Page 30 - MetalForming February 2013

Workforce Development\Diemasters Manufacturing Inc.
MetalForming/February 2013 www.metalformingmagazine.com
IL, and inhouse classes at Diemasters in safety first and Six Sigma. He’s now a TDPS Green Belt, and on his way to becoming the firm’s second Bottleneck Blaster, joining DeLay. And, since starting with the company full time in 2007 working in the tool- room, Curtis has enjoyed a 25 percent uptick in pay.
Says DeLay:
“Following Curtis’ lean/ six-sigma training, and
gaining a thorough under-
standing of the Theory of Constraints, he was able
to detect a considerable
amount of waste and numerous bottlenecks in
our toolroom. He applied
what he learned, and championed a complete renovation of our tool-
room flow and infrastruc-
ture that led to a signifi-
cant increase in productivity and capacity, and a reduction in piece- part variation.”
As for how the company’s training programs have enriched the work- force for whom he is responsible, Curtis says:
“We’re broadening the develop- ment and talent of our workers. Many hands make the work light, so we’re developing our people to handle more things, so our scheduler can have more flexibility and can spread the work down through a more devel- oped workforce.
“This type of training is not avail- able off the shelf,” Curtis continues. “Developing a curriculum inhouse, customized for our needs so we own it and can use it at will, is critical. It’s how we’ve made education our company culture.”
Time Management and the “List of Six”
Another tool and die maker who has risen through the ranks at
stresses time management as a key enabler to being able to get more done in a given day.
“We practice the ‘list of six’ here,” says Kauth. “We ask everyone to focus each day on six tasks they need to accomplish. And included with each manager’s list of six is asking employees about their list of six. We’ve found this to be a very effective time-management tool, to help keep everyone focused on what’s important and avoiding distractions.”
DeLay quickly points to benefits realized by the com- pany thanks to Kauth’s enhanced skill base. “As he continues to apply the les- sons learned in LISSTs train- ing, he’s become adept at applying the lessons learned to everyday practices,” DeLay says. “His attention and
proactive approach to potential issues with our key customers has led to a 23-percent improvement in our supplier scorecard with our biggest customer, and an invitation from another top-five customer to be part of its Top 10 Supplier Group.”
Asked to describe how a recent project out on the floor helped improve customer satisfaction, Kauth immediately recalls a relatively high- PPM stamping program that the tool- room resolved by adding a double- blank sensor to the die. Rather than being content to solve that one pro- gram’s quality issues, the toolroom logged the problem/solution into a “lessons-learned” book so that it could be applied to similar programs in the future.
“We took one customer’s prob- lem, fixed it and then applied what we learned to other prospective jobs and customers,” says Kauth. “That’s a perfect example of applying the principles taught in the LISSTs courses.” MF
“If the LISSTs training was in place a few years ago,” says quali- ty assurance manager Scott Kauth, “I might not have had to go back to school,” noting that the LISSTs cirriculum serves as a “college education in basic manufacturing.”
Diemasters is Scott Kauth, hired as a stamping supervisor in December 2003 and promoted in 2011 to qual- ity-assurance manager. Kauth readi- ly admits his move to a management role at Diemasters didn’t come easi- ly, and so in 2005 he enrolled in Harp- er College in Palatine, IL, where he earned (sponsored by Diemasters) an Associate’s Degree in Science Management. He since has complet- ed LISSTs training at Diemasters in six sigma (he’s a green belt), safety first and quality. And he’s taught the LSSTs courses in advanced lean prin- ciples and TS 16949. The payoff for Kauth has been a 30 percent increase inpay.
“If the LISSTs training was in place a few years ago,” Kauth shares, “I might not have had to go back to school,” noting, as does Curtis, that the TDPS and LISSTs curriculum serve as a “college education in many areas of manufacturing.”
Describing the management skills he’s picked up over the years, Kauth