How was our implementation plan at OCV Reinforcements Tlaxcala plant

I going to describe briefly how we started our Lean journey, this is a very interesting point because many people want to start their system and they need examples describing experiences, what you are going to see is a work derived from a team formed by 9 CI leaders from OCV Americas.
Before to start with our journey we were trained in Lean-Sigma methodology with TBM consulting and had trips to visit plants like John Deere, Budwaiser, Saint Gobain at Capivari Brasil and Solectron in Mexico, all of them with a proven Lean experience and application that has achieved sustanability as a system.
After that, we had meetings to discuss about the best way to start according to the characteristics and needs that every plant had, next is the plan for Tlaxcala branch:

Title: OCV Tlaxcala Plant - Lean process implementation

Team: Didier Vien/Plant Leader, Rafael Cajica/HR director, Gael Heskia/Operations Manager, F. Aguilar/CI manager

CI structure in Tlaxcala Plant
o Francisco Aguilar (Leader)
o Fernando Ponce de León (VSM)
o Fernando Sánchez (Standardized work)
o Ana Vázquez (e-learning)

Date Started: Sept/01/2008

1. Goal

Develop and implement a Continuous Improvement Plan/Strategy for 2008/2009 in Tlaxcala Plant to achieve business results while moving the organization toward our lean/quality vision for the future.

“CI is the process of implementing a self sustaining
culture of continuous improvement through the
integrated enterprise wide application and use of
Lean/6Sigma Tools, Processes, and Systems driven by
engaged employees”

Finally the aim of CI team in Tlaxcala plant is to drive for and support the achievement of sustainable world-leading competitiveness in OCV’s manufacturing and non-manufacturing operations.

2. Introduction

The fundamental need to align our goals to the Americas and global goals in terms of a strategy based in Lean Manufacturing drive us to develop a plan which includes all people into our organization.

All OCV Tlaxcala team members must be trained to start the continuous improvement through the waste elimination in every area into the company from the materials income to customer delivery and beyond.

Real and sustainable progress is possible only if we know where we are starting from, where to target improvement activity, and can ensure that the resulting gains in quality, cost, delivery reliability/speed, safety, flexibility and customer satisfaction are sustained.

In addition, Zero is the only standard for accidents, customer complaints, seven wastes, equipment breakdown, shipping/delivery mistakes, materials shortage, sales/invoicing errors or misplaced materials to mention some.

3. Proposal

In order to build the vision/goals above, the following are the key elements for 2008/2009 period:
• Engage/Re-engage plant leaders on the new CI/Lean approach & CI enablers -coaching in what is expected from them and also the way their roles will be transformed.
• Develop our current and future VSM with a managerial structure which let us to define an action plan and tracking the projects derived. The VSM review will be every 6 months. All our efforts will be focused to our customer needs.
• Develop a CI/Lean Strategy Deployment Matrix, linking the following:
- Business Plan 2008 & 3-Yrs Objectives (Where we want to be on 2011?)
- The projects to be develop thru 2008 and beyond
- Key Performance Metrics Associated – linked to Global Metrics
- Key Accountabilities (Leader and Support roles)
- Deploy the matrix to next levels of the organization
- Develop a six-month kaizen plan to achieve a pace of one major kaizen/month
• Develop a Kaizen plan to achieve 1 Kaizen per mont
• Set a biweekly review huddle to verify the advances in the Lean plan
• Develop a local specific training plan based on our needs.
• Set a synergy to interchange best practices with all America’s plants
• Assure the 6 sigma training for key people in a first step.

4. CI training

The following training will need to be incorporated into the plant plan as required to meet business objectives:
Activity (Who will do it)
1. Read The ice cream maker & Creating a Lean Culture books (NLT)
2. Standarized work for leaders (NLT)
3. Lean Application Training (All levels in groups of 20)

5. Responsibilities

Area leaders will work to design at local level a CI plan aligned with the goals in safety, training, efficiency and cost defined by the plant manager.

CI leader will coordinate the plant implementation plan and will work with the NLT to identify the Lean tools and methods to achieve the planned results using the information available to validate the improvements.
In addition, the plant CI Leader is responsible for ensuring compliance to global/regional standards, best practice replication, and mentoring the plant teams in their CI deployment plans. The Plant CI Leader will also coordinate the plant productivity plans and act as a change agent in driving performance improvements and people engagement.

NLT members must to act as a change agents driving their team toward the CI culture and involving their collaborators in the Lean thinking on every key or strategic decision.

6. Plant focus level

Plant manager will focus in provide the Vision, Process and Standards to assure the success in every work area toward a self sustaining culture in CI.

NLT is going to work in every area to provide the required support; they will eliminate the restrictions which avoid developing team work and the sinergy creation among the areas and then starting the waste elimination through the Value Stream to achieve our financial goals. They must to provide resources and tracking to HPO implementation process.

The area responsibles must to identify the improvement opportunities and standardize their process to achieve our goals in Safety, Quality, Delivery and Performance cost.

NLT is responsible for the cultural deployment process involving all the levels into the plant, is a key roll so that all the collaborators have an active participation in the Lean implementation process.

7. CI Enablers to implement the Lean culture

1. Obeya room implementation to drive problem solving.
2. Process VSM, managing as follow:: Batch House/Furnace/Sizing – Forming/Winding/Ovens – Roving/Packing/Warehouse.
3. CI/Lean Gap assesment and implement an action plan.
4. SMED for Bushing change and Product change at Roving.
5. All NLT members to lead at least 1 kaizen activity.
6. Use team work principles to achieve the collaborators’ commitment.
7. All NLT’s to receive Standardized work for leaders and Lean Leadership Training
8. All NLT and key salary people to visit 2 recognized Lean advanced plants outside OC in 08/09
8. Action plan

Description (Who)
1. Develop X matrix and align it with the America’s X matrix (CI/NLT)
2. Develop current and future VSM and define an action plan (OCV Team)
3. CI/Lean Gap assesment and implement an action plan (CI/NLT)
4. Obeya room implementation at 3 levels: Operations/Area/Shop floor (CI)
5. Standardized work for NLT (CI)
6. Develop a Kaizen plan to achieve 1 Kaizen per month (CI/NLT)
7. Develop specific training plan per layer (HR/CI)
8. Define a program to standardize the work in Forming and Roving (CI/NLT)
9. Visit 2 truly Lean sites outside OC (CI leader)
10. Daily operations meeting (CI/NLT)

9. Alignment process

• Link all the Basic activities with the projects and plant metrics
• Align OCV Tlaxcala /America’s / Global CI direction using our X atrix