Shiny Equipment and ROTTEN Processes
- Marty Schad
- Aug 16, 2018
- 2 min read
Creating great manufacturing processes is much easier said than done. Part of the difficulty is due to the “invisibility” of the process. The quality of the process cannot be directly seen, only the equipment is visible. I’d like to tell a story that illustrates this point.
I was working with a major and very experienced manufacturer on a clever and bold project. The idea was to dramatically lower the cost of creating a precision optical device.
The key to making the whole project happen was an ultra-precise forming method that had capabilities far beyond existing technology. Pilot scale work commenced, and samples were made that delighted potential customers.
The project gathered momentum, and a management decision was made to proceed to full-scale manufacturing. A manufacturing site was leased. Phone numbers were being set up for individual offices.
Now it was time for the big capital expenditures to build the plant. Management asked for the data showing how great this new plant would operate.
To everyone’s disappointment and surprise, the data showed that the process was not good enough for serious high-volume manufacturing! People had gotten overly optimistic, too enthused with early success, and lulled into a false sense of security.
In fact, the process was rotten, and either no one had looked closely enough, or management had not paid enough attention.
The project was unceremoniously halted. All of the shiny equipment was scrapped. The millions of dollars spent on the project became a great learning exercise for all those involved.
My main learning from this line of thinking has been how easy it is to have a rotten process inside of fancy and shiny equipment.
YOUR CHALLENGE THIS WEEK
Please think about your creation of new processes and improvement of existing processes over the past five years…
Are you ruthlessly evaluating manufacturability, early and often?
What systems are in place to ensure that the equipment serves the needs of the process?
Are your process experts providing actionable and realistic input to the equipment designers?
I’d enjoy hearing about how your organization balances the equipment and process efforts to create great and robust processes that delight customers. As always, please email me and I’ll get back to you promptly.
All the Best, Marty
Comments