Visual Management Board incorporates decades of knowledge

7th November 2016

Visual Management Board incorporates decades of knowledge

Continually developing more efficient processes on the shopfloor

Visual management boards provide team leaders with a way to display and easily communicate the status of key production metrics. They are commonly used in lean environments to aid team decision making by displaying relevant, up to date information.

Rudolph and Hellmann have incorporated a visual displays across a wide variety of manufacturing facilities. This broad application has enabled best practice to be shared and design a format unique to R&HA which continually evolves to share relevant KPI’s in a simple format.

It has been so successful in improving the quality of data available for shopfloor based teams and their team leaders; it’s typically the first implementation a client wants to see implemented on a new contract.

These visual display has metrics updated by hand and the use of colour coding, using a “traffic light” system to enable teams to tell at a glance how things are going, as well as what is being done when thing’s aren’t going well. The type of production metrics can vary, depending on the type of team and industry you are in. Team boards follow the philosophy that what gets managed gets the attention, so key metrics that cover Moral, Safety, Quality, Delivery and Cost must be included. These can be modified to suit each team and support where they are along their lean journey.

Rudolph and Hellmann Automotive Ltd are currently in the process of implementing a state-of-the art shop floor management concepts at one of it’s largest Automotive Manufacturers plants, in support of it’s on-plant logistics operations. The shop floor management tool is structured as below:

• Visual operational display boards – utilised by R&HA Team Leaders Level, Group Leader and Senior Operations Manager to display and record key elements of each logistics operational area in terms of performance, management, operational targets, quality problem resolution status, safety, skill base and resource. All key areas of each part of the logistics areas.
• Each element of the SFM board is driven by strategic operational objectives that ensure a sustainable level of service is provided to it’s world-class Automotive customer at Shop floor level. Categorisation of the board is split into 5 main areas of focus: People, Health and Safety, Delivery, Quality, Housekeeping (5S).
• Utilised on a day-by-day basis by the area/shift team leaders as a tool to pro-actively manage the key performance of the operational shift. The format of the board requires interactive engagement from the team leaders and associates, in the update of quality and delivery charts, problem escalation log, process landscapes, Kamishibai ‘T’ cards, Matrix’s, efficiency and performance KPI’s.
• The requirement of ‘Manual’ interaction of the SFM board ensures that it delivers a demonstrable benefit and isn’t simply a board which gets updated periodically.
• The format is easily auditable both internally (R&HA leadership) and externally (Customer leadership), to ensure that 100% benefit is being achieved through the use of SFM board.
• The main objective is to enhance communication between all associates and management levels. Ultimately this will assist management to engage at all levels in a structured and documented format.

The concept is being trained and rolled out utilising an in-depth training plan by R&HA’s dedicated quality and training team and Business Improvement Management. A bespoke training catalogue has been created to support the roll-out of the concept.

Here’s how the 360 onsite logistics audit and assessment works!

Put us to the test, what have you got to lose?

Contact us for a FREE ‘on site' logistics audit – carried out under a non disclosure agreement - our findings will be reported in full confidence and will provide a detailed analysis of where savings and improvements can be made.

_{There’s only one condition - you must be UK based and be operating in the automotive sector, with a head count of around 25 - 30 or more operating in logistics roles.}