Initiating dynamic change processes with the help of lean management

After Holzapfel Group introduced the lean management process back in November 2010, it is now time to reflect and evaluate some first results. The galvano news editorial team spoke with Thomas Nickel, operations manager at Holzapfel Metallveredelung GmbH, about the importance of transparency, the needed persistency during implementation process, and the sustainability of true change.

galvano news: Lean management is often misunderstood as a diet pill or slimming treatment for an organization. What is it really about?
Thomas Nickel: These terms are not really that negative and unfitting as they may sound in this context. The objective of a comprehensive lean management program is to optimally coordinate and align all activities within the supply chain in order to eliminate any kind of “waste” and thus “slimming down” the processes or, in other words, making them more lean. One important aspect of this philosophy is to design all processes to be transparent. Thus, it is important to set standards that the whole organization – from administration to production – can work towards and constantly improve.

galvano news: How did Holzapfel Group turn the lean management philosophy into action throughout the organization?
Thomas Nickel: When people talk about change and lean processes, it is often automatically assumed that this means firing people. Thus, an important part of the introduction of lean management was to eliminate this fear among employees by providing them with thorough information and schooling on this topic. During this process it also became clear that a far-reaching change in behavior and organizational culture was imperative. In order to implement sustainable change, we use techniques such as the 5-W question method or brainstorming which eventually result in clear action plans and allocation of tasks.

galvano news: In your opinion as the production manager of Holzapfel Metallveredelung GmbH, what are the most important aspects of lean management?
Thomas Nickel: First of all, it is important that when introducing lean management, you consider first the employees, then the processes, and lastly the existing structures. Only when employees have been informed and are on board and involved, then processes and structures can be changed successfully and sustainably. Additionally, lean management is not a one-time project, but a continuous change process that demands everyone’s participation and perseverance. Furthermore, it is important to always focus on those processes that do not add value to the end product and that need to be reduced or eliminated. Value stream mapping is a key instrument for the optimization of the production process. It helps us to create transparency and always find new ways of action. Lastly, lean management is simple and implementation-oriented. Decisions about changes are not planned behind the desk but are done real time at location. Lean management is not just about creating and maximizing efficiencies within the organization; it also helps to conserve resources, increase environmental performance, and put the business into a better position to react to changes in the market quickly.

galvano news: Through lean management you have reached greater flexibility for your customers. What other advantages can Holzapfel Group customers expect?
Thomas Nickel: Because of standardized, clear processes, Holzapfel Group represents a reliable yet flexible partner on our customer’s side. Through transparent standards, we are able to reproduce high-quality surface finishing results and continuously develop new and better solutions.

galvano news: Lean management has a big influence on internal structures and processes. What is the biggest advantage of lean management internally?
Thomas Nickel: The biggest advantage lies in the fact that value is produced without creating waste. Clear processes and transparent tasks have also lead to reduced interpersonal communication about many unnecessary aspects. Another positive side effect is the added transparency and the increased usage on key performance indicators. These indicators are the basis of continuous improvement. Thus, changes become quantifiable.

galvano news: Which specific measures have been implemented at Holzapfel Group so far?
Thomas Nickel: In addition to the employee schooling as an introduction to lean management that I mentioned earlier, we have produced a problem analysis with clear paths to solutions, action plans and allocation of tasks. These ensure a quick implementation of measures. Another example is the usage of key performance indicators and the communication of those indicators to employees. This ensures that employees are actively involved in the process changes. The 5S Method for workplace organization helped us to set transparent standards about order and cleanliness. By doing it this way, every affected person turns into a participating person.

galvano news: Which tangible changes and successes have been achieved by these measures?
Thomas Nickel: The clean and process-oriented workplace design has become obvious to everybody. The most positive effect, however, is probably that employees are involved in organizational processes and thus identity themselves more with them. You can feel now that everybody is working towards the same objective. Even though I still see potential for improvement, I believe we have the right basis now to fuel continuous improvement.

galvano news: Which miles stones are still ahead in regards to lean management?
Thomas Nickel: A key mile stone is the introduction of Kanban, which is aimed at increasing availability, automating processes, and reducing inventory. Another important aspect for us is TPM (total productive maintenance), which is mainly focused on pre-emptive maintenance across our factories. Furthermore, we are implementing KVP- processes on the shop floor. This means that we work with the production team on continuous improvement processes and implement them step by step real time.