How to improve productivity and control cost in a spinning mill - Part EIGHT

Do you know how much you add your time to add value for a product?” I asked the audience.

I had been on a meeting to speak about NVA as requested by the spinner. I had already given a preliminary explanation about 3M and NVA and ENVA to the audience.

There was a state of confusion among them. Everyone was tight lipped.

I didn’t have no other option than getting down from the dais and straight away going nearer to someone in the front row of seats. 

I asked him directly the same question. When a question is asked to a specific person, he won’t have no other go than replying. But, the question asked publicly will go unanswered as everyone would think that this question is not for him.

The person hesitatingly stood up.

“Don’t be afraid, sir. Whatever you think, please tell us” I encouraged him.

“May be 80%, sir?” he answered. The question mark that he put at the end of his reply revealed that he was not sure about his answer. He could have drawn the answer from 80:20 principle- I thought.

“Ok sir, thank you. You may sit down please”, thanking him I approached another person who understood that he was the next person to be asked. He immediately replied, “70%”.

When keep-on asking the audience, I got different kinds of reply with the lowest of 45%. I don’t know how they are calculating.

Then climbing on the dais, I started my explanation.

“Ok. Thank you for all your kind answers. But, if I say the answer, you all really will be surprised. Most correctly horrified!”

I purposely paused for few seconds to see everybody coming to the edge of their seats. I pretended as if a judge announcing the results.

“It is unfortunately only 5%” Finally I declared the answer.

As I told them, I could see surprises on their faces. 

One person got up with little anger in his face, “That means, are we wasting our time by 95%?”

“Good sir. In a sense, yes. What is your job, here?” I asked him.

“Spinning sider”

“What are you doing for the job”

“Mending end breaks, creeling some bobbins and cleaning the machine”

“So, you have been doing the same job years together. Right? Have you ever allotted your time to think of adding value to your job without increasing your effort and thereby adding value to the product you produce?”

Even the question seemed strange to me as the question automatically flew out of my mouth! So, it was not wonder that he showed an oblivious look.

I repeated the question breaking it into small parts.

Still there was an oblivious look on his face!

“OK. I will explain” saying this again I climbed on the dais.

“It is all about Muda. As I explained you, even though at a first look it seems we are doing our job perfectly, if we look at the components of our job deeply, we can infer that we are wasting our time in some or all of the following things”

I showed them the typical pie chart and continued.

“Basically there are 7 types of waste. Over production, Transportation, over processing, waiting, inventory, defects and motion.

Producing more than what is exactly needed is a waste. Overproduction ties up capacity, material, time, and other resources that are not yet needed. In effect, you are paying today what you may have to pay only a week from now. Additionally, you now have even more inventory, and hence you are losing even more money.

In a traditional view, overproduction is the worst waste of all the seven types of waste. Overproduction will act as a multiplier to many other types of waste. It will (naturally) increase inventory, and also, transportation and movement. Furthermore, defects may be noticed too late. Hence, try to avoid it if you can.”

One person from the audience interrupted, “How can a sider be responsible for this, sir? It is on the hands of planning department, isn’t so, sir?”

“Yes, you are right. However, I have seen in some mills where every department will be a supplier and consumer. Bow room is a supplier to carding and at the same time a consumer of mixing department. They will closely work in a way that every supplier knows exactly what their customer needs. Once the planning department conveys the exact quantity of the outside customer to the final department, say packing, the quantity of production is monitored by each department through an internal communication system. You don’t believe, even small orders of 1000 kg, 500kg etc., are effectively handled by these people. This is a collective responsibility where individuals are involved with accountability. It is common to hear from some mills who have produced 0.5 to 1% more than the ordered quantity and later on, selling them, at the end of the year, at scrap rates. Now, tell me, did such kind of over production add any value to the customer or to the company?”

---------to be continued