manufacturing
-
Three Major Benefits From Changing Our Factory Layout
- March 29, 2017
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Innovation, Manufacturing
No Comments
A couple weeks ago, I talked about how we made some changes at Robroy when I first took over as president and COO. One of the first things we did was to do completely change our factory layout. When I first got there, the company and the plant was 40 years old. When the plant
-
How I Doubled Output By Cutting Head Count by Nearly Half
- March 15, 2017
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Management, Manufacturing, Productivity
When I first started with Robroy, we needed an awful lot of cleanup, not only because the facility was dirty, but because there was a lot of nepotism in the organization that resulted in an awful lot of unproductive people working for us. Nepotism is never a good idea in an organization, and we had
-
Use Plant Workflow Measurement to Manage EPA Requirements and Reporting
- February 22, 2017
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Manufacturing, Measurement, Safety
In a previous article, I talked about the importance of plant workflow measurement to determine a plant’s productivity, such as a machine’s downtime or an associate’s total productivity. With a plant workflow system, associates can self-manage their own performance, and you can be alerted early to potential problems with machines, before a breakdown ever occurs.
-
Improve Productivity and Morale by Reducing Interruptions
- February 15, 2017
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Innovation, Manufacturing, Measurement
There are a number of factors that go into improving productivity of your associates, and by extension, your plant workflow. Not only do you get more things done, but you can make your associates happier to boot. Keeping associates productive throughout their shift with as few interruptions as possible actually enhances morale, and makes their
-
Optimizing Productivity Through Plant Workflow Measurement
- February 1, 2017
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Manufacturing, Productivity
In a manufacturing operation that measures everything, it’s especially important to measure the operational time of your plant and its associates, to ensure they’re being as productive as possible. Some people call this measurement “time keeping,” but that term can also be confused with associates clocking in and out in the course of a normal
-
Good Customer Service Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry
- January 25, 2017
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Manufacturing, Measurement
An organization needs a good customer service department, but their job could be a whole lot easier if the organization itself focused on “never having to say they’re sorry” as well. I don’t mean adopt an uncaring attitude that ignores a customer’s issues. I mean deliver a quality product on time at a fair value
-
The Best Way to Set Goals and Objectives
- December 7, 2016
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Leadership, Management
Companies that measure everything should also be measuring their corporate goals, as well as the goals of their associates. This is how you can tell whether your company and your staff are meeting projections, improving productivity, and improving their skills and abilities. To properly measure your goals, they have to be specific, quantifiable, and even
-
Cut Your Bottom 10%: Using an ABC Analysis to Find Your Lowest Performers
- November 13, 2016
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Measurement, Productivity
If you’re familiar with the Pareto principle, and use it in some of your business decision making, maybe you should be familiar with the ABC Analysis. The ABC Analysis is an offshoot of the Pareto principle, and is useful in identifying the successes in your business. Let me explain. The Pareto principle — also called
-
Understand Your Company’s Process to Set Goals and Objectives:
- October 17, 2016
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Manufacturing, Measurement
Previously, I discussed the importance of companies and their employees setting definite, measurable goals and objectives as a way to measure their productivity, progress, and improved skills. I said that basic goals like “improve sales” are too generic to actually be useful. A better goal would be to “Improve current sales revenue by 10 percent
-
The Perils of Matrix Management
- September 23, 2016
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Management
As the business atmosphere moves away from the formal, button down environments I worked in, I’m seeing more companies adopt a matrix management philosophy, which may actually be harmful to a company’s success. Matrix management is where employees report to two or three managers. The management hierarchy is not only flat, but there are fewer