Budget and funding questions

Actualités

• Are quality and productivity mutually incompatible?

  Quality is integrated in our missions, be it in engineering / development, at order placement or in production.

  On a development and marketing level, our concept of being "good from the start" is an important quality to us and a part of any work we carry out.

  On a starting out level, the SMED method measures start up time between the last good unit of the previous batch and the first good unit of the following batch.

  On a manufacturing level, a productivity indicator, the OEE (definition available on this website) integrates the "good" units: quality becomes a day to day part of the result!

  Now, should we produce BEFORE or AFTER being certified ISO (9000) or TS?
   We have clients who are in both situations, certified or non-certified.
   Our methods include and respect granted certifications and develop the points that have been left by the wayside.
   We have consultants who can lead you to ISO quality certification.

• Key success factors of our approach

  Measure current performance, indicators

  In order to be able to decide what to put to work and to set a realistic objective, it seems obvious to us to put in place, or to observe, a way of measuring the current performance. This indicator needs to meet precise criteria, such as being simple and easy for all to understand.

  Obtain everyone’s cooperation in meeting the target

  As with any organisation, it is the work of the company as a whole that produces the reults. If just one person does not cooperate, then they can make it impossible to meet the results. Lack of motivation is usually explained or motivated by a fear of change. Detecting that person’s fear is also part of our service as it is difficult to identfy that person from within the company hierarchy.
  We have a vision of what is going to happen in each step as it unfolds: this vision is reassuring for the key people.
  Driving work groups in a structured way forward also enables the progressive cooperation of everyone.

  Planning for change and the pathway to it

  Getting results has to be done in a strict way in terms of both process and time: synchronisation of parallel actions, reports must be completed by set dates and must adhere to a precise and formal action plan.
  The action plan is a formal document that identifies the waymarks (milestones), the expected results and the means of putting them to work.

  Acting quickly

  Fast and concrete actions have to produce visible results in order to encourage project teams as more complex base actions that take longer to achieve have a discouraging effect. Identifying these actions is part of our know-how.

  Communication on the progress

  Within the same factory (e.g. 3 or 5 teams), it is no simple matter to get to know the methods and to visualise the motivational results. The project also involves other teams who have to support the initial team (e.g. taking orders, maintenance).
  Communication is made up of a message, an explanation of the methods and of the results: indicators.
  The introduction and setting up of indicators, known as dashboards, showing the performance of every person and every team and having an effect on any gaps that are found is, in reality, a complex task to achieve in a short space of time.

  Coaching in continual progress and making the project a long term ethos

  Our presence and guidance helps to maintain the pressure to get the result, to adapt the initially drafted action plan according to random techniques, to revise the methods previously taught, and to maintain cross communication.
  The changes made require continuous effort to make them long term: continuous progress groups are set up to make sure that the actions continue. Most of the time, this last phase is forgotten as another project attracts the teams’ attention before they conclude the first one.

• A DEFINITION of productivity

  "In Economics, productivity is the relation between the product and the factors of production (amount of energy, working hours, etc.)

  The notion of productivity reaches three levels:
   economic
   human
   technical

  Productivity is the result of two consideration types:

   On output, relating to the question about energy (how have I worked?)
   On efficiency, relating to the question about intelligence (what have I done?) "

  View online : From Wikipedia, follow:

• Performance gaps, reduction: definitions

  Performance gaps

  Any difference between a desire, and an objective and the reality of the performance
  Performance: a measure of any factor that influences positive outcome (Earnings Before Interest Taxes Depreciation and Amortization): quality and rejects, customer returns, time spent, rhythm, speed, delivery on time, peripheral costs, maintenance, logistics, etc...

  Reduction

  Implies a change towards a reduction in flaws towards an increase in precision, but not necessarily an increase in effort.

  This change therefore has to be driven as if it were a result: strictly and in a precise order.
  Most of our clients state at the end of their projects once the results have been achieved that, inspite of their employees’ qualifications and indvidual knowledge, the approach, work methods and cross-vision have a direct impact on the result.