Manufacturing Operations Management, Quality and Aerospace Talk

The Manufacturing Continuous Improvement Lifecycle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one is common to Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, and any process improvement philosophy. These days... if you are not continuously improving, you are probably moving backwards and it might be time for a change.

: )

 

 

The Problem Isn't Motivation or ROI

It is a new year again and we have some resolutions to put in place. For me, one resolution is to make healthier choices—eat better, exercise more, get leaner and lose a few extra pounds. But I have trouble getting “motivated” and starting the new routine of exercising in the mornings. I keep telling myself “I’ll start next week.” What can I do to improve my motivation?

Perhaps I am not asking the right question. Is “motivation” really holding me back? I am motivated enough to put these things on my resolution list. I want to be healthier and feel better. Why would I not be motivated to do that? The Return on Investment (ROI) is clearly there. This will add more healthy years to my life. Perhaps motivation is not my problem. What if I rephrase my problem as lack of follow-through?

Perhaps the solution is not putting up motivational posters on my walls trying to visualize a healthier and more competitive me. I just get more frustrated as I see some of my friends getting better and faster at the basketball court every day. (I am the one getting slower.)

The solution to a motivational problem is the exact opposite of the solution to a follow-through problem. The mind is essential to motivation. But for follow-through, the mind can get in the way overly thinking things and sabotaging our aspirations. For example, we decide to go to the gym after work but then, when it comes time to go, we think, “It's late, I'm tired, I could get hurt, maybe I'll skip it today.”

If I want to follow through on something, I need to stop over-analyzing. Shut down the conversation that wants to start again in my head. Stop worrying and finding reasons to put it off. Just put in place a plan and follow it through. Like the ad says: “Just Do It!”

This year I am going to make a very specific decision to implement some changes in my routine and put a specific timeline on it. Something like: “Starting Monday Jan 9th, I will work out each Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6 AM for 30 minutes”.

I am also going to put in place a reward/penalty system to counteract the natural resistance to change. If I complete my scheduled workout each week, I can eat whatever I want on Saturday; otherwise I eat only salad on Saturday.

Perhaps you can apply these same ideas to some of your personal or business improvement goals for 2012:
• Stop putting off what you know you need to do—projects with clear and known ROI; projects needed for your personal or professional competitive edge.
• Create an environment that supports change and your new goals
• Commit to a concrete plan and timeline
• Maintain a sense of urgency in this new commitment
• Put in place reward and/or penalty measures to counteract the natural resistance to change.

When your mind (or your team) starts to argue with you —remember that is the natural resistance-to-change getting in the way. Just follow the plan. This year, we are going to stop putting off the projects we objectively know will improve our personal and professional success.

WIsh me luck and good luck with your initiatives. Happy New Year!

Attracting Future Engineers and Future Business

Nice article yesterday at The Hill by Boeing CEO, Jim Albaugh.

Jim believes we can do great things once more. Aerospace has lead the way before and can do it again. There is a dynamic global market that companies such as Boeing are working to win.

Jim follows echoing some of the thoughts we have heard from other US manufacturers...

We need Congress and the president to adopt tax and regulatory policies that encourage companies to invest and innovate here at home.

We need them to address what I call the intellectual disarmament of our nation. To lead in high-tech industries like aerospace, we must have a skilled workforce. About half of Boeing’s engineers will be able to retire by 2015. The same is true for other aerospace companies, and we simply are not producing enough engineers in this country to take their place. Addressing this issue is less about spending more money on education than about inspiring students with great missions and giving them challenging projects.

American businesses and workers need rigorous enforcement of international trade rules. Unfair trade practices must end. We need Congress to pass the free-trade agreements that are pending, as well as to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. Exp-Imp loan guarantee programs are crucial for the competitiveness of U.S. exporters.

Finally, we need significant new investments in public infrastructure. To most people, infrastructure means roads and bridges, but let’s not forget our woefully out-of-date air traffic management system.

The full article at:
Great Achievements Begin with Bold Ideas http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/182797-great-achievements-begin-with-bold-ideas

 

At This Girls’ Camp they Take to the Drill Press

Forget tie-dyed shirts, lanyards and water games. At summer camp this year, Nautika Kotero, 13, learned to use a drill press, solder electrical wires and build a lamp.

Just over a quarter of the 11.7 million workers in manufacturing are women. But Gadget Camp, a workshop for girls in this suburb west of Chicago, is part of an effort to change that.

Check out this article on Gadget Camp which is exposing girls to an occupation they might previously have considered unappealing, if they considered it at all.

This page has a video fast forwarding through one of the projects.
http://jezebel.com/5832510/gadget-camp-where-girls-learn-to-build-things

Full New York Times Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/19/business/a-summer-camp-to-draw-girls-into-manufacturing-careers.html?_r=1

These are great examples of proactive projects to promote manufacturing.

 

Great article - Manufacturing Wake-Up Call

I like the stats in this nice balanced article on the state of manufacturing in the US and ideas to boost it going forward. It is based on data published in a recent Booz & Company and University of Michigan report.

Don't let the pessimists scare us to believe that the US has permanently lost its manufacturing edge. However, there is reason to be concerned. If manufacturing continues to be neglected, the US capabilities could erode to a point of no return.

Some of the points in the article that caught my attention:

* Currently, U.S. factories competitively produce about 75 percent of the products that the nation consumes.

* Manufacturing should be viewed in the future as a regional business. There might not be room for a single global manufacturing provider. The factories must locate close to their markets.

* A strong manufacturing base is essential to reducing the U.S. trade deficit.

*  In 2008, 67 percent of all private-sector R&D was conducted by manufacturing companies, according to the National Science Foundation.

* US Manufacturing's decline did not start in to 70s, it started around 2000. The ratio of exports to imports fell and the number of manufacturing jobs fell as well. Capital investments in factories also declined.

* US Industries that still lead globally include Aerospace, Medical Equipment, Machinery, Chemicals, and Semiconductors.

* Four considerations drive manufacturers’ choices about where to place factories: (1) The skill level and quality of factory employees, (2) The presence of high-impact clusters, in which many companies can learn from one another and innovate more readily, (3) Access to nearby countries with emerging consumer markets and lower-cost labor (for the U.S., this means building a future with Mexico) (4) A reasonably competitive regulatory and tax environment (for the U.S., this means simplifying and streamlining the current tax and regulatory structure).

Some of the ideas in the report include building a competitive edge and revitilizing education for manufacturing.

Great article:
http://booz.com/media/file/sb64-11306-Manufacturing's-Wake-Up-Call.pdf

 

Are We Teaching Young Kids Lean Practices?

If we want Lean Manufacturing practices to become more common, we should start teaching them at an early age. What are we actually learning?

5S (Sorting, Straightening, Shining, Standardizing, and Sustaining). Kids do learn early how to keep their area clean, clean up their own mess and put things back in their proper place. My kids’ early grade classes had shelves carefully labeled to help students remember where things belonged and students had to return materials back to their place after completing a project. Excellent 5S practice.

Make to Order. We are definitely teaching kids this lesson. My kids will NOT do any studying or homework in advance even when they know what is due next week. They understand that there is no sense in having a buffer of homework inventory that could go to waste if the teacher decides to change plans, skip a chapter or do them out of order. I have to agree with Just-In-Time homework.  

 Visual Work Instructions. I feel that we are failing in this area. We hugely  depend on the teachers to demonstrate the proper way of doing things and we don’t necessarily provide good visual work instructions. Would the kids follow the instructions if they were provided? Perhaps if we started this habit young, we would read those instructions manual later in life.

Work Cells. We do not practice the concept of work cells or assembly lines in school. Each student usually does their own project from start to finish craftsman style. We see a few team projects in later grades but workload is hardly ever balanced. They might get to feel the efficiency of an assembly line at lunch, but many schools don’t have cafeteria style anymore.

Elimination of Time and Material Waste. We do pretty well in this area in early grades. Students spend the entire school day in one classroom including nap time. Materials are very efficiently used since they are in short supply in school these days. But in later grades we become more wasteful. Someone decided that it is more efficient to move hundreds of students with full backpacks from class to class rather than move a few teachers around. We could set better examples at school of avoiding wasteful movement of inventory, tools and work-in-progress. Instead we learn that standing in line for half of the lunch time is normal and an expected part of life.

Are kids learning enough Lean know-how? Could they? Perhaps we will have to practice more at home... perhaps a hamburger work cell tonight : )

 

Q&A with Peter Coffee on Social Apps - Adding Value or Disruptive?

This week I attended a presentation by Peter Coffee at a Salesforce.com partner event in California and had a chance to ask Peter a question. I have been a fan of Peter's writing for a long time so I was looking forward to his keynote speech. Peter did not disappoint. He made some interesting points contrasting the different approaches towards the "cloud" by Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Force.com. Peter contrasted the idea of providing "services" in the cloud versus providing "platforms" in the cloud.

Are we just moving the same problems somewhere else? Is Force.com really doing something different? Interesting food for thought but I honed in on something Peter said toward the end of his presentation. He wrapped up with three recommendations: (1) Don't ride a Unicorn, (2) Don't feed a Minotaur, and (3) Don't be Antisocial. You might think the Unicorn and Minotaur would get my attention, but his third point got most of my interest.

Peter: New systems should be social. They should initiate conversation based on what you are doing. They are not just waiting for you to ask them what to do.

Peter wrapped up his presentation, but this thought resonated in my head. Should an application start conversations? I like to get alerts when I have a task due, but do I want my software suggestions new tasks? Sounds interesting, but I'm not all convinced. So during the Q&A session I had to ask this question:

Conrad: At the office, we have all experienced the neighbor that tries to peek over the wall and start a conversation when we are really focused in the middle of a task. How does a social app balance between starting social conversations based on what I am doing and becoming a pest with unwanted obtrusive interruptions?

Peter: Good question. We are very concerned about creating apps that improve productivity. We have found that many users find the new paradigm less intrusive than paradigms like email. In social apps you usually subscribe to content you are interested in with actions like pressing the "Like" button on interesting content. In the email paradigm you are pushed content that you did not ask for. We have seen email go down as much as 40% in organizations that have shifted the way they distribute content internally.

Peter gave a few more examples, but I was not completely convinced.

Do you agree with Peter or do you also share my concern? Do we want our applications starting conversations? Or is this just a new type of virtual solicitor at my virtual door?

 

Why should we NOT go Paperless?

I have spent a lot of time trying to talk people into going paperless on the shop floor, but perhaps they are on to something. They are wearing me down and I’m starting to believe that perhaps going paperless is overrated. Let’s spend some time analyzing this choice and see if I can talk myself out of going paperless.
 
There is something to be said for leaving “good enough” alone—we minimize risk!

Risk is not a good thing. We teach project managers about assessing and mitigating risk. We have formal methods of analyzing risk like Failure Mode Analysis and I have a feeling that changing the way we do business is a risky business indeed.

We have done business like this for years. Why change now? We better have a really good reason. The current systems have their problems, but at least we know the problems. A new paperless process could create new problems. Who knows what kind of new problems? How can we know what we don’t know? But we do know that it will be different and different is not necessarily better. Could be better, but could be worse… right? I guess it depends on how bad things are now. But how bad could they be. After all, we have been doing it this way for years.

If we change our processes, we will have to change all our procedure books and we will have to train everyone. It took me ten years, but I was finally getting the hang of our current processes. You want me to learn it all again? Our shop floor people are used to the current way and I am not sure they can learn new ways. Do we want to risk it? They might file a bunch of complaints.

What do those manufacturing “engineers” know anyway? They want me to read THEIR work instructions, but I keep my own notes in my locker. I have been doing this job for years and I know all the little tricks to putting this assembly together. Check this out… I have all my notes written in the margins of this old drawing. They want me to forget my notes and use their recommendations, but they hardly come down here to see how we put it all together.

The few things we do today on these old computers take forever. I don’t see how asking us to do more on the computer is going to make things faster. Do you want me manufacturing? Or typing on the computer? The paper doesn’t make me wait. If I make a mistake, I can just throw the form away and start over. Or I can strike over what I wrote, initial it, and do it again.

We do lose some paper documents once in a while or something gets damaged, but it rarely happens. Nobody ever really goes back and checks the paper. Except for that one audit a year ago. That auditor was so frustrated going through all the paper that he probably does not want to come back : ) If we make it easier to audit historical records, we might get audited more often.

What if the computers go down? It happens, right? Are we going to print paper “just in case”? If we do, what is the point? What are we saving?

We have an amazing IT guy. He can do whatever we need using spreadsheets. We have different spreadsheets for different things. Different managers like to do their numbers differently and we often have to adjust the numbers we get from the shop floor. Some days are better than others, but we don’t want people panicking over a bad day. As long as the average for the week is okay—it’s all good.

I am not sticking my neck out on this new project. What if it fails? I am not sure my manager is fully behind this idea either. After all, he was instrumental in putting the current processes in place.

Even if we want to do this project, everyone is so busy. Who is going to work on this project? You know what happens to people on special projects when we need to reduce the workforce.

Where is the money going to come from? Perhaps we should be buying new machines instead. We are all going to be replaced by robots someday soon, so why bother trying to make us more productive?

They are looking at a commercial off-the-shelf software solution. I don’t know why when our IT guy can probably write a program specific to our needs in one or two weeks. He might be able to do it working during his lunch breaks. Why should we spend the money on a commercial product? 

What if the project works? I could get stuck assigned to doing this type of project all over again at another site. That would mean a lot of travel and I don’t like to travel.

What do you say? Do you really want to change the way you are doing business? Or do you agree we should leave “good enough” alone? Is there any risk in the “do-nothing” choice?

Motivating the Next Generation of Engineers and Manufacturers

- with Squirting Rockets and Flying Pumpkins  

Are we developing a new generation of engineering and manufacturing talent in the U.S.? What does our youth think about engineering and manufacturing? What are we doing about it?

Manufacturing still has a negative image

It is nice to see Engineering back on the list in the U.S. News and World Report’s “30 Best Careers for 2009”. Perhaps some of the initiatives I’ll talk about below are making a difference.

But I would like to see more manufacturing related careers on the list instead of careers like clergy, fundraiser, hair stylist and ghostwriter towards the top of the en-vogue list. Many companies are predicting a shortfall of technical skills required for manufacturing like engineering, 3D CAD/CAM, machining, NC programming, etc. Manufacturing needs a big public image campaign in this country. We need to overcome a lack of excitement about manufacturing among our youth. 

In an interview with McKinsey Quarterly, Bill Ford, executive chairman at the Ford Co., stated “We’ve lost an appreciation for manufacturing…It’s seen as dirty, smoke stack America, yesterday’s news and it doesn’t fit in the new information age. But in virtually every other country where Ford does business, there is an appreciation for the industrial base, and many countries will do almost anything they can to protect and enhance it. We have not, traditionally—certainly, over the last 10 years—shown that same willingness in the U.S.” However, it is impossible to find a strong global economic power that does not have a strong industrial base.

Yet manufacturing is needed for a strong economy

In addition to the smoke stack images, we also play up the “mad scientist” as a bad guy in many movies. Our youth probably doesn’t understand the difference between a scientist and an engineer, but we need them both. Perhaps even more engineers than scientists. Without early motivation, our youth might not embrace necessary early education in math and science. By the way, I am not the only one partial to Engineering... Henry Petroski in his book “The Essential Engineer” makes a case that without more investment in engineering we will not be able to tackle our global problems. Engineers have the techniques for improving processes, designs and building things. Engineers create a bridge between science and commercial applications to meet the needs of society and daily life - from the development of chemicals, computers and medical instruments, to alternative energy systems and power plants. 

The concern for future talent is compounded by the increasing exodus of experience out of the workforce as the baby-boomers start retiring. Today, nearly 30 percent of workers with science and engineering degrees are age 50 and older. The 70’s motivated baby-boomers with images from Apollo missions, Concorde jets, robots and Star Wars. But what images motivate the current generation? I believe we need more engineering super heroes like Iron Man! Perhaps not enough kids know that Iron Man is an engineer. That would be a good start  : ) but probably not enough.

Our future technical workforce is at risk and U.S. manufacturing as we know it is being lost to overseas markets in Japan, China and Korea. With too few students entering manufacturing, engineering, science and technology fields, it is critical that more motivation and support be given in these areas. Young people are generally uninformed of the career potential in these areas.

What are we doing about it? 

Besides the great Iron Man movies… what else are we doing right? 

Some of the things we are doing right include squirting rockets and flying pumpkins...

Every day, engineers around the country volunteer many hours giving back and reaching out to future engineers. As an example, I’ll relate some stories from our local Future Scientists and Engineers of America (FSEA) organization. The FSEA is promoting engineering careers among our youth through school programs and a couple of big events each year including a pumpkin launch and a rocket launch day. 

Squirting Rockets

 It was a beautiful day and Adam was building his first rocket at the Boeing facility in Huntington Beach. How exciting! His brother Alex was also working on his rocket next to us. 

 The rocket body: 2-liter plastic soda bottle. The rest: foam board, paper cone, plastic bag, string and tape. The goal is to keep the rocket in the air the longest time. Adam and I are brainstorming the parachute release mechanism and after a few tests, we think we have it. I was concerned that it would not stay in place so I encouraged him to add one more little piece of tape to hold it in place.

 Fill with water about half way; they supply the air pressure… 3, 2, 1… Adam squeezed the launch trigger and SWOOOCH!  It launched around 30-40 ft in the sky. The top opened and revealed the parachute, It looked like it was going to open but it didn’t  :(   Still a beautiful sight, but Adam turned to me, “Dad… it was your fault…Next time let me do it my way!”. I learned my lesson. But more importantly, Adam is looking forward to launching a better rocket next year. 

Flying Pumpkins

A few months before we were at another FSEA event, the Pumpkin Launch. Alex had built a catapult last year at an FSEA after school project, so as an “expert” he was carefully evaluating the designs from the different teams. His favorite was a big wooden catapult.

But the big surprise of the day was the Pumpkin Cannon. Long Beach College had a pumpkin cannon as opposed to the traditional catapult designs. During testing, a test ball got stuck in the cannon building up more pressure than expected and launching right through the football field score board… OOUCH! The crowd was in shock and the kids were of course… loving it! The kids yelled: “How can they disqualify them? Boooo! We want to see them do it again!”  

Alex enjoyed all his after school FSEA projects. It’s all about inspiring the next generations of engineers through hands on learning and experience. FSEA classes are led by volunteer engineers from manufacturing companies. These engineers are great raw models for our youth. 

Design Squad 

 I am also a big fan of the TV show Design Squad. I first heard about the show on an airplane flight when I was lucky enough to sit next to Deanne from the show. She had me sold on the idea for the show right away. She was so enthusiastic about the show and I later found out why when I saw it with my kids. Premiering on PBS in 2009, the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning series Design Squad is high-energy, high-drama reality TV that lets kids show off their smarts as they design and build working solutions for real-world clients—people who are hungry for clever ideas from a new generation of innovators. From creating remote-controlled flying football targets for Hasbro to dry land dog sleds for the Jamaica Dog Sled Team, the action culminates in the final episode when the top two scorers battle for the Grand Prize: a $10,000 college scholarship. 

Many manufacturing companies and associations are taking action…

Many manufacturing companies like Boeing are participating and contributing, especially at the high school and college levels. Associations like the National Science Foundation (NSF), The Society for Manufacturing Engineering (SME), and many others are also pushing for more STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education for all American students. The National Science Board (Board) wrote a letter to the President on this topic and the importance to ensure the long-term economic prosperity of the Nation. To see the full letter: http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/publications/2009/01_10_stem_rec_obama.pdf

Get involved

If you love Engineering like me or Henry Petroski, get involved. If you are already participating in something, thanks and keep up the good work!

Who knows… it might be your kid designing that great next exoskeleton that will help disabled people get around town, or the new super efficient electric car we will use to commute to work.  

Maybe my kid will not end up an engineer; perhaps he’ll be a fundraiser extraordinaire   : )  

But if he is, I hope he will be raising funds for one of the organizations above working for the future of manufacturing in the U.S.  

References 

FSEA on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI4C1A4gwLA

http://www.discoverycube.org/fsea.aspx?q=68

TV Show Design Squad

http://pbskids.org/designsquad/

“Top 30 Careers for 2009”, US News

http://www.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2008/12/11/the-30-best-careers-for-2009.html

“Building A Sustainable Ford- Interview with Bill Ford”, McKinsey Quarterly

https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Building_a_sustainable_Ford_Motor_Company_An_interview_with_Bill_Ford_2496

“The Essential Engineer – Why Science Alone Will Not Solve our Global Problems”, Henry Petroski, 2010

http://www.rorotoko.com/index.php/article/henry_petroski_book_interview_essential_engineer_science_solve_global_probl/

News: NAM, "The rumors of U.S. manufacturing’s death have been greatly exaggerated"

The rumors of U.S. manufacturing’s death have been greatly exaggerated, said the National Association of Manufacturers today as it issued a blueprint for boosting America’s manufacturing competitiveness and creating jobs.

According to the NAM, the United States is the world’s largest manufacturing economy, producing 21% of its manufactured goods, followed by Japan, with 13%, and China, with 12%. Manufacturing accounts for roughly 18.6 million U.S. jobs, or about one in six private-sector jobs, that pay an average of $70,666 annually, well above the non-manufacturing worker’s average salary of $57,993. The problem, as the NAM outlines it, is that foreign manufacturers, with support from their governments, are posing tough competition, and the United States lacks a comprehensive, national policy to parry such attacks.

See the full article at... 

http://www.managingautomation.com/maonline/news/read/NAM_Calls_for_National_Manufacturing_Strategy_33579