Remember my article about productivity and efficiency improvements? Have I got another one for you!
If your employees need a refresher or an introduction to TQM principles, I highly recommend the video Modern Chairs. In a little more than 10 min you are treated to one of the best summaries of TQM (Total Quality Management) principles, including an excursion into lean manufacturing that I have seen. It is done in the style of Charlie Chaplin’s movie ‘modern times’, with a nice dose of Scottish Humor; and not only do you learn something, but will actually enjoy the process. The objective? 6 stacks of 5 chairs each.
A group of men sets out to fulfill this customer order. The initial production takes 120 seconds. Through applying TQM principles like teamwork, process optimization (lean manufacturing) they reduce the cycle time to 90 seconds while maintaining flawless quality. That is a 33% improvement! This would make most people pretty happy. But our guys were not yet satisfied! They continue, to Orff’s dramatic Carmina Burana, to apply continuous improvement principles. This last important action of TQM brings the cycle time down to 65 seconds. And that even includes some (very important) time for cheering and celebration of the team at the end.
You, too, can learn how to cut your production time in half. Watch this video while sipping a cup of coffee. And if your employees haven’t been trained in TQM and/or Lean Manufacturing yet, it is time! It will increase your productivity and efficiency. Less waste helps everybody, even the planet. But that is another blog post altogether.
