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In 1997 Little Giant Pump Company began aggressively addressing safety issues and implementing a variety of procedures resulting in a seven-fold reduction in their injury frequency rate. Francis Tuttle's BIS department has served as an extension of their Human Resources department during that time, providing them with safety training orientation for new employees, ongoing monthly classroom training for current employees, and computer-based training using interactive CDs. Since that time, training provided by BIS has expanded to include Job Profiling, Lean Manufacturing and now Value Stream Mapping. Most of the employees have had the opportunity to participate in a one-day simulation workshop where they learned the concepts of Lean Manufacturing through hands-on exercises, according to Human Resource Manager Bret Kappus. The workshops taught employees about eliminating waste and non-value added activities while adjusting the production flow of a product according to customer demand.
The first department at Little Giant to go through the mapping process was the packing department. According to Bill Haffey, Director of Manufacturing, they reduced the space, people and time required for a packing process from 10 tables, 12 people and 25 to 30 seconds to complete to only four tables, six people and 10.2 seconds to complete. "The goal of Value Stream Mapping is to put out more product with a smaller and more efficient line," Haffey said. "These people aren't working any harder, they're just working more efficiently because we've evened out some of the tasks so the product doesn't build up along the line and we've improved the process." Little Giant has also worked with Francis Tuttle to perform Job Profiling in their shipping department. "As a result of the Job Profiling
process, we've identified the steps required to perform jobs
and have If you believe your company could benefit from a more efficient working environment and would like to know more about Lean Manufacturing and Value Stream Mapping, contact Mark Scherber at 405-717-4744. For additional information about Francis Tuttle's Safety Training programs, contact Jerrod Moser 405-717-4232. posted 10/5/2001 Related Links |
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Now that most of the
employees understand the concepts of Lean Manufacturing, the
company is sending divisions through the Value Stream Mapping
process to actually implement the principles. In Value Stream
Mapping, the employees work together with a manager to map a
product from the raw product stage to the point of customer purchase.
They then discuss any problems with the manufacturing process,
determine possible solutions, thoroughly clean up their area,
and implement their ideas.
written a procedure book. We've trained employees in the area
who now serve as experts and train new and existing employees
in different areas so they can learn new processes. We believe
this will reduce frustration among our employees because they'll
know exactly how to perform their jobs in the best way possible.
We believe this will result in less employee turn over, more
efficiency, higher quality work, and less mistakes," Kappus
said.