Case Study - Think Big Printing
The project
- Reduce wasted materials and labour by improving the accuracy of reporting of product non-conformances and eliminating extra work required to correct nonconformities (rework).
- Identify root causes, improve management systems in place, and involve employees in seeking solutions to prevent recurrence.
Download the Case Study - Think Big Printing (PDF 2.5 MB).
Background
- The company is actively recycling almost half of its production wastes, including aluminium, corflute and cardboard.
- Remaining wastes are predominantly vinyl; options for recycling vinyl are very limited and not available in Tasmania.
Objectives
- Improve accuracy of non-conformance reporting.
- Reduce rework across the production process.
- Reduce waste to landfill.
Targets
- 100% recording of nonconformance.
- 50% reduction in rework.
Outcomes
What was implemented?
- A cloud-based App was introduced for recording waste in process.
- A dashboard and weekly Toolbox meeting provide real time feedback on performance for staff and the opportunity to learn from mistakes.
- Staff developed and implemented a quality control process to reduce rework from errors in artwork.
Key issues
- How to improve the accuracy of reporting - developing appropriate tools to collect data.
- How to get people to use the error reporting tool - removing ‘blame’ from the process and raising the status of waste as a performance indicator.
Performance against targets
- We are confident that staff are reporting 100% of the nonconformances detected.
- However, this means that our rework levels appear higher! Now that we have an accurate picture of the problems, we can focus on target areas for reducing rework.
Lessons learnt
- You can’t do it overnight, it takes time and effort to address cultural issues.
- As businesses, we need to lead the way and help our customers make good choices.
- Once staff are onboard, it becomes easy.
- This is a continuous process for us – there is no end date.