How did You See That?
I get that question sometimes now. Short answer – I’m there to look!
Longer answer, see below.
I’ve been inside at least 100 manufacturing sites over the years. One thing that’s common in all of them is that folks are busy! And they’re busier now than ever before.
If you work in manufacturing, it’s easy to get so busy that you become hyper focused – when you’re out in your plant, you’re on a mission. You’re going to check the color on Line X; check the model # on that feeder you’re about to upgrade; how’s that gearbox – is it going to last another month until the replacement gets here? You’re busy. And you may not notice everything around you – you’ve walked by this forest so many times you don’t see it or the trees.
Here’s a challenge for you.
Go pick a spot in your plant, stand there for 20 minutes, and observe. (Don’t look at your phone. Don’t think about what you should be doing (that gearbox is OK.) Don’t think about your next meeting. Just look.
People. Machines. Material. What do you see? Note – Don’t dive in on the first thing you see in minute 1 and go get it fixed. For now, just look – address it later.
People
Is everybody wearing appropriate PPE? Proper procedures and techniques? Are they dripping sweat and looking miserable? You can go back to your office and cool off – they’re stuck out there a while. Do we need more fans? Are they taking breaks to cool off? Is water available nearby? Do they have the tools they need?
Housekeeping
How’s the floor? Spills? Scrap cardboard around on the floor? Empty bags? That ubiquitous green banding strap that’s everywhere? Trip hazards? Compressed air lines unrolled across the floor? Are those compressed air nozzles the safe type? Are the air wand tips broken so they’re no longer safe? Are the stairs blocked?
Equipment
How’s the equipment? Are there missing machine guards? Why is that cover off that one feeder and there’s a hammer right beside it? How long’s that screenchanger been leaking?
Maybe you’re getting bored now. Look up. Any stray Unistrut pieces in your ceiling? Abandoned racks? Unused conduit? Anything loose that could fall on someone? Is it dusty up there? Do you have combustible dusts in your process?
That reminds you – where’s the nearest fire extinguisher? Is it marked and obvious? Is it easily accessible? Unblocked? Charged and inspected?
Any storage racks around? You know – the ones you walk by every single day? Are the racks secure? Damaged from forklift impacts? Precarious items on upper levels that could fall on someone? Boxes with missing lids?
Are boxes marked? (If you’re in a plastic manufacturing site and you haven’t seen someone putting scrap in a gaylord that’s still marked with the raw material code, you’re not paying attention. Usually someone catches if before it makes it into a box dumper. Usually.)
Taking time to look is an important part of continuous improvement. The more you do it, the more you’ll see and the more you’ll learn. You’ll see things next time you didn’t see at first.
So how do I see things in your plant that you’ve walked by every day? I’m there to look, and I’ve built that skill. Still getting better at it.
This blog post is generic. I’ll do another for projects and a single piece of equipment next.