Finding a Focus for Lean Efforts

Problem Solving helps tie together efforts to go lean, identify areas of waste, and develop solutions for improvement.

Manufacturers have long been accustomed to hearing about lean principles, but Problem Solving may be the new way to tie those tools together into something understandable and tangible.

"I'd never seen anything like this approach of using Problem Solving as a means of achieving lean," says Bill Shafer of Consolidated Precision Products (CPP). "In the past we had always been presented with the tools but lacked the understanding of why we needed to implement them."

CPP, a Bloomington company that supplies castings for aerospace manufacturers, is seeing results from lean techniques after working with Enterprise Minnesota to implement the new Problem Solving approach.

Shafer says that CPP understood the philosophy, but was able to better see how it could be applied to achieve desired results. "Everyone has always said, 'use the five whys' but no one had explained it that each 'why' built on the answer to the last question -- drilling deeper as you look for the true root of the problem," he says. 

Problem Solving focuses on moving continuous improvement - or lean - into an organization's everyday work by identifying problems, analyzing causes, and developing solutions.

It extends the traditional lean techniques of reducing waste and increasing efficiency into a company culture that always focuses on operational excellence says Enterprise Minnesota Director of Product Management, John Connelly.

"When businesses get into lean, the oversimplification is that it's a toolbox," Connelly says. "So I've got these tools, and these descriptions of problems, but I don't know how to solve them. This becomes the glue that blends all of that together."

CCP initially integrated three introductory sessions of Problem Solving into Kaizen events.  Shafer says the company has already seen dramatic results.

In one case, CPP worked to correct a process that required high instances of rework on a high-volume part. After each rework, the part needed a quality check via x-ray, which added significant cost per instance. Kaizen Problem Solving identified root causes of the problem, developed solutions, and implemented changes that resulted in a 92 percent increase in first time through efficiency.  

"There is definitely more focus," says Shafer about the effectiveness of Problem Solving to improve Kaizen events. "You really drill down and find the root cause before moving forward."

David Meier of Lean Associates partnered with Enterprise Minnesota to bring Problem Solving to the state's manufacturers. Including CPP, he has worked with companies throughout the United States to implement the methodology and says that manufacturers find such dramatic results if they focus on the single most important problem to solve.

"There's really only one problem that any organization has and that is that they don't create enough value," says Meier. "The reality is that non-value added activities cause quality and delivery problems, and high costs."

And while the cultural transformation from Problem Solving instills a sense about tying Lean together into company culture, he says that there's a greater good from the system as well.

"[Problem solving] is about becoming better, stronger, and more capable as an organization," Meier said.

To learn more about how Business Problem Solving may help your organization, contact John Connelly, Director of Product Development at (612)455-4210 or email him.

Training Within Industry: Investing in Your People, Changing Your Organizational Culture, and Continuing Your Lean Journey

When: March 31, 2010, 8:00am - 11:00am
Where: Unysis, Roseville (directions)
Cost: Early Bird Rate $79 (before March 24) Regular Rate $110
Breakfast and beverages provided.



Who should attend:
CEOs, General Managers, CFOs, CIOs, VPs, Mid Level Managers, & Supervisors

What to expect:
Implementing Lean into your company can show remarkable results, but how do you maintain that success? Training Within Industry (TWI) is a tool for cultural transformation that helps sustain your Lean improvements. Come hear from industry experts and companies that have leveraged TWI to continue their journey toward operational excellence.

Presenters:

Click Here to Register Online Today!

For questions or more information email events@enterpriseminnesota.org or call our events line at 612.455.4239.