RLG engaged with this worldwide auto manufacturer to help them implement their global Production System into their main North American plant. With over 2,200 skilled trades and assemblers, this large plant was deeply engaged in a multi-year continuous improvement journey.

RLG’s assessment revealed a significant gap between the documented system and behaviors in practice on the shop floor. Performance awareness and frontline leadership was lacking, and there was little time allocated for team leads to interact with their team. Those interactions that did occur were unstructured and inconsistent. This failed to engage the floor workers in the performance improvement and problem-solving behaviors necessary in the new Production System.

Through a coaching approach, RLG coaches worked with team leads, front line supervisors and manufacturing leadership to build skills, implement structured problem solving, focus on performance metrics and the daily actions to close performance gaps.

Project Highlights

• In a targeted set of production modules, RLG coaches worked with leaders to define clear roles, responsibilities and expectations for frontline workers. Visual management boards were positioned in these modules to track performance and focus behavior. Coaching, with leadership scorecards, provided feedback to leaders to reinforce behaviors and highlight progress and results. This was designated as Shop Floor Management (SFS)
• RLG coaches worked with senior leadership at a strategic level, supporting their three-year planning ‘Hoshin Kanri” strategic direction setting, with annual goals and progress tracking processes
• The global employee survey, taken very seriously, showed a dramatic 23% improvement in front line engagement scores
• First Time Quality (FTT) scores improved by more than 56%
• While working in manufacturing, RLG coaches were able to identify and draw attention to some significant issues around procurement and logistics which were root causes of production performance issues. These were included in the strategic improvement plans for the upcoming year