link-belt case study - q3 2010 managing times

MANAGINGQ3.10

S h a r i n g S o l u t i o n s f o r Y o u r L e a n J o u r n e y

TIMES

Lean ROI GuestViewpoint: Capturing theFinancial Benefits of Lean

Q&A with Presidentof Carlisle EngineeredTransportationSolutions, Inc.

8Phifer Uses TPM to Resolve MinorIssues & ImproveQuality

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LeanSigma Improvements Propel Momentum at Link-Belt

Alignment. Structure. Support.Linkage. These are the threads of a commontheme that emerge as you read through thearticles contained in this issue of ManagingTimes.

Consider Link-Belt and their commit-ment to the Link-Belt Production Systemwhich is sustained by management support,kaizen as a way of life, and lean as a meansfor driving cultural transformation. Thecompany aggressively leverages lean as astrategy for growth and gaining significantcompetitive advantage. Their Japanese par-ent, Sumitomo Industries, recognizes Link-Belt as their leading lean example. Link-Belt’s top-to-bottom, customer-to-supplieralignment has resulted in solid, measurableimprovements that retain high-quality talentand deliver revenue, profitability and cus-tomer satisfaction.

Guest columnist Bill Schwartz chal-lenges clients to leverage lean as a strategictool for growth by converting waste intodollars. Schwartz talks about the impor-tance of marrying the lean journey to finan-cial performance by capturing and monetiz-ing the gains and understanding the truefinancial benefit of any and all improvementactivity. Companies who align lean with keyperformance measures have a better oppor-tunity to leverage improvements into mean-ingful business performance and organicgrowth.

Carlisle Engineered TransportationSolutions is aligning itself more closely withthe customer. The company improved per-formance in spite of a significant volumedecline last year. Their structured approachtoward measurement and tracking ensuresalignment keeps initiatives on track andhelps them to deliver better performance.

PUBLISHER’SNOTE

I challenge you to think about your leanprogression and the alignment you createthrough the right leadership behaviors,through structure, through strategy deploy-ment, through key performance metrics andmore. Are your business results what youwant them to be? If not, maybe you shouldconsider a “tune-up” to realign your contin-uous improvement activities to your criticalbusiness performance measures and leveragethe gains for significant differentiation andprofitable growth.

Anand Sharma Co-founder & CEOTBM Consulting Group, [email protected]

Getting into Alignment

A publication of TBM Consulting Group

4400 Ben Franklin BoulevardDurham, North Carolina 27704 800.438.5535 www.tbmcg.com

PublisherAnand Sharma: [email protected]

Executive EditorWilliam A. Schwartz: [email protected]

Managing Editor Angela Scenna: [email protected]

Featured Columnists Laura Jackson Bill SchwartzAnand Sharma Tonya Vinas

Contributors Jessica Conyers Melissa SlaterDavid Drickhamer Fred SutterJim Forshee Scott VarnnasdallMatt Goessling Ken Van WinkleAngela Scenna Mike Voigt

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Published in Durham, NC 4400 Ben Franklin BoulevardDurham, NC 27704

TBM, the TBM logo, and LeanSigma® are registeredtrademarks of TBM Consulting Group, Inc.

If you would like to receive this journal via email,send your vital information including emailaddress to [email protected]

On the cover: The Link-Belt model HC-278Conventional Truck Crane has capacity of 300tons and a maximum boom length of 330 feet.

Kenneth Cameron, Carlisle OperatingSystem (COS) Manager at the CarlisleTransmission Group in Fort Scott, KSrecently completed Kaizen InstructorTraining along with nine other COS man-agers from his company…Brad Morris isnow COS Champion at Carlisle Tire &Wheel…Steven Randazzo, COS Managerfor Carlisle Tire & Wheel earned a promo-tion to Paint Department Manger. He willhave a dual role in both departments…CRCChangchun China, one of the two maintrain manufacturers in China is launching along-term engagement with TBMChina…The Meihua Group, a young private Chinese company that makes aboutone-third of the total worldwide MSG islaunching a long term engagement withTBM China. David Johnson recentlyjoined Steris as Vice President of GlobalManufacturing. The TBM MedicalProducts & Pharmaceutical Practicerecently launched work with four new clientsites: Zimmer in Parsippany, NJ, Catalentin St. Petersburg, FL, Steris Manufacturingin Whippany, NJ and Cleveland, OH.

Congratulations to the following LeanCertification Graduates in Mexico: MartinGuzmán Barrera from Copreci, JorgeZambrano and Luis Rodríguez Ibarra fromCarrier, Juan Gerardo Uribe Vázquez, andCésar Andrés Peralta Ramirez fromAramark, Miguel Angel López López, JoséLuis Arellano Nebrada, and RobertoCarlos Navarro Romo from Telas del HogarSA de CV…The following Owens Corningassociates completed Lean CertificationProgram Leader training: John Misud, JonVerhoff, Steve Matrisciano and FranciscoAguilar….Congratulations to the followingLean Certification graduates from GEX inIndia: Rahesh Nandula, Arun Kumar,Uma Shankar, Hitesh Trivedi, AnitaSharma, Vishwanath, Dilip N, KantharajDev, Prabash Kashyap, Satish Chandra,Hari Krishna, Shripad Hegde, and SanjitSingh....Congratulations to the followingLean Certification graduates from Owens

LEANCOMMUNITYNEWSMANAGINGQ3.10

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Managing Times | Q3.10www.managingtimes.com

Corning in China: Xia Yan, Xujin Tu,Jianxing Xu, Hao Yi, Binghai Kang, YingZhou, Zhongyi Lu.

Congratulations to the followingLeanSigma® Green Belt Graduates: TonyGroves of Hayward Pool Products, JenniferCook, Dean Lazenby, Greg Baird andStephanie Hawkins of Owens Corning.Dr. Rieinhard Kleyna of WIKAInstruments in Germany recently earned certification as a LeanSigma Black Belt.

Welcome! Peggy Yang joined TBMChina as marketing manager…CharlesChen rejoined the TBM China team as asenior management consultant primarilysupporting two Armstrong plants inChina…Sonja Loth recently joined TBMEurope as Marketing and BusinessDevelopment Manager for Germany. She isfluent in German, English and French.Darragh MacNeill joined TBM as SeniorManagement Consultant on Team Germany/ Eastern Europe. He comes from IBMGlobal Business Services and has experiencewith numerous CI, Lean Supply Chain andLean Product Development engagements.

Farewell! Jim Scott, a long time TBMconsultant and BPK expert recently leftTBM to work at a contract manufacturingcompany in North Carolina…and TBMconsultant, Paula Paben recently accepted anew job closer to home so she can spendmore time with her family.

CASESTUDY

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Client >The Link-Belt Construction EquipmentCompany is a leader in the design, manufac-ture and sale of telescopic and lattice boomcranes, with headquarters in Lexington, Ky.The current company was formed in 1986as a joint venture between FMC Corp. andJapan’s Sumitomo Heavy Industries,although the original Link-Belt was patentedin 1874. Sumitomo became sole owner andparent company in 1989. Link-Belt isknown for its innovative design and sells itshigh-quality cranes to construction-industrycustomers all over the world. Link-Belt’sproduct line consists of lattice trucks, latticecrawlers, telescopic crawlers, all-terraincranes, rough-terrain cranes and hydraulictruck cranes.

Challenge >Link-Belt introduced lean manufacturingand other improvement-focused practices tothe plant floor through its production-engineering department in 1994. But as wasthe case at many manufacturing companiesin the 1990s, this effort was limited to production and never resulted in an enterprise-wide culture change. Enthusiasmfor lean programs waned over the years, butSumitomo executives began encouragingLink-Belt managers to revisit lean process-improvement as a way to meet strategicgrowth goals as the competitive pressure ofglobal economics escalated in the 2000s.

Solution >Link-Belt invested heavily in its peoplethrough training, creating a centralized continuous-improvement office, and implementing a job-retention plan duringthe economic slowdown. Its first kaizenevent solved a tenacious supply-chain problem by forming a long-term commitmentwith a preferred component supplier. Thesupplier relocated to the Link-Belt campususing space freed up by inventory reduc-tions, a model Link-Belt wants to use withother key suppliers. The company also beganreorganizing into value-streams by commonkey processes, which consolidated and simplified planning. Additionally, Link-Beltstarted using Design for LeanSigma forproduct innovation after voice-of-the-customer research identified the need for anew crane attachment. About 53% ofemployees have now participated in leanactivities as part of their daily work, but thecompany has a current goal of 70% partici-pation by year-end 2010.


LeanSigma Improvements Propel Growth MomentumLink-Belt defies economic downturn with aggressive expansion plan

By Tonya Vinas, Editorial Consultant and Freelance Writer

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3Managing Times | Q3.10www.managingtimes.com

Results >Link-Belt’s inaugural supplier-developmentproject resulted in fast, substantial and highly visible improvements. This rekindleda spirit of process improvement throughoutthe company, which despite being in one ofthe hardest hit industries of the GreatRecession, stuck to an aggressive growthstrategy. Through its reorganization andrealignment of resources to support lean systems, Link-Belt has gained significantcompetitive advantage through cycle-timeand waste reductions, supplier engagement,and speed and innovation of new productdevelopment. Among Sumitomo HeavyIndustries companies, Link-Belt is now recognized as a leading lean example.

2006 was a year of dubious distinctionfor Link-Belt Construction Equipment Co.During that year, the first hints of economic trouble began bubbling in other industries. Meanwhile, lean management made a re-appearance at Link-Belt through a new relationship with TBM Consulting Groupthat continues today.

Link-Belt’s strategic goals included salesand market growth, and leaders weren’tgoing to abandon this plan despite a deepen-ing crisis that would ultimately become TheGreat Recession. Link-Belt leaders askedTBM for help in creating the Link-BeltProduction System (LBPS).

The bold decision to defy popular“bunker mentality” tactics during the downturn has paid off by returning short-termfinancial and operational improvements (seeResults From LeanSigma Improvements Since2006) and — most importantly — by posi-tioning the company for dramatic growth asthe global economy recovers.

Since 2008, Link-Belt has significantlyexpanded and upgraded its manufacturingcapabilities. The company has invested morethan $25 million in formed and lattice-boomproduction capabilities, becoming one of thefew crane builders in the world manufacturingits own formed boom. In 2009, Link-Beltbegan a second, $10 million expansion thatwill house manufacturing of large telescopicboom cranes.

The Link-Belt Production SystemThe Link-Belt Production System concen-trates on shortening the time betweenthe customer order and the shipment ofthe product through the elimination ofwaste.

Key Points• Management support driving

sustainment.• Kaizen Breakthrough methodology

focuses on time and immediate results.• Being a lean organization supports a

cultural transformation.

CASESTUDY (continued)

4 Managing Times | Q3.10www.managingtimes.com

Results from LeanSigma Improvements Since 2006

Cumulative new-hire cost avoidance: $1,326,000.• $1,098,000: In 2007-2008, the company saw an average telescopic product demand increase

of nearly 30% and was able to quickly increase capacity and efficiency in telescopic crane assembly. They accomplished this by balancing work content, operating entirely on one shift while achieving all-time records on assembly start schedules.

• $228,000: Kaizen activity in lattice boom Manufacturing and Receiving used lean tools to identify and eliminate waste while balancing work to takt time, resulting in the savings.

Inventory reduction (total inventory): $2,800,000. • $400,000: 2006-2007; Pull system implementation of sheet-metal parts (fenders, hoods, steps,

etc). In addition to freeing up cash from idle raw materials and WIP, Link-Belt was able to reduce rework and scrap goods substantially by eliminating batch outside storage through the implementation of kits by unit/machine supporting one unit flow.

• $1,300,000: 2007-2009; Implementation of a kit pull system from current suppliers for latticeboom weld on components resulted in sustainable reductions of inventory and eliminated many wastes associated with high inventory levels and poor parts presentation to welders.

• $1,100,000: 2008-2009; Implementation of a kit pull system from current supplier of formedboom sub-weldment components allowed sustainable reductions in inventory and created easy visual management of product flow through multiple processing steps.

Operator cycle-time reductions: 8-28% cycle time reductions: The key focus of lean activity hasbeen eliminating non-value added activity (NVA). Identifying and eliminating NVA improved pro-ductivity and quality by allowing operators to focus on the value-added steps. Creating a standard-ized work place reduced the dependency on tribal knowledge and developed cross-functional teamsthat can react quickly to changes with minimal impact to the customer.

Floor-space reduction: 20,000 square feet: Implementation of JIT delivery for sheet metal kitsfreed up 20,000 square feet of warehouse space that supported the strategic decision to moveQualex (sheet metal and lattice boom weld on components) in as an on-site supplier.

Lead time reduction: 60-75% lead time reduction: Created on-site supplier (Qualex) to manufac-ture sheet metal kits resulting in an overall shortened lead time (60-15 days). Link-Belt’s strategicdecision to manufacture telescopic formed boom shells resulted in 62% reduction in lead time,ensuring JIT delivery with minimal work in process and inventory.

Part-travel reduction: As high as 27% (receiving area)Average 5S increase/event: 197%Corrected safety items: 286

Team Members, left to right, front to back: (Front Row) Ned Snow, Marvin Hitch, Bill Stiltner, Mike Bennett, MikeClevenger (Back Row) Bob Brant, Tim Ritchie, Jimmy Barber, Jerry Lamour, Roger Staneck after a machining center shopfloor Kaizen event.


Project Results in Long-Term SupplierCommitment

Link-Belt’s first project with TBMfocused on relations with Qualex, which supplies the company with components fabricated out of sheet metal.

According to VP/Manufacturing JimForshee, a 35-year veteran of the company,Link-Belt was purchasing fabricated compo-nents from as many as four suppliers from asfar away as 200 miles. MRP for batch production drove the process, and lots ofexcess inventory was being stored outside, sodamage and scrap was high.

“We struggled for years to improve theprocess without making progress,” Forshee

said. “With the help of TBM, we designatedQualex our preferred supplier and invitedthem to participate in a business-processkaizen.”

A dramatic turn-around resulted. The twocompanies now have a long-term commit-ment, codified in the relocation of Qualex toLink-Belt’s Lexington, Ky., campus. Now thefabricated components are produced, sup-plied and consumed using one-piece flowand simple visual signals. First-year resultsincluded:

• Inventory reduction of $400,000, or 80%.• Reduction from 200 miles to 200 feet

for component transport.• Queue sizes down by 25%.• WIP down 25%.• Damage/rework reduced 50%.• Purchasing lead time from 60 days to

15 days.Today Qualex is taking on more work

and expanding its capabilities in response toincreased orders from Link-Belt.

According to Forshee, the success of theQualex project reinvigorated a processimprovement spirit at the company. “It happened quick, and the rest is history. Inone week’s time, you could see the results ofyour effort. We went from ‘stay in your owndepartment’ to highly cross-functionalimprovement efforts with lots of employeeinvolvement. That wasn’t necessarily in placein years past.”

Creating a Centralized Continuous-Improvement Office

In addition to investing in equipmentand other capital, Link-Belt has investedextensively in human resources. These “people” investments are the bedrock of the

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company’s growth strategy and are essentialto making everything from simple processimprovements to innovative new products areality.

The company’s internal lean office —created early in the TBM relationship —originally consisted of one production engi-neer. Currently, Lean Systems Manager ScottVannarsdall, who joined Link-Belt two yearsago, heads the Lean Systems Office. Thestaff also includes a lean systems engineer,MDI technician, lean office coordinator, anda Design for LeanSigma engineer.

One of the first challenges for the newlean office was to organize the plant intovalue streams by process: boom fabrication,welding and machining; large structuralframe fabrication, welding and machining;and final assembly. Value-stream leaders andteams now make daily operational and planning decisions within their groups.

Protecting Vital Human ResourcesIn addition to creating the lean office

and empowered value streams, Link-Beltleaders made a commitment to maintaintheir core workforce during the recession,slowing down production and asking for vol-

At the CEMEX plant in New Braunfels, TX, this 50 ton RTC-8050 Series II unloaded an 800 foot long, 28,000 pound conveyer belt for an aggregate plant. The machine also helped hang 1,100 poundsteel sheets to repair chute work on an 85 foot-high wash plant roof; Paul Zink, Jim Forshee, Russell Hopper & Scott Vannarsdall reviewing an area model designed in a Vision/Planning Kaizen Event;Negotiator, Bob Gendreau, during a business process mapping Kaizen event; and an RTC unit going through the final paint touch up and decal process.

untary time off from employees, who wouldnot be paid but would keep healthcare bene-fits while off work. (So many employees vol-unteered that not all could be accommodat-ed.) The company also relied on the flexibili-ty of a stable contract labor force, which ithad in place. (Contract employees at Link-Belt work full time, receive profit sharing,and often are asked to join the company ascore employees.)

This commitment to preserve ties withloyal employees was a key strategy to pro-tecting the most important component ofcustomer value-creation.

Linking Productivity to Growth GoalsThe direct connection between a

LeanSigma process-improvement focus andLink-Belt’s growth imperative played outclearly in another project that focused onimproving efficiency of a production linethat assembled both the hydraulic truckcrane and the rough-terrain crane.Vannarsdall suspected waste in the processbecause the two products had major variations in cycle times and materials. Asthe team was working on improvement in2007, they received word to expect an up-tick in orders the next year. (As large capital purchases, construction cranes havelong purchase cycles).

“We were halfway through this projectwhen we saw demand increase,” Vannarsdallsaid. “It made sense at that time to separatethe lines into two. We looked at it before,but we never realized what a big impact ithad on waste. After we really understoodwhat was going on there, we realized that wewere overstaffed [in assembly].”

The single line became two much moreefficient lines. And, assembly for all modelswas moved onto one shift instead of three,

which is a more efficient use of operatorsand allows for immediate attention fromdaytime support staff when problems arise.

Vannarsdall is particularly proud of howfast the team completed the transformationin response to anticipated customer demand.

“By August 2007, we converted roughly83,000 square feet of manufacturing facilityand created a new supermarket area, and hadit running for both products. We did thiswithout missing any customer requirements.”

Focusing on Customer NeedsGoing forward, Link-Belt is focusing on

identifying the unmet needs of customersand then meeting them, whether the need isfor faster and more flexible response or anentirely new product. For example, reducinglead time is the impetus behind the company’scapital investments. In the case of telescopicbooms, bringing the fabrication and weldingin-house will reduce total lead time by aminimum of 50%. Link-Belt traditionallypurchased the booms from suppliers withfacilities in Germany and Belgium with alead time of as long as 10 months. “It reallyhampered our ability to be flexible,” Forsheesaid.

Through voice-of-the-customer work,Link-Belt identified another opportunity tofulfill an unmet need. Customers wanted tobe able to pick up a panel (such as for awall) with a crane, rotate, and then set it inplace using two hooks. Link-Belt engineersdecided to use Design for LeanSigma as theprocess to create the new attachment. Theresulting hydraulic offset fly attachment pro-vides the advantage of reduced set-up timefor customers because they can now do therequired job with less equipment beingtransported to the construction site. WhileLink-Belt does not yet have formal feedback

CASESTUDY (continued)

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

“Not laying off people was a

more expensive option but they

wanted to be ready for customers

when the downturn reversed. ”~ Ken Van Winkle, a TBM consultant working with Link-Belt.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


on the new attachment, the company is con-fident it will attract new customers and neworders.

Design for LeanSigma®

– a unique approach to new product development, production process planning

and implementation by using rapid, team-based product and process design

within a lean framework generating results that are a quantum leap from traditional or

concurrent engineering approaches.

Today, Link-Belt has a lean productdevelopment room, which includes extensivevisuals and measures of safety, quality, costand delivery.

“We always looked for opportunities forimprovement,” said Design Engineering VicePresident Bruce White. “But we never had acontinuous-improvement tool to house itunder as we do today.”

Indeed, creating a cohesive continuous-improvement mindset and infrastructure —along with executive commitment to stickwith growth goals while protecting valuablehuman resources — have put Link-Belt in amuch-envied position as the constructionindustry rebounds.

“We’re posed to rapidly take advantageof increased orders,” Forshee said. “This isthe first time that we’ve made these types ofcapital investments and plans so that we areready for the next cycle rather then waitingfor the orders to pick up and then make theinvestment. By that time, it’s too late.”


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Wanting to give back to a community that helped them growtheir business, Buck’s Crane Service, Rudd Equipment andIndustrial Contractors of Evansville, IN, each donated Link-Belts for Evansville’s Thunder on the Ohio UnlimitedHydroplane Race. Lifting boats were a 75 ton RTC-8075, a 90ton HTT-8690 and a 65 ton HTC-8665. The boat weighedjust under 7,000 pounds dry. After a boat flipped, however, itweighed up to 15,000 pounds.

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We hear the question all of the time.“We see the immediate benefits from ourlean projects and events. We understand thepower of the process. Why don’t we see it onthe P&L statement?” The CFO, who fre-quently isn’t participating directly, mighteven put it more bluntly, “On that kaizenevent you say you improved productivity inthat workcell by 50%. But next week’s pay-roll will be the same as this week. Where’sthe return?”

At the tactical level, whether it’s akaizen event, a lean project, or an A3, translating such ground-level activity intofinancial gains follows a three-step process inwhich the ultimate responsibility for capturingthe benefits depends on management action.

The first step is making the improvements,applying the lean tools and methodology toeliminate waste, improve productivity, reduceinventory, and improve flow.

The second step is to physically free upthe resources. This could be floor space,

labor hours, machine time, material utiliza-tion, or plant capacity.

The third step is the specific action thatmanagement takes to capture the gains.For example, if a kaizen project frees up floorspace on the factory floor, managementaction starts by roping it off and not allowingit to be backfilled with miscellaneous materialand equipment. But it hasn’t been convertedto dollars yet. Monetizing such gains happenswhen the company is able to close an outsidewarehouse, or use the floor space for additional production and avoid the need toinvest in new buildings in order to grow.

If you generate productivity gains in anarea, supervisors and managers must followthrough and permanently remove the laborfrom that area. You don’t want to go back intwo weeks and find the same number ofoperators on the line. Management can thenreduce total labor hours by eliminating overtime or temporary help, or throughattrition. Of course, freeing up labor and


STRATEGICVISIONING

Lean ROI Guest ViewpointA Three-Step Process for Capturing the Financial Benefits of LeanTranslating lean gains into superior shareholder value

By Bill Schwartz, Managing Director of TBM’s Medical Products and Pharmaceutical Consulting Practice

Bill Schwartz was a math major in collegeand he still likes the numbers. He is currently Managing Director of TBM’sMedical Products and PharmaceuticalConsulting Practice. He challenges clients toleverage lean as a strategic tool for growthby implementing strategy deployment and driving culture change.

Leverage Waste Into Dollars

Step 1

Eliminate Waste

Step 1

Free Up Resources

Yield

Labor Hours

Machine Time

Plant Capacity

Step 3

Management Action

• Reduce Scrap• Flows to P&L (standard cost system)

• Free up labor (OT, attrition, temps)• Reduce Hours or Add Volume

(increases productivity)

• Reduce CapEx (cash plus future fixed cost)

• Add Volume (increases productivity)

• Redce Footprint (reduces final cost)• Add Volume (increases leverage)

All of these actions increase ROA


floor space creates an opportunity to bringin more work and do it with existingemployees, thereby eliminating any potentialneed for layoffs and improving return onassets. Such actions convert the waste thathas been eliminated into hard returns.

If a project improves yield, by reducingscrap for example, the money can flow outpretty quickly with less material usage.Unfortunately, such gains can get lost in astandard cost accounting system. Here thereduction will show up as a material usagevariance that can be difficult to trace. If standard cost builds in a 2% scrap rate—ineffect saying that it’s okay to throw away 2%of material—when process improvementsreduce scrap rates management must revisethe standard.

Every lean project or event will free upcapacity in one form or another, be it production capacity, inventory storage space,asset utilization or working capital. Whenyour teams free up those resources, it ismanagement’s responsibility to followthrough and capture those gains and trans-late them into financial returns.

Make no mistake about it. The lean journey is all about generating shareholdervalue. It starts by focusing on the customerand responding to and serving customerswell in order to grow. But in the end itcomes down to generating maximum value.Lean enables superior value creation by bothincreasing profit and reducing the assetsrequired to generate it.

Shareholder value can be expressed as asimple equation of profit over assets, orreturn on assets (ROA). Profits consist ofrevenues minus costs; and assets consist ofnet working capital plus fixed assets (seechart on page 10). This may be obvious tomost business managers, but it’s importantfor the management team to think aboutthese

factors when marrying their lean journey tofinancial performance. The actions, processimprovements and investments that theydecide to pursue will increase or decreaseROA.

It’s important to remember that most people in an organization, even supervisorsand department managers, don’t fully understand financial statements or whateffect their actions can have on the numbers.Lean efforts will affect both the numeratorand denominator of this equation.

A typical lean initiative, whether it’s aproject or event, will generate double-digitimprovements in profits by decreasing costsor improving labor productivity, and createdouble-digit improvements in asset utiliza-tion by reducing inventories, floor space andworking capital and future investmentrequirements. Organizations have achievedand documented such returns from a leankaizen event or project over and over again,even if they’ve already attacked a process inthe past and sustained the gains.

For example, if we start out with a 1:1ratio for ROA (profits:assets), and a leanproject increases profits by 20% and reducesasset requirements by 20% (1.2 ÷ 0.8), the

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Make no mistake about it.

The lean journey is all

about generating share-

holder value. It starts by

focusing on the customer

and responding to and

serving customers well in

order to grow.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

net gain is a 50% increase in shareholdervalue (from 1 to 1.5). That’s leverage. Suchgains can really add up if a company cancontinually improve both the numerator(profits) and the denominator (assets).

Business leaders at The WiremoldCompany (West Hartford, Conn.) in the1990s understood this. During that decadethe company made more than 15 acquisi-tions. They integrated more than half ofthose acquisitions into their existing fixedfootprint, leveraging those fixed assets whilegrowing sales and improving profitability togenerate enormous compound growth inshareholder value.

Hayward Pool Products (Elizabeth,N.J.) offers a more recent and detailedexample. Hayward acquired a marginallyprofitable heat pump company with a45,000-sq.-ft. facility, 43 salaried and hourlypeople and annual volume of 3,700 units.They brought the product line into

Hayward’s existing plant in Clemmons,N.C., manufactured it with less than 10people and drove sales through the compa-ny’s existing distribution channel. They thentripled sales on the strength of their salesnetwork and by putting the Hayward brandon the product. In the end they more thantripled sales without increasing their fixedasset structure.

Lean projects and a lean culture can contribute to superior shareholder returns byenabling innovation, reducing scrap,improving productivity, improving equipment utilization, boosting throughputand effectively integrating acquisitions, asthe Hayward example illustrates. Such initiatives can also improve velocity andreduce inventory, receivables, and facilityrequirements. There are high- and low-levelperformance metrics for all of these that canbe tied to the direct financial benefits oflean. Revenue per square foot, for example,


STRATEGICVISIONING (continued)

Translating Lean Gains into Shareholder Value

ShareholderReturn

Revenue

-Costs

Net WorkingCapital

+ Fixed Assets

= = =

PRO

FIT

ASS

ETS

New Products-

New Customers+

Existing Customers-

Material+

Labor+

Fixed Costs

Receivables+

D.S.O.+

Inventories

+Buildings

+Equipment

REV

ENU

ECO

STS

NET

WO

RKIN

GCA

PITA

LFI

XED

ASS

ETS

source: TBM Consulting Group, Inc.

• Innovation• Market Segmentation• Existing Customers

-• Scrap• Value Engineering• Productivity• O.E.E.• Throughput• Consolidation

• Accuracy• Velocity• Throughput

+• Revenue• Capital Expenditures• Footprint

is an indicator of facility productivity thatpushes people to think about how to addrevenue or volume without adding buildings.

Framing lean in terms of increasing shareholder value takes the focus away fromthe tools or creating impressive but isolatedareas of excellence. No matter how long acompany has been working at it, managerswho target and work on specific factors ofthe ROA equation can link a company’sbusiness strategy and vision to its lean journey,thereby maximizing shareholder returns. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––This article first appeared on the LeanROI.orgwebsite. LeanROI.org is an online researchproject exploring the factors that can make leaninitiatives more successful and sustainable byachieving and documenting hard financialreturns. The site is developed and managed byDavid Drickhamer, freelance writer and formereditor of Industry Week.


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On June 22, 2010, Anand Sharma, TBM

president and CEO, presented Pella Corporation

with the 2010 “Perfect Engine” award recognizing

the commitment to a continuous improvement

philosophy and its success as a “Lean” enterprise.

The award was presented to Pella’s President and

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pat Meyer on

behalf of the company’s Engineered Technologies

Division (ETD). Based in Pella, Iowa, Pella is a

family-owned, professionally-managed, privately-

held company that manufactures a full range of

high-quality residential and commercial windows

and doors for new construction, remodeling and

replacement projects.

“The Perfect Engine” refers to the precision

interworking of human resources and physical

assets to achieve outstanding productivity results

that create business agility, growth and profitability.

This annual award honors a manufacturer that

has been successful in implementing LeanSigma®

methodologies throughout the entire organization

and throughout its value chain.

Approaching nearly 17 years on its lean

journey, Pella continues to use the LeanSigma

approach to extensively innovate, develop and

launch new products and has leveraged its

competitive advantages into growth in sales and

productivity. From 1993 to 2010, the company

has executed more than 10,000 kaizen events

leveraging lean to aggressively support its growth

initiatives. Some of Pella’s recent results include:

• The ability to utilize improvements to

profitably diversify and grow, even in a

down economy

• A steady ability to maintain short customer

delivery-to promise-lead times

• The ability to maintain or reduce price for

several consecutive years

“Pella earned this year’s Perfect Engine award

because of its proven ability to use lean as a

strategic tool for growth,” said Anand Sharma,

Founder and CEO of TBM Consulting Group.

“Pella was the first Perfect Engine award recipient

in 2003 and this is the second time we have

recognized the company for its achievements.

Pella has demonstrated significant success gaining

market share and building brand loyalty through

its LeanSigma transformation and commitment

to investing in the workforce.”

“The Pella team is truly honored to again

earn the ‘perfect engine” award as we rely on lean

principles to drive continuous improvement in

our Engineered Technologies Division and

throughout the business to add value and help

create better views for our customers in the

process,” Meyer said.

TBM NAMES PELLA CORPORATION WINNER OF 2010 CORPORATE “PERFECT ENGINE” AWARD

LEANCHAMPIONS

TBM honored Pella Corporation’s Engineered Technologies Division (ETD) team with its “Perfect Engine”

Award in 2010. Pella is the only company to have earned the coveted award twice in history.

Honoring Pella Corporation’s leadership in continuous improvement are front row from left:

Gina Singer, Pella Corp Kaizen promotion office (KPO) manager; Brian Kingery, Pella Corp ETD director of opera-

tions; TBM CEO Anand Sharma presenting the Corporate “Perfect Engine” award to Pella Corporation President

and CEO Pat Meyer, and Jim Meyer, President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Pella’s ETD (no relation to

Pat Meyer.) Back row, from left: Larry Ehlinger, Pella Corp director of engineering and Bill Schwartz, TBM executive

vice president.


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Q: When were you first exposed to lean?My first exposure was in the late ’80s/early’90s. I worked for a big multi-national company that had created a lean officefocused on business process improvement.They actually coined the phrase BPI.Experts helped the subsidiary companies puttogether standard work, processes and systems to improve efficiency and effectivenessin non-manufacturing departments. I wasworking in the sales and marketing area atthe time, and we used those tools to improveour sales and marketing processes.

Q: So your first exposure was in a non-manufacturing application. Did that helpto shape how you view lean as a leadertoday?The success and results that I saw then helpme today to stay the course and get theorganization focused on keeping lean as atop priority in all of our functions. I’ve seenthe outcome. I know what happens when westick to the course.

Q: In what functional areas of yourbusiness are you using lean principles?We do kaizen events everywhere. I stress allthe time that there are opportunities to create standard work and drive efficiency

LEADERSHIPINSIGHTSQ&A with Fred Sutter, President/Carlisle Engineered Transportation Solutions Inc.By Tonya Vinas, Editorial Consultant and Freelance Writer

Alignment Specialist, Fred Sutter,President of Engineered TransportationSolutions Inc., a subsidiary of diversifiedmanufacturer, Carlisle Companies Inc.,doesn’t like to put limits on lean manage-ment — especially when it comes to serving customers.


and improvement whether it’s manufacturingor non-manufacturing. Sales, marketing,finance, HR — all of those functions canbenefit from the creation of standard workand systems. There’s inefficiency everywhere.

Q: Speaking of which . . . how do youuse standard work in your personal life?I travel a lot, and I have a standard way thatI pack my suitcase every time. I didn’t realizethis until I saw the movie “Up In The Air.”[The movie’s main characters travel frequentlyfor business.] I saw what they did and said,“I think I do that.”

Q: Often, lean fails to achieve sustainablebenefits at large, global, publicly heldcompanies. Efforts either die of neglect orare uprooted by market fluctuationsand/or leadership changes. What’s differentabout Carlisle?The current CEO is a big believer in lean,and he also has a strong manufacturingbackground. The lean principles very muchresonate with him, and the commitment tolean starts at the top. Frankly, it has notbeen an uphill battle at all. The entire company has embraced this.

Q: Was that so even during the sharpdrop in sales your division had in 2009due to the global economic crisis?Absolutely. My view of lean is that it is aculture and a mindset. It is a way of drivingquality, productivity, efficiency and betterservice to your customers. It doesn’t matter ifit is a good economic time or a bad economictime — the benefits are there. In fact youcan argue that in tough economic times,lean makes things better.

Q: How so?Lean really helped this company by enablingus to identify opportunities for efficiencyand cost savings. What we saw overall in thisdownturn was that the performances of thevery lean companies were not as negativelyaffected. At Carlisle we’re seeing lower volumes and higher costs, so we’re feelingpressure from both sides. Lean has helped usto mitigate those pressures.

Q: What about commitment and motivation at the operator level duringdifficult times? Does lean help there?Obviously the downturn creates a lot of concern in people’s minds. But we find thewhole lean process is very motivating for ouremployees. They want to contribute, andthey appreciate that someone asks for theiropinion. Last year we ran over 120 kaizenevents in our business, and just over 20 percent of our employees participated inkaizens. I continue to be amazed at howengaged and excited our employees are. Thekaizen process itself is a great motivator.

Q: Your company has its own process-improvement methodology known as theCarlisle Operating System (COS). Howdoes COS provide a competitive advantage?COS has been deployed enterprise-wide and is driving improvements in our coremanufacturing and business operations. Itenabled us to reduce factory space as ouroperations became more efficient, and

inventory requirements were reduced. In2009, we had significant COS-related costsavings. We are far from done, but ouremployees are becoming increasinglyengaged in COS and have recognized thatthe role they play as individuals makes a significant difference in the overall success ofCarlisle.

Q: Much of your improvement focus atthe moment is on distribution. Howcome?It’s really about improving the managementof our cash flow, reducing our inventory,and improving our customer service levels allat the same time. It’s easy to reduce inventory,but if you do it and sacrifice service levels,that won’t help the company in the long run.

Q: Can you give me the highlights?When we started, we had 22 distributioncenters in North America, which for a lean-oriented company is a fairly significantamount. The first thing we did was consolidate a number of our smaller DCs


into our larger DCs to get some economiesof scale. Now we are introducing lean concepts such as finished goods supermarketsand pull systems so we can better connectsupply to our customer’s demand. We’ve alsoimplemented a Sales Inventory OperationsPlanning (SIOP) process where we look atour demand, supply and production rates ona monthly basis. We do a demand-planningsession, a supply-planning session and anoperations-planning session; and all threedepartments work together to ensure wehave the right product at the right place atthe right time for our customers.

Q: Are customers looking to you to helpthem control their inventory levels?There is no doubt that our customers —especially our large OE customers — aremigrating to more Just-in-Time inventoryplanning. We’ve seen them dramaticallyreduce the amount of inventory that theycarry. Frankly, in today’s environment, youhave to have those principles in order to beeffective. With some of our key customers,we are starting to set up finished-goods kan-ban systems. Basically, it is coupling oursupply chain with our customer’s, and we’reseeing great success.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

“We do kaizen events everywhere.

I stress all the time that there are

opportunities to create standard

work and drive efficiency and

improvement whether it’s manufac-

turing or non-manufacturing. Sales,

marketing, finance, HR — all of

those functions can benefit from

the creation of standard work and

systems. There’s inefficiency

everywhere. ”~ Fred Sutter, President of Engineered Transportation Solutions Inc.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

LEADERSHIPINSIGHTS (continued)

Q: Such as?Our volume declined last year, but weimproved our inventory turns by more than10 percent, which is tough to do. But it’sworth it. We believe service is one of our keydifferentiators.

Q: How do you balance the drive forefficiency with high standards for cus-tomer service?We’re establishing key performance indica-tors that we’re holding each of the functionalareas responsible for. We review those withthem on a monthly basis. We roll all of theseup into a Web-based application, and that’swhat we use to measure and drive perform-ance improvement. People know we’re goingto review it and have questions, so everyonewants to be on track.

And the important thing about key-per-formance indicators is that you have to havea balanced scorecard. Saving money is great,but when we look at driving long-term valuefor our customers and shareholders, it’sabout service and quality and safety. Weknow we have to look at all of these things.Working on just one is not going to get uswhere we want to be.

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a

discipline that maximizes equipment productivity

and reliability. At Phifer, Inc., a manufacturer of

insect screens, solar screens, drawn wire, interior

solar control fabrics, engineered products and

outdoor designer fabrics, workers operate large

machines with countless, small, fast-moving parts.

We use TPM to ensure that equipment performs

our most critical value-added work with efficiency

and accuracy. In contrast to employees on a traditional

assembly line, the value-added work of Phifermachine operators is ensuring that the equipmentperforms as required. Operators on a continuousprocess line develop a keen sense of how theirequipment is running, and can quickly differenti-ate normal sounds and vibrations from abnormalones. In the coating department at Phifer, supervisors, mechanics, and operators use a simple TPM log sheet to keep small problemsfrom turning into big ones.

During the first six months that Phifer usedthe TPM log sheets, the company, identified,recorded and resolved over 400 issues. Whilekaizen events in this area have historically focusedon higher-level quality and productivity opportu-nities, the TPM sheets have had just as much ofan impact. Correcting a bunch of little issuesthat keep the equipment in better shape preventsthe bigger scrap and equipment uptime problems.The end result: a 20 percent improvement in firstquality productivity.

“I do not believe there is another tool in useon today’s production floors that can generate aspowerful an impact as this TPM log sheet,” says

Billy Payne, International & DistributionScreening Supervisor. “It establishes communica-tion, accountability, and ownership between production, maintenance, and supervision.”

Total Productive Maintenance

(TPM) is a discipline that

maximizes equipment

productivity and reliability.

The process begins when operators notice anabnormality with the equipment. They document the issue on a log sheet and raise a flagmounted next to the sheet to alert the mechanicthat an issue has occurred. Since the process isdesigned to address minor problems, the majorityof the issues can be repaired immediately. Themechanic lowers the flag after performing thenecessary corrective action. He then documentshis activities, date and completion time on thelog sheet . If the issue could not be resolved, heindicates the status and the item remains open.Every hour, as the supervisor walks through thearea, he or she checks the TPM log for newitems. He talks to the specific operator whologged the issue to better understand the problemand that the mechanic’s response met the operator’sexpectations. Essentially, the supervisor “closesthe loop.” When the supervisor is satisfied thatthe issue is resolved, he initials the item and closes it out.

“The operators spend their whole day withthe equipment; they know how it should work.They see problems, and can identify potentialones, much quicker than we can,” says JohnnyJohnson, Senior Coating Maintenance Manager.“In the past during departmental meetings, I wasbombarded with complaints about problemsabout which I knew nothing. Now, the operatorshave greater control. Basically, they can’t complainif they haven’t logged the issue.”

The TPM log sheet also improves communi-cation among maintenance personnel. “We hadtimes when equipment was tagged out at the endof one shift and those coming on had no ideawhat the problem was. Now, we can see what

was wrong and who was working on it. Thesheet also allows us to see if it is a reoccurringproblem as well as what has already been done toresolve it,” Johnson adds.

Even though this system has yielded excel-lent results for Phifer, it is usually a reactiveresponse to a minor equipment failure. Recently,we began using the approach to proactivelyimprove preventative maintenance procedures.Maintenance personnel and CPI resources analyzed log sheet data from several months andlooked for reoccurring issues that might point todeeper problems that could be avoided by modifying maintenance plans. We categorizedthe problems and set a baseline and goal for eachtype of issue, thereby converting “random abnormalities” into “process variations” that wecan plan for and predict.

How did a simple log sheet produce suchdramatic results? The answer has less to do withthe TPM sheet itself and more to do with how itis used. If nothing happened when an item waslogged, operators would have lost faith andquickly stopped documenting problems. Butsince their efforts drive action, the operators continue to identify equipment abnormalities.

“Everybody has bought into the program,”Payne concludes. “After implementation, wewere amazed at the number of issues that werelogged, but we were even more amazed at theresults it has generated.”


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Phifer Uses TPM to Resolve Minor Issues and Improve First Quality By Laura Jackson, Continuous Improvement Engineer, Phifer, Inc.

TECHTALK


The LeanSigma Global Summit

provides an extraordinary opportunity

to immerse yourself in innovative,

strategic thinking that will help you

transform your continuous improve-

ment initiatives. There will be

125-150 delegates from all walks of

manufacturing—all looking for

techniques, insights, and inspiration

for breathing new life into their

continuous improvement initiatives.

The summit is appropriate for senior

leaders, operations management and

continuous improvement teams.

CONSIDERTHIS

CON

SID

ER T

HIS

Lean Sigma Global SummitSeptember 14–17, 2010: Las Vegas, NV

The blockbuster agenda issure to make a big impact.

20 Breakout Sessions in Four Great TracksBreakout sessions run on Wednesday andThursday, September 15 and 16. There arefour concurrent sessions with multiplepresentations in each of the following fourtracks: Innovation & Growth, LeadershipStrategies & Culture Change, Supply ChainManagement, and Next-Level Lean Tools &Techniques. Choose from 20 breakout sessions with rich content in every track.

Panel Discussion: Strategies for Leveraging Lean to Support and FuelGrowth InitiativesA team of executive panelists will offer ideasand guidance for continuous improvementleaders who need and want to better aligntheir lean initiatives to company's strategicvision for differentiation, growth and prof-itability.

Sept. 14–17, 2010

Brochure available online:www.tbmcg.com/globalsummit


Keynote PresentationsKeynote presentations from CEOs, opera-tions leadership and lean experts.

Anand Sharma, President & CEO of TBM Consulting Group responsible fortranslating Strategy Deployment into a American management process for achieving breakthrough objectives. Anand will host the event and share insights throughout the conference.

David Mann, Independent Lean Consultant and author of Creating a Lean Culture: Tools to Sustain Lean Conversions will speak on Generating Senior Leadership Engagement in a Lean Transformation.

David Johnson, Vice President Global Manufacturing, Steris Manufacturing will speak on Rapid Lean Transformation in a Regulatory Environment.

Denny Van Zanten, Corporate VP, President & COO Heritage Division, Pella Corporation will speak on Using Lean to Create a Better View.

Jeff Northern, Senior Advisor, Field Operations, TPG Capital, L.P. and

Donald Maier, Senior Vice President, Operations, Armstrong World Industries will speak on Full Potential Process for Lean and Strategy Deployment.

Keni Thomas, former Army Ranger, Award-Winning Country Music Artist and Spokesperson for the Hero Fund will speak about his experience as an Army Ranger during the Black Hawk Down mission in Mogadishu, Somalia.

RegistrationTo register, visitwww.tbmcg.com/GlobalSummit or call800.438.5535. The event is held approxi-mately 30 minutes away from tourist attrac-tions at a conference center setting appropri-ate for a professional gathering.

Blackhawk Down Army Rangerto Speak at the LeanSigmaGlobal Summit

Business leaders love to study leader-ship. They read about it, talk about it,preach about it, and post motivational say-ings about it in their offices — especiallyduring difficult times. Few of them, howev-er, have had to lead a team through 18 hoursof urban warfare that wounded 78 comradesand killed 18 countrymen. Former ArmyRanger Keni Thomas has, and he will sharewhat he learned about leadership, training,teamwork and planning when he speaks atthe 2010 LeanSigma Global Summit.

Thomas and his fellow Rangers distin-guished themselves while deployed inMogodishu, Somalia, in 1993 for the Oct. 3fire fight that was later recounted in thebook and movie “Blackhawk Down.” He is arecipient of the Bronze Heart for Valor forhis role in the battle.

Now a motivational speaker and musician, Thomas shares his story with avariety of groups, delivering the overarchingmessage that when properly trained peopleunderstand how crucial their contributionsare to a team, they will perform exceptional-ly in difficult circumstances.

“I don’t talk about colonels and generalswho were in high positions,” Thomas saidrecently from his home in Nashville. “Thesewere just young guys, and they weren’t incharge of anyone but themselves. But know-ing they were being counted on, theystepped up to greatness. They knew that ifthey fell out, the person next to them wasgoing to get let down.”

Thomas also discusses how ongoing,consistent training — although difficult andfrustrating at times — was crucial to eliciting exceptional individual performanceduring the battle, a message that businessleaders need to hear as they are often pres-sured to trim training budgets to cut costs.

TBM

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Corporate HeadquartersDurham, North Carolina

800.438.5535

AustraliaMelbourne, Victoria

03.9521.8654

BrazilSão Paulo

55.11.5051.7490

ChinaPudong, Shanghai

86.21.6888.6671

FranceLyon

33.472.91.32.88

GermanyHeidelberg

49 (0) 6221.825.835

IndiaGurgaon

91.124.437.5995

MexicoMonterrey

52.81.50.00.91.36

SwitzerlandGeneva

41.22.710.77.70

United KingdomDerby

44.1332.367378

TBM LeanSigma® Institute 2010 Schedule Highlights

MANAGINGQ3.10

TIMES

LEAN CONFERENCE: LeanSigma Global Summit Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity to immerse yourself in innovative,strategic thinking that will transform your continuous improvement initiatives. Choose from 20 breakout sessions with rich content in fourtracks. We’ve added a panel discussion focused on how to leverage leanto support and fuel growth initiatives. Ample time for networking and learning.

•September 14-17, 2010 – Las Vegas, NVGo to www.tbmcg.com/GlobalSummit for more information.

KAIZEN TRAINING: Kaizen Breakthrough Experience Participate in a live Kaizen event at a lean manufacturing site. Experiencethe dramatic bottom-line improvement and efficiency you can quicklyachieve and sustain as your kaizen team implements lean tools in an actualbusiness operation.

•October 11-15, 2010 at Carlisle SynTec in Carlisle, PAGo to www.tbmcg.com/kbe for workshop details, to select your kaizen team and register for the workshop.

International Lean Excellence Conference A lean user conference for mid-level managers and leaders managing the dailyimplementation of lean inside their organizations. Contact Donna Hopkins inthe UK office for more information and registration.

•November 3-4, 2010 at Carlisle Brake in Pontypool, Gwent, Wales

EXECUTIVE SEMINAR: Leveraging LeanSigma for Growth An interactive two-day workshop for senior manufacturing executives whowish to create a clear, concise and compelling vision and leadershiproadmap for business transformation. This workshop focuses on using thepowerful and proven tools of LeanSigma, the Kaizen Breakthroughmethodology, and Value Innovation to create unique competitive advantages and a high-performance culture for exceptional growth in salesand earnings.

• December 7-8, 2010 in Durham, NCGo to www.tbmcg.com/llg for more information and additional workshop dates throughout the globe.

WEBINAR: Strategy Deployment: Best Practices and LeadershipBehaviors that Deliver Breakthrough Results Hosted by Kevin Quinn, VP Manufacturing, Pactiv Corporation and DanSullivan, Principal with TBM Consulting Group, Inc.

Pactiv Corporation committed to continuous improvement over three yearsago but their management team decided it needed to step-up the pace bybuilding a better process for bridging the gap between planning and execution. Learn how they utilize Policy Deployment (otherwise known asgoal deployment, strategy deployment, or Hoshin Kanri) to align people,plans, process and performance. Gain insight to a management processthat translates 3-5 year goals for market share growth, profitability, cashflow and innovation and creates focus on annual objectives, businessprocesses and measurable targets that unite and align the entire organization.

• Download the webcast at www.tbmcg.com/webcast/8-13

link-belt case study - q3 2010 managing times

Documents

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