Our Client designs and manufactures a diverse line of integrated thermoplastic piping systems (pipes, valves, fittings, auxiliary components, and tools). These manufactured products are all engineered from the ground up to handle the full range of municipal, industrial, commercial and residential applications.
This Client’s integrated piping systems are manufactured from a diverse range of materials including PVC, CPVC, ABS, PP, FR-PVDF, PEX and PE, as well as innovative plastic/metal composites. PVA conducted a total of 6 projects with this Client in their various plants across Canada.
Objectives
Improving the output on each of their extruder pipe lines
Improving their overall work processes and standard operating procedures (SOP’s)
Improving the support departments (Blending, Maintenance and Setups/Changeovers) to increase their levels of internal customer service
Training and on-the-floor performance coaching of the Supervisors and Managers related to their roles and responsibilities focusing on more proactive management styles
Implementing uniform and consistent Management Operating Systems (MOS) and Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) across all plants
The extruders were not running to their standard speeds.
Extended set-ups and changeovers due to a lack of preparation, planning, distribution, and prioritization of work activities among the crew members.
Opportunity time built into the labor activities compared to machine cycle times.
Excessive response time by mechanics when there was downtime on the equipment.
Downtime caused by the lack of a reliable preventive maintenance process and system.
Ineffective standard operating procedures (SOP’s) in quality control and inspection activities.
Variances existed in the amount of material used versus standard.
Blending errors.
Contaminated material due to errors in the grinding operation.
Supervisors spent a great deal of their time reacting to problems on-the-floor and spent the majority of their time on-the-floor “touring” their areas waiting for employees to ask them questions.
Supervisors generally let the level of work activity follow its course, leaving it to the employees to manage the process themselves.
PVA's Response
Supervisors and Managers received appropriate training and on-the-floor performance coaching to allow for improved management of their processes.
Developed and implemented work activity expectations, objectives and key volume indicators.
Improved planning, follow-up and reporting system tools.
Developed and implemented a problem resolution mechanism that focused on reducing operational issues.
Improved employee skill and flexibility levels.
Developed and implemented an awareness program to reduce material utilization and scrap.
Involved employees in the change process to ensure variances and problems were addressed promptly and eradicated permanently.
Implemented Management Operating Systems (MOS) and Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) in all departments to optimize the utilization of all required resources.
The Results
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Some significant results obtained by our Client included:
Increased the level of proactive supervisory behaviors from 4% to 45% by focusing on regular tours and communication with all personnel by the Supervisors.
Improvements in productivity metrics (Kg per man-hour).
Improvements in both unscheduled downtime and rejects.
The greatest benefit for IPEX was the implementation of a solid Management Operating System in all 6 Plants. Our Plant staff – from Shift Supervisor to Plant Manager – became stronger Managers, and because of that, started to deliver better results. It is by far the best training exercise that we ever gave our Supervisors. This is achieved because, contrary to a lot of other types of training, it is not just a 2 or 3 day theoretical program, but a 26 week program that covers both the theory and practice of solid management techniques. I would strongly recommend PVA to any organization.
