Shop floor management
The central management tool in the context of Lean Production, smart factory and Industry 4.0 is Shop floor management, the ‘on-site leadership’. Without effective Shop floor management, lean, OPEX and digitisation initiatives in manufacturing are limited to procedural and technical changes that jeopardise operational effectiveness and sustainability. A Shop floor management system secures and stabilises the operational control of value-adding processes by providing clear structures, stringent process organisation and working Standards across all company hierarchies.
The starting point is a cascade of indicators that enable clear and coordinated targets for operational areas. The objectives are supplemented by results and process metrics in order to be able to uniquely translate abstract KPIs into editable process metrics. With this key figure cascade, process key figures and target/actual deviations can be clearly and transparently recorded and measured at every company level in order to be able to initiate targeted stabilisation and improvement measures (Kata).
At the same time, Shop floor management also serves as a gauge of the implementation success of the Kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement. Recurrent, usually short-cycle and small-scale problems on the shop floor and inertia of the improvement activities are proof that the actual problem causes are not being addressed but only the symptoms. This situation also typically occurs when comprehensive system changes are implemented, but the new operational level processes are not stabilised, supervised, constantly improved and communicated by the responsible managers together with the work team.
ROI helps companies on the way to a culture of continuous improvement through a holistic and practical optimisation of Shop floor management. The following issues are at the forefront:
- Maturity analysis based on the success criteria of Shop floor management and definition of company-specific deployment plans
- Development of a roadmap for the introduction of digital Shop floor management using Industry 4.0 technologies (acquisition, filtering and visualization of central parameters, cockpits, interaction platforms, etc.)
- Implementation and company-specific adaptation of best practice structures, methods and tools for effective Shop floor management
- Practice-oriented and didactically sound training and qualification programs for the managers of operational units
- Active and practical support of the implementation
Case Study
Quality improvement in the automotive industry
A leading global automotive manufacturer wanted to mobilize and accelerate its entire network of nine factories in terms of costs and quality.
With ROI, the Group established a completely new football-inspired practice of competing for championship leadership. The project team thus dynamised rigid plant structures and work routines.
Case Study
Quality in production
A medical technology company wanted to reduce the number of defects in the production line of one of its top products by a factor of 10. Together with ROI, the company identified the appropriate starting points and ensured quality improvements that can also be scaled to other product lines.
Case Study
Lean Digital Manager
The ROI certification program for "Lean Digital Manager" shows how digitization of Lean Production works. It combines Lean Management strategies with industry 4.0 technologies.
Case Study
Restructuring and cost reduction in mechanical engineering
A company in the plant and mechanical engineering sector had to secure its competitiveness. ROI identified all the parameters for the necessary changes at a production site in Germany and started the turnaround with a multi-faceted restructuring approach.