OPS Week 3 (1050 Words Excluding Reference)

Introduction to JELD-WEN

JELD-WEN is a manufacturing company that makes and sells doors and windows. According to their website the company was “founded in 1960, is one of the world’s largest door and window manufacturers, operating 117 manufacturing facilities in 19 countries located primarily in North America, Europe and Australia” (JELD-WEN Windows and Doors, n.d.). In meeting with their Manufacturing Manager, I was able to learn about their lean techniques around manufacturing and production. Lean production “refers to a focus on eliminating as much waste as possible. Moves that are not needed, unnecessary processing steps, and excess inventory in the supply chain are targets for improvement during the learning process” (Jacobs, 2013). In my conversation with the Manufacturing Manager, I sought to learn as much as possible around the lean techniques used at JELD-WEN and why it was important. A few of these strategies are discussed below.

Lean Strategies Used

There are several strategies in place at JELD-WEN that support leadership’s strategy of being lean. The leader spoke of the importance of lean manufacturing and how this is a critical business goal of executive leadership at this organization. The focus of leadership with this program is on reducing waste as it relates to time, material, and employee movement.

Color Coding. Warehouses are set up with a color coded floor that identifies where products should be stored. This is designed to improve efficiency and reduce the number of steps employees should take while performing their job duties. There are also color codes used for tools and parts that should be located at each work center. This color coded system is key to reduce wasted time and energy.

Procurement Department. A department has been implemented to focus on inventory usage and ordering. This department is responsible for ordering the supplies needed to ensure there is not a significant overstock of items. According to the leader this has reduced their inventory days on hand from over 6 million dollars down to 1 million. This is a significant savings for the organization. This strategy supports their JIT inventory system and according to this leader, parts now arrive just in time for manufacturing thus reducing the need to store large quantities of items.

Tool Boards. Boards are used at each work station to ensure the proper items are readily available for use to ensure the process is not slowed down while searching for a board. There is also a picture of how the board should look to ensure all parts and tools are in their proper place.

Layout. Flow is an important part of the process. Group technology (GT) is a philosophy in which similar parts are grouped into families, and the processes required to make the parts are arranged in a manufacturing cell” (Jacobs, 2013). The plants are designed this way in each of their locations.

Kanban Cards. These cards are used to control inventory. According to Jacobs, “Kanban means “sign” or “instruction card” in Japanese” (Jacobs, 2013). These are cards in place at JELD-WEN to alert individuals when packaging products should be brought up. It I a pull card system that tells the individual how much product to pull up at a time to continue production.

SQDCI Board. The acronym for this board stands for safety, quality, delivery, cost, and inventory. There is a SQDCI board at each work station, and it even goes down to the name of the person responsible. The board depicts several metrics to measure how the individual is performing against the standard. According to this Manager, the idea of the board is for the individual to be able to walk up to the board and within seven seconds understand the health of the department.

Corrective Action Sheet (5-S). There is a sheet that must be completed when something goes wrong with production. According to the Manager, the purpose of the 5-S sheet is to do two things. First, it is to identify the root cause of why something occurs by asking the 5 whys. This process helps the leader dig into the issue to determine the true reason for the breakdown. Once this is determined, the goal is to put an action plan in place to address the issue and reduce the chance of this same issue reoccurring in the process. The idea is to always be improving. The Manager I spoke with discussed how this helps the team focus on Kaizen which is a “Japanese philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement” (Jacobs 2013).

Can they improve more?

The question is can JELD-WEN improve more? I believe they could by continued focus. The organization has many items in place to promote lean production within their organization. They may be able to benefit from Value Stream Mapping. ‘”The technique is used to visualize product flows through various processing steps” (Jacobs, 2013). The idea is to identify is all actions taken day in and day out are of value for the customers. JELD-WEN has great processes in place thus far, and it seems they are committed to continuous improvement in their supply chain and manufacturing process.

Applying this to the Restaurant Industry

I believe what I learned from JELD-WEN can be applied in a service industry such as a restaurant. There are a few items I could work to implement of which I believe would be helpful.

Inventory. There is an opportunity to control inventory as this is money sitting on the shelf for restaurants. Because of this, I could apply what I learned around Kanban cards to implement this type of system.

Restaurant Layout. In an effort to reduce waste time and steps I could move kitchen equipment and tools to ensure a more proper flow. A restaurant is a labor intensive business, and doing this could save time, money, and resources which could be used to improve the customer experience.

Cleaning Cart. A cart could be set up similar to the tool boards to ensure all the proper cleaning utensils and supplies are in place. This could help to ensure the restroom, dining areas, and kitchen are kept immaculate during rush periods and reduce the amount of time employees spend locating the proper equipment to perform tasks.

Job Boards. I will plan to implement a board similar to the SQCDI board. The leader of the restaurant can identify issues with products, process, and speed pf service times by quickly analyzing the boards and making the proper adjustments on the shifts.

Conclusion

JELD-WEN Windows and Doors. (n.d.). A Footprint That Inspires Confidence. Retrieved from http://jeld-wen.com/en-us/about/company/quality