Navigating Improvement: Plastics Manufacturing Walkthroughs (Series; Article 10)

This article, the tenth in the series, models the continuation of taking you through a 'typical' profile extrusion house. These concepts can also be evaluated and modified for other plastic-converting plants. This endeavor entails interacting with various personnel to assess and enhance their production procedures. This walkthrough is a cooperative investigation in which we will eventually pause and look over multiple strategic locations to talk, watch, and scan the operations for potential opportunities. We examine the critical elements of the profile extrusion process in this series of papers, providing insight into our objectives and findings that might point to areas needing improvement.

Employee Training and Development

Now that we have engaged with various team members from the different departments in the typical profile extrusion house, we can turn our attention at a more macro level to the development of the people involved, who are the vital components of any manufacturing house. Regarding employee skill and training levels, our investigation should have examined the breadth of their skill sets and observed how current training levels, through interactions among the workforce, affect plant output. This crucial point in our research emphasizes the need for qualified and trained personnel to guarantee the manufacturing process's precision, efficacy, and efficiency.

At a high level, there are several reasons why a manufacturing company might choose not to invest in training its employees:

Cost Concerns: Training programs can be expensive to develop and implement. For some companies, especially those facing financial constraints, the immediate cost of training might outweigh the perceived long-term benefits.

High Turnover: In industries with high turnover rates, such as manufacturing, companies may hesitate to invest in training for employees who might leave shortly after completing the program. This concern is particularly relevant for entry-level or low-skilled positions.

Skills Gap: If a company believes an abundant pool of skilled workers is available in the job market, they may hire externally rather than invest in training existing employees. This could be due to the perception that finding already-skilled workers is faster or cheaper.

Resistance to Change: Implementing training programs often requires organizational changes and adjustments in workflow. Some companies may resist these changes because they fear disrupting existing processes or encountering employee resistance.

Complacency: If a company has been successful without investing heavily in training, it may see little reason to change its approach, even if there's potential for improvement.

While these reasons may explain why some manufacturing companies choose not to invest in training, it's important to note that investing in employee development can ultimately lead to improved performance, innovation, and competitiveness in the long run.

By now, we will have had vigorous dialogue with and among the personnel, encompassing sales, machine operators, engineers, quality control inspectors, maintenance personnel, and logistics team members. Interacting across the organization with the workforce at a granular level provides a first-hand understanding of their educational backgrounds and the skills they bring to the manufacturing floor. A talented and trained workforce consists of individuals who each bring unique talents and collaborate to achieve the highest team-based results.

The first thing that should be confirmed is the level of training that staff have received. Training provides workers with the skills, knowledge, and abilities necessary to manage the intricacies of the extrusion process, and it is the route to proficiency. The main goal of the observation is to ascertain the extent and complexity of training programs, including onboarding processes, ongoing skill development initiatives, and position-specific training.

Every employee must be competent, and team members must work together harmoniously. Therefore, the observation aims to assess the workforce's level of collaboration and communication. A results-focused, team-based workforce is better equipped to overcome challenges, adjust to changing production requirements, and continually collaborate to improve the manufacturing process.

A second key objective regarding skills and training observation during the walkthrough was identifying training gaps and areas for further study. These gaps may manifest as uneven application of protocols, errors in task execution, or challenges in problem-solving. A thorough assessment of these gaps can be used to develop tailored training programs that satisfy specific needs and encourage a culture of continual learning among staff members. Neglecting the skill levels and training of employees could have detrimental effects. Workers who receive insufficient training may experience safety issues, more mistakes, inefficient processes, and a general decline in product quality, which may drive up overall costs. Additionally, a disengaged or poorly trained workforce can negatively affect the manufacturing facility's competitiveness and general efficiency, lowering morale and increasing turnover rates.

Analyzing personnel skill sets and training amounts to a study of the human element in the manufacturing setting. Ongoing production is based on methods and equipment, but people are what give these systems life. A highly skilled and trained crew elevates the production facility and fosters a dynamic environment where all members strive toward achieving operational excellence. Manufacturing skill levels and staff development are the cornerstones of production excellence and go beyond simple HR metrics. The workforce's expert hands and perceptive minds accurately guide the process. Therefore, assuring employee training demonstrates the manufacturing facility's investment in its most valuable asset: the people who turn extrusion from a ‘duct tape and black magic’ process into a creative endeavor, ensuring that each product reflects the team's collective knowledge and dedication cost-effectively.