Frank Moreton Operations Director of PMT pressings, addresses B shift. “OK boys gather around we are going to be a World Class Company, we will do this by introducing tools and techniques such as SMED, OEE, and TPM.”
Loopy and Gez from B shift, “What is he talking about Gez?”
“I think he is going to build a SHED Loopy”
“What do we need a SHED for then Gez?”
“Put all his tools in I expect Loopy, the boys on A shift have nicked all the spanners and allen keys already!”
“Ask him why Gez go on, it’s great when Frankie loses it”
“Ok then, Frank why do we need a new SHED then?”
Frank replies
“It’s not a SHED Gez, I am talking about SMED single minute exchange of dies very popular in Japan.”
Loopy pipes up
“Single minute exchange of Dai’s…..it will take more than a minute to get Dai out of the canteen, he won’t budge when he starts one of his pies.”
“Not Dai’s Loopy I am talking about die’s as in press tools” Frank replies.
Gez chips in “A minute to change a tool –never going to happen, Ivor won’t have rolled his first ciggy by that time, and besides we have to find him and prise him off the daily mirror.”
“It’s all about co-ordinating our activities working in parallel and not series, analysing our internal and external activities, working as a team- we will be the Harlem Globe trotters of the changeover world. We will do this to fight off the threat from Poland, Turkey and Even China.” Frank proudly states.
Gez turns to loopy and says,” He has completely lost it, I think we are now going to build a Shed so Ivor and Dai can play one minute basketball and then go and take on the rest of the world in some crazy tournament.”
Loopy nods, “another ‘flash in the pan’ scheme, that reminds me, what are they cooking in the canteen today?”
“Well its Thursday real proper Welsh grub, curry. Anita told me it’s going to be an extra hot one this time so we’d better get the loo’s ready! Gez replies
“Loopy, Gez will you just concentrate, these tools and techniques will save us, this time next year we will be GEMBA walking, using DAMIC maybe some of us will be carrying out a design of experiments ….DOE for short” Frank shouts
“Experiments? did them in school Frank, hated chemistry, Gez here set fire to Mr Rich with a Bunsen Burner” Loopy responds
“Arghhhh why do I bother, I attend a fancy course run by a bunch of smart arsed consultants, read a fancy book written by some stuck up professor go out on a limb to involve everybody at the point of activity, I’ve even cancelled curry today and asked Anita in the canteen to do us sushi instead. Thought it would get us in the mood for some Japanese thinking” Frank bellows
“Listen Frank you’ve gone too far now, I can handle basketball, shed’s and crazy experiments, but you’ve crossed the line by cancelling curry. I’m off to see Bonkers Brian the Union Rep” Gez bellows back
And off everyone slopes leaving Frank in front of his flipchart, with his pack of pens, post it notes and blue tack.
So mindless ranting’s again.
Too often change programmes are copied from other organisations. People copy tools and use too much jargon. Shingo tells us to concentrate on the WHY and not the HOW. Build systems to help people fix the WHAT and then upskill as appropriate with the right HOW’s at the right time.
I used to work for PMT pressings- we developed Welsh Class rather than World Class, we had a SHED programme-Single Hour Exchange of Dai’s, we banned all jargon and developed systems that gave us materials when we needed them, people who were skilled, machine and tools that ran at the right speed and sales that ensured we stayed in business. Making it simple is the hardest thing to do.