Change-over

Packaging digest Article page 3

Reduced-effort productivity is about accomplishing quality work with the least amount of effort—not accomplishing tasks in a lazy or shoddy manner. The reduction in time occurs automatically when operator effort is reduced. To reduce the time of the tasks, simply reduce the effort required to perform the tasks. While this is an obvious conclusion, its value should not be discounted because of its simplicity.

Operators typically perform higher quality work when their work has become simplified. This principle applies equally well to any task-oriented job. The table (above) shows what happens when the ReducedEffort Principle is applied to change overs. The results are from actual changeover reduction methods using principle concepts.

Reduced effort

Excitement about this principle increases exponentially after people discover that the techniques reduce the amount of effort and time spent switching machines from one product to another. Operators appreciate the reduced number of changeover tasks, while management appreciates the positive impact of reduced downtime.

“That's awesome,” an operator said after obtaining a 50-percent reduction in downtime with the ReducedEffort Principle at a major food manufacturer. In four days, the operator's team had lowered a 44-min changeover to 22 min. His manager agreed: “The operators and maintenance workers…would have argued for weeks about how it should be done and never have come to a consensus. The ReducedEffort event provides an interesting way of engaging all participants in coming up with time-and-effort reductions. Standard work is being sustained, and the principle works.”

Can work become standard? Definitely yes, especially when both operators and the company are clear about the benefits.

Author Information

Ron Heiskell, president of Reduced Effort, Inc., has received more than 50 U.S. and foreign patents and is the recipient of an AmeriStar Award and a Dupont Award for Innovation. For more details about his ReducedEffort Principle, contact Ron at ph 209-814-9198 or Ron@ReducedEffort.com

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Phone: 1-209-814-9198 Email: ron@reducedeffort.com