Maintenance Technology May 2015 - (Page 19)
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
WHY IS IT THAT IN 2015 we
still find organizations unable to
grasp the fact that if they don't improve
their quality, cost and delivery, they will
soon be gone? They probably have all
the functions in place to manage their
processes-Accounting, Engineering,
Operations, Quality, Maintenance,
Human Resources and others-so what's
the hold up?
Lean subject-matter expert Bill
Kirkpatrick of Life Cycle Engineering uses
the following story to answer. It's set in an
obscure part of a factory, where the lean
crew hangs out with their maps, racking
system and 5S supplies. They typically
perform one-off projects (kamikaze
kaizen) that have little impact because the
project may only address the smoke when
the fire is elsewhere. These projects are
usually directed by a department head in
dire need of improvement due to a quality
issue or poor productivity leading to
profit loss. The good news is that they're
usually adept at what they do. But something's missing. Even with these folks, the
plant still struggles to make the numbers
that in the past were never an issue.
Who's in charge?
Look at this type of group more closely.
Kirkpatrick says it's usually directed by
Engineering or resides within Maintenance. Or it could report to Operations-
which many might agree is the last place
you'd want the continuous-improvement
(CI) team to reside. Under
Operations, where would this team's
activities be focused?
Granted, Operations is usually a
prime locale for lots of improvement
opportunities, and Kirkpatrick believes
that if an organization was a wheel,
Operations would be at the hub. But if the
spokes don't properly support the wheel,
the whole system will struggle under
the weight of customer demands and
competitors.
In Kirkpatrick's opinion, the problem
is twofold. First, the improvement
organization doesn't always report to the
correct level in the organization. Second,
they don't have a sustainable process to
direct their actions. Trying to sell ideas
left, right, below and above within an
organization is a daunting challenge for
any professional in any setting.
The obvious fix, he explains, is to have
the CI group report to the site leader and
make the group's lead individual part of
the staff responsible for one thing and
one thing only: improving "flow" across
all processes in the organization. Having
this position at the staff level allows the
bridging of functional groups or process
teams that aren't always focused on flow.
Flow must occur in any and all
processes, and any impedance to flow
must be identified, communicated and
eliminated using a sustainable process.
Think of what impedes flow within your
organization:
The Continuous Improvement group's lead
individual should be responsible for one thing:
improving 'flow' across all processes.
MAY 2015
MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM | 19
http://www.MAINTENANCETECHNOLOGY.COM
Maintenance Technology May 2015
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maintenance Technology May 2015
Maintenance Technology May 2015 - Cover1
Maintenance Technology May 2015 - Cover2
Maintenance Technology May 2015 - 1
Maintenance Technology May 2015 - 2
Maintenance Technology May 2015 - 3
Maintenance Technology May 2015 - 4
Maintenance Technology May 2015 - 5
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