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Presentation

STOP! The transformative power of encouraging your employees to stop the line

Presentation Code: VS1-01

Value Stream: VS1 - Fundamentals of Lean

Day & Time: Tuesday, Oct 16, 2012 - 9:30 AM

Length: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Sometimes you have to stop the line to improve things. However, workers often try to keep things moving because of the costs involved in stopping production. But that can be even more costly, especially if firefighters, scientists, farmers, meteorologists, military snipers and Olympic athletes depend on your products. Nielsen-Kellerman knows this and that's why the company adopted lean. Now employees stop the line when it should be stopped, and the company is all the better for it. Lean has made a difference since the company adopted it 10 years ago, and production has accelerated even more since it implemented its Andon Light System. It's an approach to lean improvement that is simple to implement and doesn't require you to pull employees off the line for multi-day kaizens. It's an approach to lean that you will want to hear about.

In this presentation:

  • Hear about the Nielsen-Kellerman Andon Light System.
  • Find out how Nielsen-Kellerman teaches employees how to recognize and act on opportunities for improvement.
  • Learn how to build problem-solving "muscle" in every department.
  • Hear how to improve quality, reduce defects, increase throughput and reduce waste.
  • Find out how to establish a self-reinforcing culture of excellence and involvement.
  • See a real andon light event and take away scripts, templates and plans to get you started harnessing the power of STOP right away.

Nielsen-Kellerman Company

Nielsen-Kellerman Company (NK) has been manufacturing Kestrel brand weather instruments and high-performance electronics for the sports of rowing, dragon-boating and kayaking for over 30 years, always in the United States. NK's products are relied upon by firefighters, scientists, farmers, meteorologists, military snipers and Olympic athletes, where quality and consistency of performance are paramount.

Alix James

Alix James is a graduate of the Yale University and University of Pennsylvania law schools, a lean champion and CEO of Nielsen-Kellerman. Alix has over 20 years of experience with the Nielsen-Kellerman Company and has woven a company-wide commitment to lean thinking into the fabric of every department of the company.  Alix travelled an interesting career path. She soldered CoxBox boards in the Kellerman basement while in high school, took up rowing while at Yale University, practiced law in California and worked in advertising and marketing at Nielsen-Kellerman. And after 18 years of working in almost every department at Nielsen-Kellerman, Alix became the company's CEO.

Tim Phelps

Tim Phelps is production manager at Nielsen-Kellerman Company. Tim has been working in manufacturing for over 30 years, spending a large portion of his career with Inductotherm Industries, building military, commercial and industrial products. Tim also worked as continuous improvement manager with Swemco, a high-volume contract electronics manufacturer. Tim was introduced to lean manufacturing 12 years ago, 'got religion' and never looked back.  At Nielsen-Kellerman, Tim has been instrumental in furthering the lean culture change through his tremendous ability to put the people in the process. He believes the Andon Light System is the #1 process improvement tool because it puts so many lean skills to work at once.

 

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