Patchy implementation hampers continuous improvement

22-Jan-2014 - Last updated on 19-Aug-2020 at 08:33 GMT

Factory floor staff should be involved in contributing to a firm's lean thinking culture, said Williams

Related tags Manufacturing Problem solving

The cultivation of a lean manufacturing culture of continuous improvement is often hampered by firms “cherry picking” what they implement, according to Jeff Williams of business consultancy SA Partners.

Williams, partner and head of food and drink at the firm, told FoodManufacture.co.uk in this exclusive podcast recorded during a visit by SA Partners to Aimia Foods’ headquarters at Haydock, Lancashire: “You’ll see visual boards in places, you’ll see problem solving in places …

“But when you ask the question, ‘show me the end-to-end system that’s joined up, driven by targets …’ that end-to-end system of improvement is usually missing … I’d probably say for every 20 companies I visit there’s one of the 20 could answer that question.”

Importance of factory floor staff

Williams also stressed the importance of involving factory floor staff in contributing to lean thinking and continuous improvement.

“You tend to find the whole mass of shop floor people aren’t being involved in solving their own problems. After a few times of coming up with ideas they tend to put their heads down and get on with the day job.”