Workplace organization and quality management—It’s simple…really!
By Steve Walker Extension Specialist, North Carolina State University
In the July issue of Modern Woodworking, Steve Walker discussed Winning Strategies for Small Lot Manufacturing by offering suggestions for reducing set-up time by 50 percent. Now he outlines simple solutions to organization and quality management that help move product out the door faster. It’s simple — really!
5s, a systematic way to create and maintain a clean, organized, safe and efficient workplace in order to move product out the door faster and with every person in the organization participating, was created by Toyota. It can work in the woodworking industry as well.
The key to 5s success is effective team activity in which all members of the team know their responsibilities and carry them out consistently. The term 5s comes from the Japanese words:
Seiri=Sorting out - what is needed and what can be discarded. If needed, determine relative importance by the extent of use. If not needed, discard it!
Seiton=Straightening up - Decide where and how things should be put away and what rules should be obeyed to insure that organization, safety, quality and efficiency are maintained.
Seiso=Scrubbing clean - Identify sources of dirt and grime and eliminate the causes. This regiment can lead to early detection of minor problems before they become major breakdowns.
Seiketsu=Standardizing - Establish routines and procedures for maintaining and improving upon the first 3s’s. By utilizing visual management tools and controls, deviations that occur can be identified easily and quickly resolved.
Shitsuke=Sustaining - Develop disciplines to continually make the 5s’s personal habits. This will be the most difficult “s” to realize, but it is the most important factor in achieving long term success.
Being an effective small lot producer with good response time to customers can only occur in a highly disciplined (spotless) work atmosphere. Start 5s activity with a flourish, and make it clear to all that it represents a cultural change.
Steps to 5s success
5s is a lot of little activities put together for a large effect. Stay focused on doing and expanding the quantity of little activities.
Don’t let big problems overwhelm you. For example, dust collection may be a big problem requiring a large capital expenditure solution. But the chances are very good that every dust collection hood in the factory can be improved in its effectiveness at relatively small cost. Do that first!
Training for everyone must be continuous. Short sessions that lead to immediate activities work best.
Empower and praise the people for whom 5s comes naturally. All plants have those special people who always maintain their workplace the way you would like everyone to do it. Make them your champions.
Fix all readily solvable problems...immediately.
Quality Management—what works, what doesn’t
Repeatable, stable processes that meet the quality needs of your products are essential to the small lot producer. All the benefits gained from effective set-up time reduction and a clean and efficient workplace are lost if the quality of the output leads to rework throughout the factory.
Which quality management practices work?
• Any quality management process that has the full support [and understanding] of top management is more likely to succeed. If top management is not taking an active, leading role in the quality process, don’t bother.
• Effective problem solving skills that utilize a team approach spread throughout the organization.
• Documentation of processes that includes visual tools that everyone knows how to use.
• Positive recognition for quality improvement activities. Frequent, small recognition activities work better than big, flashy awards.
• Training that helps employees improve problem-solving and communication skills helps create a quality improvement atmosphere.
• Open communications are essential. Problem identifiers should be nurtured as the valuable tools they are. Don’t create an atmosphere that “shoots the messenger.”
• Management integrity regarding quality. If it’s wrong it can’t go out the door. Don’t bend the rules to help meet production goals. Sometimes this one can hurt in the short term, but will have long term payback.
Quality improvement is a process that never ends.
I can’t overstate the benefit of documenting work processes as a quality tool. The reason is simple. Experience shows that manufacturers with well-documented processes are more likely to repeat those processes and/or identify quality problems more effectively. Well-documented processes also provide essential training tools for new employees or for people learning new tasks.
I once worked in a casegoods plant with an effective quality management process. Every work process had a written, step-by-step procedure. Every part had go/no go gauges for every critical dimension. No calipers or tape measures were used in the plant. There were no designated inspectors. The quality performance rating of the factory improved from the worst in a large company to nearly world class!
Quality management can work in the furniture industry. Implementing the fundamentals of set-up time reduction, 5s and quality management is no easy task when viewed in its entirety. But each of these activities involves simple, basic skills that can be taught and learned easily. It just takes the commitment to do so.
Steve Walker is case goods extension specialist, The Furniture Manufacturing and Management Center, North Carolina State University. He is currently developing a furniture specific management training program. Walker can be contacted at NC State by phone: 919-515-6419. Fax: 919-515-1543, or by e-mail at walker1@eos.ncsu.edu.
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