What's the best way to balance standards and production efficiency in plant operations?

One important point is keep updated the standards that usually are collected in the SOP (Standard Operations Procedures) Manual, in this reviews it is very important to question if the reason of the standard still is valid of if request be challenge and finally changed. Because sometimes the SOP are out of date and could be an obstacle to increase the production efficiency.

Balancing standardization and production efficiency in plant by following ways Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)  Lean / Continuous Improvement Culture Employee training and Development  Robust quality control measures Individual performance Metrics and KPIs Flexible Manufacturing Systems: Integrate flexible manufacturing systems that allow for efficient production while accommodating changes in product specifications or customer requirements. Automation and Technology Integration Cross-Functional Collaboration Involve employees in decision-making processes and empower them for improvement. Supply Chain Optimization By integrating these strategies, you can strike a balance between maintaining standardized processes

It's very important and necessary to create and manitain the balance between the standards and the production effecincy.Both are equally required for the healthy worthy plant operation. To implement the same we should required to review and re-visit our all standards and identified the possible gaps and plan of action for mitigation with timeline on define frequency. We should make overall plant documentation like a alive docs either of it's SOP, batch manufacturing procedures, risk assessments , qualification docs. To achieve the same level another most important things the awareness of plant personell means the training and awaress on such topics is very important to realize the importants for making the healthy plant operation.

In my opinion only a few hit the first step, talk to the people on the ground, some will have the answers, usually they don't know. So you need communication skills to progress and get all on board. At some stage on the assumption data exists then what ever works for you, as there are many options measure, read, go back to the people, discuss solutions implement, analyse.

Do not just assess based on only one data, example efficiency performance (standard hours/actual hours) have to be review together with productivity or utilisation performance (man or machine actual hours/ man or machine available hours). Collect and assess correct data have a complete picture of current situation.

Once you accessed your current performance, it is important to identify level of deviations of data or the tolerances of current performance. If you have huge tolerances it’s obvious that your first goals should be bringing the tolerances to a acceptable level that you could set up ur performance improvement goals.

Setting realistic targets is a very important area I want to highlight here. Setting unrealistic targets for your team can demotivate them and it can cause burnout. Recently, while setting the target for one of the core activities in the plant, I carried my team along and made them share their ideas and we set that target together. I had to reduce the global set standard by a certain percentage because I had i relatively new team, and they needed training, coaching, and motivation before they could meet that target. We listed the knowledge gaps and created a timeline for closing this gap. We also agreed that after a certain period, we will increase that standard inch by inch until we are at par with the global standard.

Even though the goals are improbable, the staff often feels a rush after reaching them. However, if that objective is consistently unattainable, staff members may feel as though they aren't making progress. Your bottom line may suffer as a result of this since it may affect your motivation, productivity, and sense of self-worth. Staff will consistently fall short of goals if they are overly ambitiously established on a regular basis.

A very important point. Often the orders are received without taking practical factors into consideration and just having theoretical calculated values. Availability time of all resources like machines, manpower, resources and the downtime that could be faced should be taken into account

Implementation needs comprehensive action plan. To prepare this plan, use 5W 1H approach. Then only there will be clarity about what is to be done, who will do, when he will do, how he will do and where he will do. Then do regular review to know the progress, do course correction and move on. Follow MIR approach. M-Maintain I-improve R-Reform Once good results are achieved, maintain them. But keep doing kaizen so that you do not slip. With the progress on track and kaizen in good rhythm, go for reform that is a step change.

One of the easiest ways is to have a top notch training program. In these days attrition is going to happen. Set up a step process with new employees where trainers and new hires own the progress. Have regular checks ins to see if the training is progressing and have the trainer and new hire check off the progress. The key is to ensure that your trainers are taken care of. This basic process will take care of all the above.

3 key tools I have used to improve my process over the years are CIL (Cleaning, inspection, and lubrication), DDS (Daily directional settings) meetings, and OEE (Overall equipment efficiency) action plan development and execution. Because of space, I will only talk about CIL. CIL is one of the tools used to sustain quality standards and production efficiency in a manufacturing setting. One of the key activities done during CIL is defect capture. We experience a deviation from standards and also poor efficiency because of countless defects in the machinery. I applied the following to enhance the CIL in my place of work; CIL checklist, CIL training and coaching of operators by experienced technical staff, and CIL audit by department heads.

RG - PDCA and Kaizen are great tools for continuous improvement. RG - Reasearch & Goal in addition to PDCA. Sometimes 5S3R may spice the process...

The importance of training in balancing your quality standards and production efficiency cannot be overemphasized. I developed the following methods so I can keep my team in top shape in terms of knowledge and capability; Executing a skill matrix exercise for the team (Yearly) so we can assess their skill levels for the routine tasks they do, Preparing training plan from the skill matrix document, track the training plan, ensure they write theoretical exams and practical exams for the core skills, Share industry based knowledge and documents with the team to enhance their development.

Monitoring and evaluating results is incredibly important for finding the right balance between standards and production efficiency of a plant. It's like keeping a close eye on how things are going, studying the data, and making smart changes to make things work better. When we compare our performance to our goals and what others in our industry are doing, we can learn what's going well and what needs fixing. We do this closely in our plant operations.

A culture of continuous improvement and collaboration with all affected team members is vital. Asking as a team, what can be done better?

The manufacturing environment is a fast-paced working environment that requires constant communication and collaboration with stakeholders. I ensure I hold some key meetings and make detailed communication with the team at various intervals. I engage the team through weekly departmental meetings with the white collars, and monthly meetings with the blue collars, I ensure my immediate subordinates hold weekly meetings with the operators and the team lead holds daily meetings with their team. These meetings will engender togetherness, trust, and love within the team. Most importantly, I ensure this meeting does not last too long and I make sure I dedicate not less than 40% of the meeting time for feedback & questions, and answer sessions.

En mi opinión este nunca puede ser el sexto y último paso! Ya que los “stakeholders” son una pieza clave para que un proyecto prospere o falle. Esto se puede ver en los A3 donde uno de los primeros puntos juntamente con el problema a resolver/proyecto, alcance…se tienen que definir la partes interesadas! Desde mi experiencia una proyecto triunfará o fallará en función de la comunicación y cooperación que haya habido con todas las partes.

The optimization of production efficiency requires a deep understanding of plant capacity and multiyear production factors. It involves the implementation of lean manufacturing principles to enhance all processes, including quality assurance and quality control. This approach facilitates the development of multiple value stream maps to identify and address waste and constraints continuously. Additionally, managers are crucial process stewards, effectively communicating the operational site's production capabilities at all organizational levels and proposing alternative capacity improvement projects.

There shouldn’t be a “balance”. Standards should be there because they are things that are NEEDED to drive production efficiency / compliance / quality / safety or whatever. Production teams need to own and optimise standards rather than fighting against them.

- Encourage continuous improvement (identify areas of improvement) - monitor & analyze performance - prioritise quality and safety - Also Implement efficient training programs to ensure that employees are well-equipped to meet these standards

It is important to also plan in time to celebrate your wins. It is a way of reflecting on what is going well and as a result generate more positive energy. This retrains our brains to focus on solutions and successful outcomes instead of failures. It also builds healthy a culture where positivity is encouraged.

One thing I see is helpful that implement PDCA cycle as follows: 1- Plan: set plan for improve both production efficiency and standards commitment and align with organization goals and objectives. 2- Do: perform KPIs, SWOT analysis, lean tools, SOPs, training, updating,...etc. 3- Check: align to standards and production efficiency by internal audit, daily inspection, supplier audit, Customer survey,....etc. 4- Act: set actions for problem solving and continous improvement for both production efficiency and standards.