Shopfloor management is already delivering results

Shopfloor management is already delivering results

This popular and, above all, extremely effective method of production management was only introduced at TMETAL in September 2024. Even now we know that the implementation of shopfloor management was the right move.

(European) industry is going through an extraordinarily demanding period. Many things have changed in recent years. Anyone who wants to continue outperforming the competition must continuously optimize processes, introduce innovations and constantly look ahead.

When you learn about a mistake only after a week, it’s too late.

When you don’t listen to lower-level employees, it’s wrong.

When the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing, it’s a mess.

We at TMETAL are fully aware of all this, and that is why in September 2024 we began implementing shopfloor management, which brings better communication, improved awareness at all company levels, the ability to resolve problems immediately and many other benefits.

Regular meetings improve both information flow and problem-solving ability

The basic mechanism is not that complicated. It suffices for the right people to meet for a few minutes during the day in structured meetings. Each level (tier) shares the necessary information in its own meeting and evaluates key indicators that stem from the company’s (current) targets.

When a snag is encountered, solutions are sought immediately. As a result, problems are usually detected at their inception. In many cases regular communication with the team even opens the way to preventive measures that effectively avoid potential risks.

And if you cannot resolve the situation at a particular meeting, problems and information (not only of an operational nature) are escalated step by step from the lower levels upward. The biggest challenges then “bubble up” to top management.

Thanks to shopfloor management, the whole company pulls together

At TMETAL our meeting at the lowest level always starts 5 minutes before the shift, so at 5:55 and 13:55. There the foreman meets production workers to exchange basic information and clarify the direction of continuous improvement.

The meeting always lasts only about 5 minutes and has fixed rules and a structure to ensure time is used as efficiently as possible.

The higher-level meeting starts at 8:00 and involves production managers, designers, purchasing and sales representatives and, not least, technical inspection.

That is then followed only by the meeting of top management.

Industry specialist Symestic, in an article on its website, states that the successful implementation of shopfloor management commonly brings companies:

• an increase in productivity of 20 to 30%,
• a reduction in quality issues of 15 to 25%,
• a shortening of response time to problems by 40 to 60%,
• a significantly higher employee satisfaction.

We will see what else the implementation of shopfloor management will bring us at TMETAL. The initial results are, however, very positive. Several times we have detected issues at an early stage that could be resolved almost immediately without large costs or losses. At the same time we have significantly reduced inefficient e-mail communication, phone calls, etc. Within 15 minutes the most important production and organizational matters are stated and everyone is clear.