Install accountability
As you’re looking for ways to find efficiencies, you need detailed projections as to how much improvement you anticipate.
At each plant, the team would list about 40 to 50 assignments of what should be done. That list was then communicated to headquarters, which sent somebody back to the location once a month to compare financials and see if they met the projected numbers.
“It’s critical to have good data and also figure out if the changes you made have had an impact,” Kendall says.
You want to look at whether the new practice reflects what came out of the meeting and whether you can measure the change in productivity.
Only a few months after committing to lean manufacturing, Liberty Tire Recycling, which has revenue of more than $200 million, began to see financial results as well as a boost in employee morale.
“As the CEO, you need to know, one, that people are engaged and, two, that they have specific plans that are measurable and quantifiable,” Kendall says. “You need to know what the results are and that somebody has gone back and looked and is seeing whether it worked, because obviously at some point, if it’s not working there’s no reason to put everybody through the drill.”
How to reach: Liberty Tire Recycling, (412) 562-1700 or www.libertytire.com
