TTR's Kaizen Initiative

In late 2022, TTR launched the Front-Line Safety Program to enhance our safety culture through various employee engagement strategies. We implemented initiatives such as forming a Best Practices team, a Mentorship initiative, In-House Training modules, and a Good Catch initiative. These initiatives empowered our field workers to actively participate, learn, and set a leading example in safety.

The focus is on building a learning culture

Building upon the learning environment we've created, we're excited to announce the addition of a new layer this year: the Kaizen initiative. This initiative aims to empower employees to unlock their creative potential by inviting them to contribute innovative ideas, eliminate waste, and simplify safety processes.

The History of Kaizen:

In the 1950s, the concept of Kaizen, which in Japanese means "continuous improvement," was introduced in Japanese manufacturing. By the 1980s, companies like Toyota led this movement as they expanded into Western markets. Toyota used Kaizen to inspire employees to reimagine their work environments, eliminate waste, and improve efficiency. The effectiveness of Kaizen became a core principle of Lean Manufacturing—a philosophy that gained widespread respect as Toyota not only had a number one selling product but also showcased an impressive production floor without sacrificing safety or quality.

This success sparked a widespread study and implementation of various strategies from the Toyota Production System. Many organizations adopted and integrated practices such as Kaizen, 5S, and Just-In-Time, aiming to enhance production efficiency, safer work, and to minimize waste.

Understanding Waste:

The concept of waste refers to inefficiencies or overly complex tasks that increase the risks to both safety and the quality of workmanship. Essentially, if an activity doesn't add value, it introduces unnecessary risk and is often the root of common issues:

• Misplacement of Tools: Misplaced tools can impede workflow, leading to unsafe improvisation.
• Redundant Movements: Excessive lifting and unnecessary steps can cause worker fatigue and lead to task avoidance.
• Excessive Waiting: Waiting for materials or approvals can create time crunches, resulting in rushed work and skipped steps.
• Non-Value-Added Steps: Extra steps that do not add value increase the opportunity for errors.
• Additional Movement and Transportation: Excessive movement and transportation can heighten the risk of personal injury and material damage.
• Overproduction or Excessive Inventory: Producing more than needed or holding too much inventory can hide problems, lead to cluttered workspaces, and result in loss.
• Overcomplicated Methods: Complex practices can lead to rework, scrap, and defects, increasing the cost and time required for a project making the work more susceptible to incidents.
• Environmental Impact: Too much physical waste contributes to environmental degradation, and its disposal can be complex and costly.

Waste can significantly impact the workplace and often goes unnoticed by management. Not having the right practice (or no practice) in place can amplify errors, leading to safety incidents or suboptimal production.

TTR's Kaizen Approach

TTR's Kaizen initiative starts with a user-friendly reporting platform, accessible through a scannable QR code in the workplace. This allows employees to report frustrations or wasteful steps and suggest improvements to prevent future issues.

The electronic reports are sent directly to TTR's Best Practices team. The team validates employee suggestions against regulations and standards and drafts a controlled testing phase. Employees who contributed the original ideas are invited to participate in this phase. During testing, the team evaluates the effectiveness and sustainability of the new approach, conducting additional risk assessments and considering implementation constraints.

The results are presented to management for approval. Upon approval, final implementation plans and procurement processes are organized to facilitate the improvement.

By conducting controlled testing on improvement concepts and validating the effectiveness before implementation, TTR gains confidence that these changes will achieve the intended impact and be well-received and endorsed by workers. This approach is key to sustainable change.

Making the Small Improvements Count:

Large-scale changes often require significant capital investments and can be disruptive, potentially dividing the culture in terms of buy-in at the field level. Such changes can come with complications and risk. TTR sees tremendous value in using a worker-led platform focusing on small, 1% improvements that encourage proactive thinking and easy-to-execute modifications. This enables employees to enhance their workstations and daily activities and participate in development. Over time, this will have a compounding effect. Workers witnessing the impact of their innovations can positively affect our company culture and encourage greater engagement and ownership overtime.

"This is why small, easy-to-execute changes are so important. They allow us to practice consistently and maintain focus of continuous improvement as a team."

The Power of Employee Participation:

At TTR, we understand that for safety to be effective, it has to be simple and easy to use by all. You must have the right rewards and recognition in place along with positive reaffirmations of the impacts the improvements have had on the work. Continuous improvement is not just about enhancing how you work; it's also about maintaining sustainability as an organization. Resistance to change is a common challenge that many companies face, often without fully realizing it. Staying competitive within your industry is a challenge we all encounter. Implementing systems that promote creativity and allow contributions from your entire workforce, not just management, will help develop a culture that can adapt and overcome the challenges that lie ahead.