RLG International Results Stories
A Success Story at an Aerospace Company
Improving On Time Delivery
Key Objectives
This manufacturing facility builds its industry famous gear boxes and drive shafts to support all the military and commercial helicopters produced by the company.
The facility was struggling to produce the number of gear boxes and components to support the final assembly of the military and commercial helicopters. The project was approaching a critical government contract approval phase and needed to improve the on time delivery to demonstrate the ability to meet its commitments.
In the beginning, functional roles dominated. A manager of the area partnered with RLG to break down the functional roles and build the team that worked together to deliver gear boxes for past projects.
Two critical items were vital to creating a successful team. First was the team to work together to deliver the product. When the team started communicating and driving toward the same goal the results followed.
The other critical element of success was building an operating rhythm that focused on safety, quality, delivery and cost. The operating rhythm turned sporadic and unpredictable conversations into a structured and proactive approach to the business. The operating rhythm included:
- Daily performance board walks with the support team.
- Daily huddles with the supervisor and mechanics to talk about daily results.
- Business reviews with supervisors, crews and the support teams.
- Resource planning team meetings that included cross functional and plant wide resources to identify challenges in a proactive manner.
The implementation was done using the FAIR Model® (Focus, Accountability, Involvement, Response) as a framework. It created the opportunity to utilize classic RLG tools in creative ways to achieve the desired results.
- TMP® (Theoretical Maximum Performance) for a high volume, high variety manufacturing environment that machines high precision gears.
- Turning Loose, with a follow up project to apply the concepts.
- Turning Safety Loose, using the same concepts to engage the plant on safety.
- Earned Hours Contest
Project Results
- Efficiency improved from 65% to 72%.
- Prior to working with RLG the team earned an average of about 1,040 hours a week and by the end of the project they averaged almost 1,400 - an increase of 33%.
- The team delivered 76 gear boxes in 2005 and completed a remarkable 117 in 2006.
- Safety numbers improved by 25%.
Testimonials
"The RLG consultants had no problem getting on the manufacturing floor and putting their hands on the processes. I loved the hands-on approach. Our team grew more productive and our communication has improved significantly because of the coaching RLG gave us."
Resource Analyst