COMPETING Blog

Our first visit to Brentwood Industries gorgeous campus east of Reading.

The focus of the day was 8D problem solving.  During the tour we spent quite a bit of time asking the people doing the work to discuss the process.

Good feedback with respect to the process.  Those questioned appreciated being included in problem solving and being a part of the counter measures used to resolve issues.  Lots of smiles!

Nice job Brentwood Industries, especially Gretchen, and thank you for hosting.

Attendees:

• Four Seasons Produce
• Tobyhanna Army Depot
• Misco Products
• Green Leaf Enterprises
• Restek Inclinator
• Adhesives Research

Next meeting will be held in November at Green Leaf……..still sorting through the date with Andrew.

Thanks to all for a very informative day.

Who – Max of 3 per member company

What – Problem solving using 8D

The 8D steps and tools used are as follows:

D0: Prepare for the 8D

D1: Form a Team

D2: Describe the Problem

D3: Interim Containment Action

D4: RCA (Root Cause Analysis) and Escape Point

D5: Permanent Corrective Action

D6: Implement and Validate

D7: Prevention

D8: Closure and Team Celebration

When – 1pm to 4pm Thursday November 15, 2015

Where:  Brentwood Industries (see directions below)

Why:   This is our network’s first chance to tour Brentwood Industries, who have a story of team problem solving to show and tell.

The Agenda

1:00  – 1:15           Welcome (Gretchen)
Introductions/Discussion (Dwight)
1:15 – 1:30           Who we are (Dwayne)
1:30 – 1:45           8D Introduction (Henry) – how long we’ve been doing it, struggles to implement, what went well & what didn’t
2:00 – 3:15           Plant tour – we may be able to have the 8D groups present their info along the tour, if possible, rather than in the room.
3:15 – 4:00           Review & recommendations (Dwight / Gretchen)

Directions to our facility:
GPS Directions:
You’ll want to use 610 Morgantown Road, Reading, PA  19611 – NOT 621 Brentwood Drive.
610 Morgantown Road will take you directly across the street from Brentwood Drive.
(Unfortunately, due to the GPS satellite systems, if you use the 621 address you will end up in a residential area two towns away.)

Directions from Philadelphia International:
Use 95 South (Approx. 5.5 miles) to 476 North (Approx. 16.5 miles) to 76 West (Approx. 33 miles) to 76 wests Turnpike to 176 North (Approx.  8 miles) to Route 10 North (Morgantown Road), follow for approximately 13.5 miles.  Brentwood Drive will be on your right.  GPS usually sends people on smaller roads with lots of traffic lights.  This will add as much as an additional hour onto what should be a 1.5 hour trip.

Please help our host by registering.  Click below to do so.

Hope to see you there

Thank you very much

http://dwightbowen.com/contact/

The networks first visit to Inclinator who has recently begun their continuous improvement journey.  We saw lots of progress and tons of opportunity.

We were all impressed by the enthusiasm demonstrated by everyone we spoke with.  Inclinator’s future looks very bright with this level of employee buy in.

Thanks to everyone at Inclinator who help make the morning successful.

In attendance:

Four Seasons Produce

Misco Products

Tobyhanna Army Depot

Green Leaf Enterprises

Restek

Next meeting the afternoon of Thursday 10/15 to visit Brentwood Industries for the first time.  More info to follow.

Facilitated and reported by Andrew Bishop – thank you for doing a great job Andrew!

C. F. Martin & Co. were very generous with us.  We were not given the run-of-the-mill tour, but were guided through the process by Gene Hracho, Manufacturing Engineering Manager, who had a wealth of insight into process and also joined us for post-tour debriefing.  I offered Gene an “out”, but he was agreeable to participating in our “best practice/opportunity for improvement” recitation in the conference room post-tour.

The only weakness in our feedback to him resulted from some of us being “starstruck” (Becky Banks’ words) by the fascinating processes and iconic brand, and consequently blinded to flaws!

Integration of the high-tech manufacturing methods with timeless craft was really fun to see – shaping a tone bar by hand with a chisel without marking or guide a few feet from lasers cutting out parts with a flash and a puff of smoke.  There was a lot of good attention to ergonomics and safety and lots of creativity displayed by manufacturing support groups creating and maintaining machines, tools and jigs.

The major opportunities observed related to pathways and flow – spaghetti maps that could feed a family and lots of WIP on racks (between stations?  Hard to tell with the lack of clarity in pathways).  Nothing that we haven’t seen at our Network partners – and no surprise to Gene.

Attendees represented Misco Products, Four Seasons Produce, Restek, Brentwood, and Green Leaf Plants.

Next meeting Thursday September 3, 2015 at Inclinator in Harrisburg.  For details and to register (a requirement), please go to:

http://dwightbowen.com/2015/06/ltn-meeting-thursday-september-3-2015/

News from Andrew Bishop…

We are booked for a tour at Martin Guitar, 9:00 Thursday, August 13.  They do tour groups of 15, so if we get more than 15, we will have two tours, with the second group starting at 9:10.  Our upper limit is 30; no loss if we turn up with 15 or less.   They asked that we give them a firm head count a few days in advance, so I’d suggest closing registration for the LTN on Monday afternoon, August 10.

There is a $3 charge per head.

Tour lasts an hour.

I invited the tour coordinator to address an invitation to their operations management to hear “post-tour” comments from us, having pointed out that we are a group of “critical friends” in manufacturing who offer this service to each other on a rotating basis.

I’ve got a couple of recommendations for a post-tour gathering, but I’m HOPING that they will bite on my invitation to join us for post-tour and then offer us a meeting room!

Corporate Offices

C. F. Martin & Co., Inc.
510 Sycamore Street
P. O. Box 329
Nazareth, Pennsylvania 18064

Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Eastern Time
(excluding national US holidays). Holiday/Shutdown Schedule

Phone: 610-759-2837
800-633-2060

Registration is a requirement for attendance.  REGISTRATION CLOSED.

http://dwightbowen.com/contact/

Thank you very much

When:  Thursday Sept 3, 2015 from 9am to noon

Where:  Inclinator Company of America, 601 Gibson Blvd., Harrisburg, PA 17104 –

What: “Beginning the journey – lessons learned”

Who: Max of 3 attendees per member company

Why: A new member hosting for the first time discussing what they have learned in their first year of Lean/continuous improvement

Safety/Security: no open toed shoes: please bring safety glasses if you have them, otherwise Inclinator will provide them; hearing protection not required; pictures allowed at the discretion of Inclinator employees (focus on Lean related pictures).

Please help our host by registering.  Click below to do so.

Hope to see you there

Thank you very much

http://dwightbowen.com/contact/

Captain Dan Bezek discusses visual tools

Very interesting and exciting morning at the Manheim Township Fire Department.

Amazing how many lean tools are in place without knowing they are lean tools.  Great stuff!

Thanks to Captain Dan Bezek (and his father long time LTN member Tom Bezek) and Dan’s entire team.

Attending member companies included:

• Green Leaf Enterprises
• Rose Corp.
• Four Seasons Produce
• Tobyhanna Army Depot
• Adhesives Research
• Restek
• Brentwood Industries

Our next meeting date is in the works as we will likely visit in early August, Martin Guitar in the Allentown area.

The morning of Thursday September 3, 2015 we will meet at Inclinator Corp. in Harrisburg.  Details to follow.

Next Meeting:

When – Thursday June 11th – 9:00 am to noon

Where – Manheim Township Fire Rescue Eden Fire Company, 1695 New Holland Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601

What and Why – Workplace organization (5s or 6s) at it’s best because it saves lives and property.

Max attendees 3 per member company

Please, please, please register as space is limited and we may have to turn away those who did not register.

http://dwightbowen.com/contact/

I have toured Adhesives Research at least five times in the last ten years and always notice improvement.  Ten years on improvements with many more targets on their short term horizon.  The networks May 7, 2015 was no exception as the A/R team has been focusing on reducing waste in Receiving and Setup Reduction.

A/R had the people who did the work explain their practice of the scientific method (PDCA).

The morning touched many aspects of continuous improvement, by seeing, listen and discussing.

Thanks to everyone at Adhesives Research who help make the morning successful.

In attendance:

Four Seasons Produce

Misco Products

Rose Corporation

Green Leaf Enterprises

Restek

Brentwood Industries

Inclinator

Tentative schedule for balance of 2015

June 11, 2015 – Tour Manheim Township Fire Department

Mid August tbd – Tour Harley Davidson York Plant – facilitated by Andrew Bishop

September 3, 2015 – Inclinator – our first tour.

October – tbd – tour Brentwood Industries – our first tour

November – working on it.

December – Our networks first “Safety Forum” at Rose Corporation.