizen" refers to continuous improvement, a tool for eliminating waste and empowering people with the capability and responsibility to make key changes and improvements throughout the entire production process.)
Hitting the Right Note
It was these sessions that sparked Heid's interest. His was one of six companies in the Yakima Valley who arranged to have specific on-site additional help and evaluation from the manufacturing extension program following the initial training.
"We contracted through WMS to do an assessment," he said. The evaluation took two days, with the first day spent looking at the facilities and current processes. The next day, WMS went through some of the opportunities they viewed as ripe for improvement. "Quite frankly, I was extremely impressed with how much they were able to glean in a very short period of time," Heid said. His firm decided to follow through with Lean, developing an in-house Lean Manufacturing team with volunteers from the production areas.
Using the information learned from the seminars, Heid held workshops and evaluation sessions with all employees to identify ways to eliminate waste and become more efficient and effective. "While there was initially some resistance to change encountered with a few employees, it didn't take long for everyone to see the benefits and get on board," Heid said.
Some examples of concrete benefits:
Heid is quick to point out that the goal is not to reduce employees. With the improvement in processes, the company is able to add more products, allowing the company to grow in the most effective ways possible. "It's a win-win situation all the way around," he explained.
Today, the Lean process is not completed at Manhasset. "My personal philosophy, which is understood by everybody, is this is not a process we are finished with; we are always looking for the best way to do something."
The YCDA's Mochel emphasizes another point. "Heid's dedication to the principles of Lean is crucial in making the program work in the organization," he said. "There really has to be a 'top down' commitment to the process."
Another Success Story
Another company embracing the Lean concept is PPi, a manufacturer of visual packaging such as blisters, clamshells and trays.
Ezra Fain, project coordinator of PPi, explained that following attendance at the one-day workshop, those attending provided in-house training on the concept to everyone in their facility. People were then encouraged to submit cards identifying some part of the process in their area that was in need of improvement.
"When we viewed all those comments as a group, we found some that were beneficial and cost effective," Fain said. The changes made were productive. "We saved a lot of time in some of our processes." Changes included such things as moving tools so they are readily available where needed, hanging shadow boards for tools to keep people from searching for needed equipment, an automatic reordering system for supplies, some training and improved communications.
Continuous Improvement
While the current model of the Lean initiative is proving successful for companies following the "kaizen" concept, the three partners offering the training in Yakima are constantly refining the process. "We hear from companies that take the training, and we are continually looking at the model so that it is meeting the specific needs of these companies," Mochel explained.
Plans include more offerings in the future. "Currently we are designing half-day workshops on several of the different principles of Lean Manufacturing, such as how to map processes in a company, and how to map what the company might look like in the future. Then, we offer the service of going on-site and helping the company do that mapping."
Plans also include offering training on facilitating a "kaizen event". This is a meeting where the team discusses improvement opportunities to one specific process. The next step is actually going to the shop floor and beginning to implement the noted improvements," Mochel explained.
While the Toyota model of Lean principles is geared specifically for manufacturers, Mochel noted there is a non-manufacturer in the Yakima Valley who has found Lean techniques valuable to his business as well. By participating in the offered training, this fuel distribution company has discovered improvement projects. "It does apply across the board," Mochel stated.
Measurable Outcomes
McFadden is pleased with the outcomes to date. "The Lean initiative is the most successful workforce training that has come out of a decade's worth of events. We measure that success based on the impact it's having on companies and the demand coming from the manufacturing sector for this type of support," he said. "I think we clearly hit a winning formula. The partnership of YCDA, WMS and the Tri-County Workforce Council has yielded the best hit we have made as a result of our focus on business retention in the Yakima Valley."
