Part 5: Carrying Out Pilot Runs to Sky-Rocket Productivity in a Factory

Our company had been tasked with identifying and solving a factory’s problem in 3 days within a limited budget. Within these circumstances, we were able to increase the company’s productivity by 150%! The present case study traces this growth and path to success.

In part 1 of this case study, we defined the problem and identified the goal statement. In part 2, we elaborated on how we measured the current state. Part 3 covered how we pinpointed and analyzed the exact gaps in the factory’s operations. Finally, part 4 saw the steps that we took to overcome these gaps. Up until here, most of the work had been conceptual in nature and a result of first-hand observations and precise calculations. However, this final section (i.e., part 5) outlines the practical application of the previous findings.

Pilot Run

So far, we have covered that the key to this factory’s efficiency was for the needed materials to be kept near the point of use within the cell design. Using a 5S in Lean thinking approach, we estimated that moving a batch size of 50 envelopes from tearing to verifying would be faster and more optimal compared to doing a single piece per envelope.

To test this, we conducted a pilot run. So, when the time came, everything was set, and the team members were ready.

“Go. Work like there’s no tomorrow!”, I said, with a stopwatch in my hand. Here are the things I noted:

• First, tear was superfast.
• Second, I observed that one worker in the ‘pick and count 50’ was slow, while another was faster. Previously, I had mentioned that only one ‘50’ should stay between two operation steps. Therefore, I had to physically signal them to stop violating this rule. As a result, those who were faster could help their neighbours.
• Third, stuffers were doing great, with similar timings per envelope.
• Fourth, the technique of pasting was unique. It enabled workers to rapidly complete numerous envelopes.
• Next, since the materials were available near the point of use, nobody worried about the extra time required in fetching them anymore.
• Lastly, security interrupted the work by telling a few employees that they had a call they needed to attend. On my order, the contractor attended to all the incoming calls on behalf of the employees and passed on the message while they continued to work.

The factory’s pilot run went by without any unplanned breakdowns, and several hours passed by while an evenly paced slitting machine kept running. Once the work was done, I recorded the timings on my stopwatch. It showed that the whole process took 5 hours and 45 minutes! Both the contractor and I were astonished. With the lunch and tea break removed, the net time consumed was, in fact, 4 hours and 54 minutes!

• Total envelopes produced: 14,281
• Workers used = 9
• Envelopes per person per hour = 323 (This is a hike from the previously 125 per person per hour – therefore, an approximate triple growth rate!)

The contractor, process owner, and employees of the factory were all elated as their problem was solved! They even mentioned that after a long time, they were finished with their task before the delivery truck arrived to pick the envelopes up.

Re-cap of how the problem at the factory was solved:

• First, the printing process of the factory was studied and fixed (quality of the incoming paper was the issue).
• Second, the stuffing was studied and fixed later (line balance and flow was the issue).

Sustenance plan

Did the factory’s contractor sustain the new method of working? What is your guess?

He did! He did so because it directly impacted his and others’ ‘take home’ payment. To sustain the improvement achieved during this period, I explained to him how a cell based on workload should be designed alongside its various process elements. Here are the basic parameters that we covered:

• First, understand the goal (how many envelopes had to be completed?).
• Second, look at your staffing (how many people do you have available today?).
• Next, base the cell design on time-study data and ensure balance and flow of work.
• Fourth, make sure that the required material is available near the point of use.
• Fifth, discourage personal calls during working hours.
• Lastly, always celebrate each success with your team!

By applying these techniques of 5S and Lean thinking, the factory also managed to improve their worker-hour production from 250 to 500 regarding telephone bills!