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Things are certainly busy on our front with our networking events being popular and fully booked. More new members are coming on board, our website up and running and a new NSW Network underway. I certainly enjoy going to the gemba on company sites and seeing all the wonderful lean and shop floor engagement processes in action. The key things I look for: - 1000% Visual Management
- Standard Work
- Problem Solving
- Continuous Improvement that involves everyone and is role-modelled by senior leadership
I visited a company last week where as part of leader’s standard work, all managers were required to do weekly 5S cleaning of equipment on the shop floor. This included the Finance and HR managers!
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2015 AME INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
In October, I will be heading off to Cincinnati to the AME 2015 International Conference. This will be my third conference in North America and I see it as important to get outside the "Aussie industry bubble” to continue learning and networking. This is the largest Lean conference in the world featuring nine keynote speakers, 54 presentations, 40 tours, 18 special interest sessions and 40 workshops. The biggest challenge at these events is figuring out what to particiate in! The choice is overwhelming. I will also be assisting my TXM colleague Ron Spiteri present a workshop on Culture Change and spend some networking time in Chicago with colleague Bob Hafey, who has written 2 texts on lean safety. Look forward to reporting back to you. Click here for more info on 2015 AME Conference
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BEST PRACTICE NETWORK NSW
We are very pleased to Launch our Best Practice network in NSW with Gareth Brown taking the helm. Gareth has an outstanding manufacturing operations career with organisations including Autoliov and Vistaprint.
At Vistaprint, he lead their initiative to achieve the International Shingo Award for Operational Excellence in Manufacturing in 2014 - the only company in Australia to do so and the first printing company in the world.
The first BPN event in NSW will be a 1/2 day Site Visit on the topic of Employee Engagement, and how to build a stronger overall Business Performance. The host will be Rod Evans, GM of Ontex Australia who has been leading Ontex's very successful “Living Ontex” Improvement Program.
Click here for event info
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INNOVATORS ARE OUR FUTURE
John Pollaers, Chairman of the Australian Advanced Manufacturing Council, in a recent article states that there are 2500 small, medium and large manufacturers in Australia investing in new technology, up-skilling their workforce and driving to meet global demand. Essentially, these are advanced manufacturers who are carving out competitive spaces in a hi-tech world economy that has become known as “Industry 4.0”. Read full article here
John will be a keynote speaker at our Operational Excellence National Summit in December. Click here for OPEX National Summit info
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GOVERNMENT ARE ON THE WRONG TRACK FOR ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SUPPORT
If you were looking for an example of what the future of Australian manufacuring should look like, you couldn't go past ANCA. A world leader in CNC riding technology, ANCA export 98% of their $200M output - a large proportion of which goes to China. It is therefore concerning that the co-founder, Pat Boland sees that government support for industry in on the wrong track. Read full article here
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SPC ARDMONA WINS BATTLE AGAINST IMPORTERS
SPC Ardmona has successfully won a David and Goliath battle against the Italian importers after the Anti-Dumping Commission were found guilty of the practice.
Feger and La Doria, who had escaped action until now, account for at least 40 per cent of the Italian tinned tomatoes exported to Australia. The Anti-Dumping Commission has now ruled that these exporters too have been dumping product in Australia.
SPC Adrmona managing director Reg Weine said the process had "been a David and Goliath battle". "The other side have had a bunch of highly paid lawyers and solicitors working on their behalf, and we’ve had one individual staff member".
SPC will now be able to compete with Italian produce, however prices are expected to go up of the Italian imported tomatoes we are used to buying for around $1.
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REQUEST - RECIPROCAL SITE VISITS FOR OPERATORS
I recently received the following request and am very happy to help BPN members set-up these type of exchanges:
My operations team have been kicking around some ideas related to setting up some site visits for our operators. We see this as an opportunity to recognise their efforts, allow them to see something different, improve engagement and potentially learn from another industry. Our basic idea was to set up reciprocal visits with another assembly type company so that we could send a small group of people in an afternoon for a couple of hours every couple of weeks while we host a group of operators from that company. We would provide an afternoon tea, etc.
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BEST PRACTICE NETWORK WEBSITE
After many months of work, we are very pleased to launch our new Best Practice Network Website www.bestpracticenetwork.com.au
We are sure that you will find it a valuable source of information and resources: - Upcoming BPN events around Australia
- Member's presentations, tools and photos from events
- Resources and other member contributions that you can freely use
- Up-to-date Industry news and events
- BPN Newsletters
Member's presentations and resource contributions are only available to Best Practice members. Please contact Yvonne Hubbard/Network Coordinator for your BPN member login details if you have not already received these. |
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ASK YOUR NETWORK
If you are searching for a solution to a specific problem or wish to benchmark, your peers are an amazing resource. Your feedback and contributions will help us build a Community of Sharing and Mutual Support that will facilitate your Operational Excellence journey.
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