Think Out of The Box!
Achieving top 5% Results at a Manufacturing Plant
Proven Results
Caridas Consulting International (CCI) helped QuietFlex increase productivity by over 50%. Employee earnings, which are driven by output, are up over 30%. Employee hourly pay increased from $11 to $14. Meanwhile, scrap was reduced to almost zero and employee safety was dramatically improved.
The Situation
QuietFlex Manufacturing had a problem. QuietFlex manufactures air-conditioning duct parts, supplies, and accessories in the HVAC industry. Productivity needed to be improved, and one department was in conflict amongst themselves and with the company. Meetings were disintegrating into arguments over emotional issues, rather than yielding constructive discussions toward solving production problems and improving the workplace. Workers tended to bring nonspecific complaints to management, making resolution difficult, even though CEO Dan Daniel’s priority was to create a thriving work environment. These miscommunications caused workers in one department to lose confidence in the company’s leadership.
How Participative Design Works
Mr. Daniel was eager for solutions that would work for everyone at QuietFlex. He was intrigued by CCI’s participative strategies, and knew that such an approach made sense for his company. Mr. Daniel knew that the best solutions come from the daily needs of work, and the best-informed people are those who are doing the work.
During the initial sessions with CCI, company management determines the goals for the organization. Participative Design calls for change in the location of responsibility. As such, the people doing the work initiate the changes within the context of management’s business strategy. People are encouraged to be self-managing, though not autonomous. Managers provide redesign guidelines, so that everyone contributes to the process and develops reasonable expectations for change. Mr. Daniel was eager to see how Participative Design could both address the employees’ needs and improve the bottom line at QuietFlex.
The company’s initial work redesign sessions lasted two days for each shift. CCI helped participants define and evaluate their current work process and make suggestions for improvement. Certain features of the production process were not flexible; CCI got the group to focus positively on what could be changed. Initially, work redesign sessions were difficult because people were not convinced there would be any real change. As they saw their suggestions being implemented, people began to improve their productivity and commitment to the company, as well as their own expectations and morale. Plans created within this collaborative framework earned the commitment of everyone on board. People were eager to implement the plans of their own making. They became innovative problem-solvers, and as issues arose, they found the initiative to create solutions. CCI conducts follow-up sessions with each area every six months.
Some of the benefits of Participative Design are:
- Employees apply their own skills and talents to improve productivity.
- People take responsibility for solving their own work process issues.
- Employees increase commitment as a result of having a say in their work.
CCI Redesign Results
Mr. Daniel reports the situation at QuietFlex has dramatically improved. Workers in one department have been able to increase production from 2500 lbs per hour to 4000 lbs, and continue to progress. In the meantime, scrap and reject have been reduced dramatically. Safety has also dramatically improved since the work redesign. Employees’ ability to participate has greatly improved the speed and quality of production.
People at all levels of QuietFlex are pleased with the results, says Mr. Daniel. There are “more pounds being pushed out the door, and since people are paid by the piece, we redesigned the pay structure so there are incentives to reduce scrap and waste further, and improve product quality. Employee earnings are already up by 30%. Our employees can produce more and not be as tired.” Through work process design, employee hourly pay increased from $11 to $14. The business results have been decisive and continue to improve.
For further information, please contact Evangeline Caridas at 713-629-5692, Email: ecaridas@flowmanagement.net
or visit Caridas Consulting International at
http://www.flowmanagement.net