There are no one-size fits all way of solving problems. What may have worked successfully at Toyota does not necessarily work for all companies. We have witnessed this firsthand at ECL. While the methodologies are still the same, we have tailored the processes for solving problems that best aligns with our business.
Everyone loves a hero but at ECL, we love teamwork. Especially cross-functional teamwork as we do not operate in silos. Everyone’s input is valuable, and all ideas are considered when working in teams. You will not hear anyone say, “that will never work” but rather “test it.”
As resources are getting harder and harder to source these days, the one resource that companies fail to give the highest value are “people”. At ECL, we place our people at the top of the list. That is why we invest in them daily through personal and professional development as well as engaging them in continuous improvement.
ECL has been using the 4-step method to solve problems, navigate through unknown territory towards a goal, and create a culture of continuous improvement.
It allows our associates to channel their creativity and conduct experiments to overcome obstacles.
In 2020, a team of 7 associates and 2 college students got together to map out the current state one of our assembly processes. The team identified all the value-added and non-value-added steps within the value stream.
The future state map they produced resulted in a reduction of 2 processes within the whole value stream, 11% reduction of total process time, 49% reduction of total lead time to produce the part, and a 44% reduction of total walk time.
Kaizen Circles have been a great way to promote crossfunctional teamwork within ECL. Utilizing Toyota’s 8-step A3 problem-solving methods have empowered our Kaizen teams to overcome some complex problems.
While most companies view problems as a negative thing, at ECL they are viewed as both kaizen and learning opportunities. Our “Standing in a Circle” exercise engages our associates to identify some of these problems that can be hiding in the form of waste.
At ECL, we make developing people high priority.
In the Summer of 2020, the Key Trainer program and TWI Job Instruction was introduced to standardize training, promote continued learning, and process stability.
In the Spring of 2021, ECL launched a new wage model and point system that carved a path for associates to essentially earn while they learn.
In 2021, 124 participants received training from Cycle Time Management in various Lean courses such as Lean White Belt, Lean Yellow Belt, Lean Green Belt, and Lean Thinking.We will continue People development continues to be a major focus for ECL as we continue additional Lean training and work on developing our very own Learning Management System. Our goal is to offer our associates continued learning for years to come.
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