Quality, productivity, and speed are intertwined and impact each other. My previous article, Where is Your Focus on Manufacturing?, emphasizes that improving quality starts with implementation of the ANSI/TPI 1 standard—and, with that process, you will improve proficiency and speed. The article also discusses how rework of product will increase your costs as will inattention to controlling waste.
Here, let’s focus on the most effective approach for implementing quality improvement—creating a culture of quality. When you have established a culture of quality, then you’ll have a sound footing from which to continue making quality improvements that don’t negatively impact productivity and speed.
Assuming we are working on improvements while balancing our strategies to improve productivity, speed, and quality, what can we do to enhance the culture within the manufacturing facility?
First, non-compliant work must be identified. To do this, it is essential that everyone is on the same page. This is done by implementation of ANSI/TPI 1 Chapter 3. Third party auditing with an eyewitness at your plant enhances and speeds development and improvement.
Once we are aware of areas to improve, we can correct poor workmanship. This will improve everyone’s efforts and will improve the manufacturing stream. Moreover, all departments should be reviewed and management needs to participate. Clear expectations need to be understood by all involved in the process. Remember, the culture of any organization is shaped by the worst behavior the leader is willing to tolerate.
Providing tools to educate existing workers and on-boarding new hires is important. This should be deliberate and comprehensive so as to cover important issues. Training should focus on mission-critical topics. This is not to say other related topics are ignored. To create a culture, a strong understanding is important across the board regardless of each worker’s job description. They need to understand the big picture.
Learning By Seeing and Doing
The photo shows a training tool used by one plant—models of truss assemblies with statements on quality criteria. [For photo, See PDF or View in Full Issue.] These physical examples make it even easier for employees to comprehend and remember the important concepts and details they will need regarding plate placement, plate embedment, plate rotation, member to member gaps, lumber grades, and quality. If you’re concerned that your employee training has trended toward hit-or-miss, then you can consider using tactile tools such as this to help you establish basic requirements and understanding.
Overall, the most important steps to take in establishing a culture of quality are:
- Implement ANSI/TPI 1 Chapter 3
- Identify problems openly
- Educate across all departments, including design, sales, shipping, and procurement
- Involve all levels of management
- Make sure requirements are clear
- Remove non-compliant behavior
- Create tools to educate
- Meet, discuss, and ask for suggestions focused on quality
- Invest in continual improvement
- Reward positive results and recognize achievement.
When you have established a culture of quality, you will reap the benefits across all areas of your business.
An ANSI/TPI 1 3rd Party Quality Assurance Authorized Agent covering the Southeastern United States, Glenn Traylor is an independent consultant with almost four decades of experience in the structural building components industry. Glenn serves as a trainer-evaluator-auditor covering sales, design, PM, QA, customer service, and production elements of the truss industry. He also provides project management specifically pertaining to structural building components, including on-site inspections and ANSI/TPI 1 compliance assessments. Glenn provides new plant and retrofit designs, equipment evaluations, ROI, capacity analysis, and CPM analysis.