How do you solicit suggestions from your shopfloor employees for ways to improve your manufacturing processes? How effective has this method proven to be in pulling useful suggestions from them?
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This month's sponsor: Carr Lane Roemheld
Be Open to Suggestions
Suggestions help me do my job. Suggestions from my colleagues help me see faults in my articles that I am overlooking. Suggestions from readers clue me into topics we should cover in the magazine. But getting that feedback can be tough. People tend to assume their advice won't be welcome.
How open are you to suggestions, particularly from your shopfloor employees? If you aren't, you're doing your business a disservice. Those folks can readily identify process inefficiencies because they work through them every day. Allow those in the trenches to perform their jobs more efficiently and your entire operation becomes more profitable.
Shops I've visited solicit information from employees in different ways. Some gather as a group at the start of a shift to discuss not only the hot jobs scheduled that day, but also ways processes might be improved. Other shops use the traditional suggestion box. One user of the suggestion box insists that workers submit a minimum number of suggestions per year (bonuses and pay raises ride on it). Yet another shop uses a centrally located board that allows workers to write a problem, offer a solution and rank the solution in terms of estimated cost versus payback for the company.
Methodology aside, all shops should be open to and regularly seek advice from those who work where rubber meets road.
ALSO In this issue...
YOUR THOUGHTS: Soliciting shopfloor suggestions
Re: YOUR THOUGHTS: How some get the shop off their minds
INBOX INSIGHTS: Making power outages less painful
SWEATT & BULLETS: Metalworking Business Index
NEWLY POSTED PRODUCTS
Re: YOUR THOUGHTS: How some get the shop off their minds
INBOX INSIGHTS: Making power outages less painful
SWEATT & BULLETS: Metalworking Business Index
NEWLY POSTED PRODUCTS
YOUR THOUGHTS
Share your views, win a prize
Share your views, win a prize
RE: YOUR THOUGHTSReaders respond
A recent issue asked readers what they do to get the challenges of the shop off of their minds when they leave for the day. Here are some of the responses.
William Glass of Champion Pneumatic in Princeton, Illinois, says:
A vice president of a company I worked for in the early 1970s gave me the following advice, which I have always tried to hold on to. He said he noticed that I spend a lot of time and energy at work and that he and others appreciate what I do for the organization. However, he advised me not to overdo it. Family is important, he said. He told me he did not realize how important until he lost his wife in a divorce due to his spending too much time at work and too little at home. He also said when I walk out the company doors, whatever I am working on should stay behind those doors. In the morning, those duties will still be waiting for me.
I took his advice. When I leave work at night, I actually leave work. When I get home I may spend time in my wood shop (often with my wife, who also enjoys woodworking projects). I also enjoy my three boys, now all grown, and my grandchildren. So my advice is the same: When you walk out the company door, leave your work there and go home to enjoy your loved ones. No matter how old you are, it is never too late to take this advice. It will help you have a great life both at work and at home.
Theresa King of DeVilbiss Air Power in Jackson, Tennessee, says:
I have been in the machining area for approximately 25 years -- currently responsible for prototype machining, programming and fixturing. After a long, hard day, I ask myself a series of questions on the way home. Did I accomplish the task I set out to do for today? If I did, I go over it in my head and give myself a pat on the back. If I didn’t, I analyze it and set a plan for day two. I then can go home, set my sights on the right priorities of home and enjoy my night with the family. The next day then offers its own goal for me to achieve. I have learned that if you set goals for yourself and set out to accomplish them, you can reward yourself with self-worth. You can control how you feel about your work with the power of positive thinking.
Buddy Keen of Schlumberger in Houston, Texas, says:
When I get home, if daylight allows, I will take a brisk 30-minute walk. Afterwards, I will attempt 100 crunches. After 20 or 30 crunches, my mind is clear of the machine shop and focused on finishing my crunches. Talking to my wife about her day makes me appreciate my work. Talking to my grandchildren keeps me focused on what is important.
Nick Buchok of Platinum Tool Technologies in Oldcastle, Ontario, says:
It’s not what you do after you leave, it’s what you do before you leave.
Mr. Buchok is a mold shop owner. To read 10 things he does in the shop that let him relax every night, visit http://www.mmsonline.com/articles/0107ex1.html
INBOX INSIGHTS
Making power outages less painful
Power outages are often unavoidable. Just ask Paul Van Metre, vice president of marketing and sales at Pro CNC (www.procnc.com). This shop was the subject of a Modern Machine Shop story you can find here. Pro CNC has lost power to its facility a number of times. In fact, the electricity went out as Derek's visit for the story drew to a close! Here are some tips Paul provides to make a power outage less painful.
1.) Start with surge protection. Surge protectors are cheap and will protect sensitive equipment, but the hassle of restarting your CNC machines remains.
2.) Connect all computers to a UPS (uninterruptible power supply). A UPS is essentially a battery with a circuit board controlling the power through and around it. Avoid the small ones because they won't help at all. Calculate computer and monitor power usage and purchase a UPS that will provide at least 5 minutes of reserve power to allow you to save and close programs. Be sure monitors are connected to the UPS, too. You want to be able to see what you're doing on the computer in the event of an outage, right?
3.) Set your software programs to auto-save. Nothing is more frustrating than losing a couple hours worth of toolpath generation.
4.) Install industrial surge suppression if you can afford it. A company-wide suppression system at the main electrical panel may seem expensive. However, if you consider what it would cost to replace the main controller boards on a couple of CNC machines, the suppression system starts to look affordable.
5.) A company-wide, UPS/backup generator system provides the ultimate in protection. It can also be cost-prohibitive for all but the largest shops.
SWEATT & BULLETS
The metalworking web
The Metalworking Business Index: Want market data? Want to participate for the overall metalworking good? The Metalworking Business Index (MBI) from Modern Machine Shop will capture month-to-month changes in the levels of various economic data that can serve as crucial leading indicators for your business. We’re looking for machining professionals like you to participate each month, beginning in 2007. It’s free, and as a survey participant, you have early access to data that can help you make sound business decisions. You could also win prizes, including a video iPod, a Slingbox, or a $150 gift certificate for participating. For more visit www.gardnerweb.com/mbi.
New inMotion Presentation on MMS Online, Part I: Makino demonstrates how High Energy Applied Technology (HEAT) smokes the wire EDM competition in poor flushing conditions, cutting parts 35 to 50 percent faster while holding tolerances of form and straightness to 0.0002 inch with one roughing pass. View the Makino presentation at www.mmsonline.com/inmotion/makino3.
New inMotion Presentation on MMS Online, Part II: PTC demonstrates the latest techniques and technology in production and multi-axis milling, moldmaking, machining and sheetmetal programming. No matter what role you play in the manufacturing environment, you’ll benefit by discovering today’s best practices in Computer Aided Manufacturing. View the PTC presentation at www.mmsonline.com/inmotion/ptc.
The metalworking web
