PTM Corporation’s Post

Wonderful post which is particularly applicable (and noticeable) in manufacturing, but also ties to general management practice. As a manager--and dare I say Director/Executive!?--if you're not meeting with your floor-level employees regularly (i.e. daily), you're missing out on information more valuable than any report you can pull. Your absence is also noticeable, and impacts your employee's perception of how much you know, how hard you work, and more importantly, how much you care. Get out there and make that connection! Your team will be empowered, they'll be more willing to provide input and insight into problems, and they'll feel like you actually care about them and their work...not just metrics and reports.

Have you heard this before? If you're wondering what this quip means, you're likely the subject of the joke. It means you have not laced up your work boots today. A common opinion of manufacturing employees that one particular behavior corresponds tightly with manager effectiveness and technical knowledge: It's the extent to which they spend time onsite on the plant floor. Employees are likely to tell you that you can tell how much a manager cares about employees (or even knows about the operation) by looking at their feet.

One very cool thing about manufacturing...every organization has their own operating systems to drive excellence---their own spin on some tried-and-true systems. Many are born out of the Lean Six Sigma/Manufacturing models, the Toyota Production System (TPS), etc. I don't consider myself an expert on these--not even close. But stuff like: 5Y 8D A3 5S Kaizen Hoshin OpEx (operational excellence) And so forth. All terms you should become very familiar with if manufacturing is your desired landing zone. Yes, even in HR. Which brings me to this: our team is currently looking for a Manufacturing Continuous Improvement Leader here at Bocar US! So maybe YOU are the one to continue teaching me...AND be a part of making our operating systems among the best in class when it comes to high-pressure aluminum die-casting. This will be a very hands-on role. Leading a FOR REAL diverse team of leaders and technical subject matter experts in driving improvement across all functions at our Huntsville, Alabama location. I'm as transparent as it comes...so here it is... This isn't for someone looking to saunter through a normal 9-5 day. It isn't the hours per se---it's the work. It's foundry and formation operations. It gets hot. But if you can TAKE THE HEAT, the room to actually really make a difference is there---daily. The room to grow your career is absolutely a reality. The opportunity to deliver for our customers and our team must be your focus. Getting incrementally better over time. Link to our careers page is in the comments! If you meet most of the requirements, we want to meet YOU!

Reflecting on My Journey as a Manufacturing Production Supervisor: Challenges Met, Lessons Learned As I look back on my time as a Production Supervisor at Tesla, I'm struck by the incredible challenges and invaluable lessons that have shaped my leadership approach. I'd like to share some key insights: Embracing Complexity: Managing a team of 50+ in a high-volume, cutting-edge manufacturing environment taught me the importance of systems thinking. Every decision ripples across the production line, affecting quality, efficiency, and team morale. Data-Driven Decision Making: Implementing lean principles led to a 15% increase in efficiency. The lesson? Always let data guide your strategy, but don't forget the human element behind the numbers. Safety First, Always: Reducing workplace incidents by 30% wasn't just about rules—it was about fostering a culture where every team member felt responsible for their colleagues' well-being. Continuous Learning is Non-Negotiable: In an industry evolving at breakneck speed, staying ahead meant constant adaptation. From new technologies to evolving safety standards, learning became a daily practice, not just a periodic event. Cross-Functional Collaboration is Key: Some of our biggest breakthroughs came from breaking down silos between engineering, QA, and production teams. Innovation thrives at these intersections. People Over Processes: While optimizing processes was crucial, I learned that investing in people—their skills, motivation, and growth—yielded the most sustainable improvements. Resilience in the Face of Setbacks: Not every initiative succeeded, but each setback was an opportunity to refine our approach. Resilience, I found, is as much about bouncing back as it is about moving forward strategically. These experiences have not only made me a more effective leader but have instilled a passion for driving excellence in manufacturing operations.

What is the most impactful Lean Transformation in your career? This is a great question I was asked by a client this past week. Transformations are rarely events, but rather processes; but I will share one event that sticks out early in my career. I was working as an Assembly Supervisor at a vertically integrated light fixture manufacturer with about a dozen assembly lines. Orders were made in batch process and varied from 1pc up to several hundred at a time. 5 people per line was typical and each line could make about 20pcs, sometimes 30pcs/hour if really rolling. No one was really familiar with Lean and they were very busy, so they were not really interested in making time to change (sound familiar?) Instead of endless trainings to help convince them there was a better way: I decided to do a trial assembly line with one-piece flow. It took me and the team about a week to set up a line properly. We then ran a side-by-side comparison on a huge 300+ piece order that we split up. One line did it in batch, I even let them have 5 line leaders who were really good at assembly. The new line ran in one-piece flow with timed conveyor line. I took some of the slower assemblers on my line. We ran for ~3 hours each. The first line did really good, they were quite proud of themselves and worked their butts off. ❌ They averaged 38 light fixtures/hr. The one-piece flow line seemed to be crawling. There was no rushing around, no material movement, not even much talking. Just a conveyor that moved every 60 seconds and completed light fixtures coming off the end of the line. ✅ They averaged 55 light fixtures/hr. Point of Use Storage, Division of Labor, Proper tools and layout, and most importantly FLOW instead of batch. 💯 This one pilot made believers out of almost the entire team in just one morning's work! Within 6 months we had our lines converted. On our higher volume lines they kept finding ways to improve. ✅ 42 seconds became the new standard to make a light fixture with 5 people. Quality also went way up as we now had standards, gained muscle memory and ran towards problems instead of hiding them. Also we had much less material damage during kitting of orders as almost all material was now placed right where it would be used on the line from paint line or receiving (-2 order pickers!). For those of you that have not experienced with this type of transformation, you must think people are running around like crazy to make this happen, but in my experience the operators on lines such as this are somewhat laid back, take the fewest steps during the day, and are not overworked. In addition, with a focus on change-over reduction the same line can run a huge variety of finished goods, just about as fast as a large order too! 👉 What is the best demonstration of Lean Transformation that you have seen in your career? #ManufacturingOperations #LeanManufacturing #impactthatmatters #transformation #onepiece #flow

Why Executive leaders in Manufacturing must differentiate between higher and lower level key performance indicators ( KPI ). Why ? - Because many are simply finding it difficult to succeed in their jobs. We would like to believe everyone is doing great, but that's not the case at all, and this is just a reality of today’s manufacturing. The quality is taking a hit, there are labor challenges, there are new technologies to comprehend, no one wants to work in manufacturing any more ( not the gen z ), and there are back to back new product launches on top of it. There is a lot to do. Simplifying and focusing on what actually matters ( 𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭 ), will help you achieve more and also keep you less stressed. A Manufacturing division usually has somewhere between 10 to 80 total indicators to measure their success in safety, quality, delivery, cost, people, environment. Which one is the most important ? At the executive level, there must be only 1 or 2, max 3 that must matter. All others must be delegated to the next level hierarchy, with clear accountability. 🔹 Executive level - things that directly impact P & L, Reputation and expansion. Able to compare plant to plant in an easy way. 🔹Director level - things that impact strategy change and resource allocation. Plant & corporate level performance. 🔹Manager level - measure of daily, weekly, monthly impact of team’s activities. 🔹Shop floor level - simply what's getting done, what's not getting done Each one rolls up - e.g from bottom top - # of projects, # of trainings, scrap, ppm, first time quality, $ investments in new inspection systems etc must all roll up to a higher level COQ ( cost of quality ) Consider simplification, when there is too much to do, you can only do so much at a time. KPI guide coming soon on i4verse * 𝘪 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘈𝘐 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘴 * #industry4 #manufacturingexcellence #industrialautomation #leanmanufacturing #manufacturingexecutives #vpmanufacturing

Lean Manufacturing

Lean Manufacturing

The 5S framework—Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain—is vital for maintaining an organized and efficient workspace. Conflict often arises when there is disorder and inconsistency. By mastering 5S, you can lead by example, reducing friction caused by mismanagement of space and resources. Showcasing your ability to maintain a harmonious work environment through 5S can mark you as a leader in Lean Manufacturing, opening doors for career advancement.

𝘽𝙊𝙉𝙐𝙎 𝙏𝙄𝙋- 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 5𝙎 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚! Implementing 5S (Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) can transform your warehouse by reducing waste and enhancing efficiency. Begin by sorting out unnecessary items, then organize the space for easy access. Regular cleaning and standardizing processes will maintain this order, ensuring long-term benefits. Need help starting your 5S journey? I can provide a detailed roadmap!