500 days since retirement

Today is my 500th day since retirement. What a journey it has been. With the travel restrictions ( State of Emergency) in place, I am in lockdown. So I turned my attention to my neighbors. Together we completed many projects in the Summer and Fall and shared the harvest. Then winter came and we all went indoors. My village is quiet. I started listening to the quiet and there is a lot to learn. I remembered my previous VP of Quality (GH 2005) telling me ,"if you want to learn about anything you must listen to everyone".  Biking on snowmobile packed trails led to resting sessions after many falls. These sessions allowed me to observe the activity in the woods. The quieter you become , the more you see. You have more communication with others that pass by your resting spot. As my mind wandered, I realized that we are not only facing a pandemic, we are also facing a financial meltdown / economic shift in the foundation of manufacturing, and global climatic upheaval all at once. Some people have coined the phrase the 4th industrial revolution for this. As a static observer these issues may seem to be monumental. As a simple minded Program Manager, I dissected these drivers and concluded that they were all inter-related. I pray and hope that Canadian Companies Execs are paying attention to this global reconfiguration. The World Economic Forum ( Jan 27 2021) stated that the people working from home will double in 2021. So the concept of GEMBA ( be there and see it) will be replaced by "machine to machine" feedback in real time . Then year logistics thinking allows for components travelling around the world to realize the lowest burdened labor rate. A renewed focus on manufacturing effectiveness is now underway. Environmental considerations will require a revamping of " the Spaghetti charts" to cater for GHG computations. The location of the mines are fixed, however the processing plants must not only convert the raw material into ingots, but they must be retooled to produce near net shaped components. A re evaluation of the Shipped / Final weight is required and in the process ,the turnings could be recycled into the raw material hoppers. Manufacturing black cells in green energy facilities delivers the final component. So when Company A designs a part , the Design For Manufacture ( DFM) rules for Activity Based Costing for Design and Environmental principles (ABCDE) must be developed and applied. So the low cost source is right here in Mirabel with abundant Hydro and open space offers a much reduced carbon footprint.

All of this requires the Program Managers to think on a daily basis and monitor not Level II plans but Level IV plans. Key Process Parameters for Design, Manufacturing and Environmental impact are required to be developed and measured / reported. Machine communication as discussed on the " Internet of Things" will drive the Level IV plans critical path dates with no input from people ( machine to machine) thus resulting in a more predictable delivery performance.

Total Input Energy Requirements will be a measure in the ABCDE requirements . So we will hire the best people to deliver results. As we learned in the first COVID19 lockdown, we have the technology to do all of these things today. Implementing them will lower the Environmental and Carbon Footprint signature of each component and result in Canadian companies being the best companies for the Environment ( quote from JS). On a personal level, I walk ( 10 KM round trip ) to pick up smaller articles (20 KM round trip on the bike). This is my contribution to GHG reduction. My last Directors at PWC ( YR / CL) have inspired me to count my steps everyday and in Jan 2021 I averaged 12,100 steps per day. This is double the monthly average in Dec. 2020. Sure my routine has changed but I feel healthier and happier with a newfound source of energy. Apparently happiness lengthens your lifespan so I have developed relationships with my immediate neighbors. We compliment each other in that I bring the how and why you have to do what they want to do. And when they get it, I thrive on their positive emotion. When you assist people even with cleaning snow off their cars, it really makes their day and the cycle continues. This COVID19 pandemic has allowed me to follow my heart ( inside Keppel) . Now back to feeding the deer with apples, cracked corn and carrots .