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Lithium Ion Battery Recycler Case Study

Challenge

  • Following an accelerated MOS implementation, mechanical compliance was high, but conceptual compliance was lacking
  • The production manager position was utilized at one plant, but unfilled at another
  • Supervisors saw themselves as operators more than members of the management team
  • Gemba walks per leader standard work (LSW) were being completed regularly but not effectively
  • Inventory accuracy at plant was under 80%
  • Sense of urgency, particularly during downtime was lacking
  • Maintenance in a run-to-failure mode

Solutions

  • Management Operating System (MOS)
  • Training & Development
  • Short Interval Management
  • Core Competency Assessments
  • Root Cause Analysis
  • Shop Floor Situational Coaching
  • Visual Management
  • Near-term Inventory Reconciliation

Approach

  • Conducted daily directional setting (DDS) meetings with participation of entire management team
  • DDS included a review of maintenance schedule for the day with a greater emphasis on preventive and predictive maintenance
  • Developed core competency criteria in an offsite workshop with executive team and all plant managers
  • Performed and reviewed core competency gap assessments, as well as an improvement plan with plant managers, production managers, and supervisors weekly
  • Demonstrated on the floor situational coaching with all members of management team, with an emphasis on “professional supervision”
  • Facilitated classroom sessions on proper systemic transfer of product, as well as on floor reconciliations of inventory at the end of each shift

Result

  • Significant growth in core competencies of plant managers, production managers, and supervisors at all three plants
  • Inventory accuracy improved to over 98%
  • Amount of time devoted to daily reconciliation went from over two hours to approximately ten minutes
  • Line availability increased from under 70% to over 85%
  • Over 30% increase in volume of product processed per hour of runtime

“My supervisors remind me that their assessments are due. They really see it as an investment in them.”

– Production Manager