optimize

_Why specialist knowledge alone often has absolutely no impact on the production line.

There are countless, often highly intellectual concepts on the market for theoretical process improvement – Lean Management, Agile Six Sigma, rigorous continuous improvement routines. Yet all too often, the printed audit results simply gather dust in the filing cabinets of plant managers’ offices because the crucial operational transfer to the day-to-day manual work of the fitters at the machines and the planners at their terminals fails. Any far-reaching change naturally provokes extreme human resistance, particularly when elitist external consultants fail to understand – both professionally and on a human level – the culture of the respective production site and its foremen, which has evolved over time. There is a lack of communication between production staff – but not at our company.

_Why specialist knowledge alone often has absolutely no impact on the production line.

There are countless, often highly intellectual concepts on the market for theoretical process improvement – Lean Management, Agile Six Sigma, rigorous continuous improvement routines. Yet all too often, the printed audit results simply gather dust in the filing cabinets of plant managers’ offices because the crucial operational transfer to the day-to-day manual work of the fitters at the machines and the planners at their terminals fails. Any far-reaching change naturally provokes extreme human resistance, particularly when elitist external consultants fail to understand – both professionally and on a human level – the culture of the respective production site and its foremen, which has evolved over time. There is a lack of communication between production workers – but not at our company.

In detail. And on the actual shop floor.

We never simply optimise from a distance using a virtual whiteboard; instead, we work directly on the running machines, using a stopwatch and a structured approach. Together, we standardise work procedures, systematically organise tool trolleys to SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die) standards, and measure rinsing cycles, to name but a few examples.

Synchronising people and software.

We actively ensure that any new, complex MES/APS system introduced on the shop floor is ultimately understood and accepted by the whole team not as a tiresome overseer or an alien element, but in fact as a significant daily aid to their work.

Establishing effective shop floor cascades

By establishing clear escalation procedures, we are introducing (digitally supported) shop floor meetings at all levels of the organisation, so that any identified deviations from plan and quality issues can in future be resolved organically and in a resource-efficient manner by the team itself, before the audit identifies them.