Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 14

40 Why is it that some companies fight and fear change, or hope it will go away, whereas others will expect, accept, and embrace it? What kind of investor are you? We generally see two different types of investors; those that expect change and are anxious to learn newer ways to do things and can ‘see it,’ and those rooted in the past, that look for ways to say that ‘it won’t work here.’ The only difference between them is the fear factor. The fear of being wrong is so pervasive that it prevents people from doing any kind of intelligent evaluation. Change is so easy to avoid – and that’s precisely what makes it so hard. It’s much easier to put off doing ANYTHING than it is to tackle something complicated. Furthermore, if you take it on, you run the risk of being wrong. Funny how a manager could make tens of thousands of great decisions throughout the year, but then try something new and have it not go as well as planned – that manager is forever known for the one that didn’t go well. When that happens, the repercussions of being wrong takes on a whole new meaning and can negatively affect future decision making. We see this in a set of predictable excuses that we hear day-in and day-out: “We’re going to hold off on that decision to become a more productive operation, and…” …wait until the end of the year …see what happens after the election …wait until COVID-19 is under control Then during the initial conversations, whereas those that expect change will only concentrate on productivity measurements, those rooted in the fears from the past will fire out these questions: How much is it? (No matter the price or productivity gains—the response is always “it’s too much.”), and Can you change it to make it, bigger, faster, more functions etc. (Interesting that its fairly common to make new requests on technology never seen before.) I look back on the number of foundries that we converted to no-bake and marvel at their decision-making skills to make such an investment. In all cases I see a simple process of research, documentation and realistic production projections. When you have the right mindset, people and tools to do a proper evaluation, change becomes easy, quantifiable, verifiable, and profitable. Think about which investor you are and what you really need to do a proper evaluation and the set of questions you need to ask that will help you with your research. Talk with your operators Think about your own shop. Do you foster fear by not discussing changes or opportunities with your staff? The thought of losing a job, or being rejected (especially in front of others), forces many operators to remain silent and when that happens, the vicious cycle of fear continues and grows. We recently did a foundry floor layout in virtual reality and did it exactly as the manager wanted it done. Then we did another layout that was different, but inspired by their operators. The minute the operators entered the environment, the manager realized that his original layout was not the correct one for their production needs and that his operators had designed a much better layout. No one knows the foundry floor better than your operators. You really want their honest input on changes to the floor, whether you are adding automation or simply changing the conveyor lines. Our production staff is responsible for many of our equipment innovations and improvements, and many of their ideas came from discussions on the production floor. Anyone who has read The Goal understands the importance of identifying bottlenecks, and the value of getting buy-in from your operators’ to successfully manage continuous improvement. There is a marked difference in the decision-making processes of the old grey haired crowd vs people in their 30’s or younger. The 30 somethings grew up with technology and are very comfortable with it. The older guys…not so much. The reason is simple – fear; they are simply afraid of something they don’t completely understand. The lesson here is to listen to your younger team as they know your production challenges and are very comfortable using and trying new evaluation tools and technologies. They expect and embrace change and are versed in using technologies such as virtual and augmented reality and understand the latest in 3D software, and enterprise tools such as SAP. Surround yourselves with good people and then give them the room to research, document and develop projections – to eliminate the fear-factor. Remove limitations As an almost 50-year-old global equipment manufacturer, we like to think of the glass as half full at all times because we see opportunities literally