Thread Roll Drivers for 2024

A driver represents a key activity that drives the operations and financial results of a company.

In Thread Roll, we chose three drivers this year that we really wanted to focus on:  Parts Produced, Machine Efficiency, and Training Hours.  We also have a year-long mini game called “Make the Boss Pay” which is aimed at tackling Cost of Poor Quality (CoPQ). We were able to win that mini game in Q1, and the team leader treated his team to a fun lunch.

Parts Produced

We track and record parts produced daily on our department scoreboard.  This allows us to see where we are as far as how many parts we’ve rolled in relation to our absorbed costs forecast.  And everyone knows, the more quality parts produced, the more profitable Fastco will be.

Efficiency

We track this measurable weekly in our team huddles.  This allows our team to see on average how efficiently the machines are running in relation to their standard run rates in PLEX, our ERP system.

Training Hours

We track training hours weekly in our team huddles.  We track the total number of hours team members are logged into machines under “Training.”

Behind the Drivers: Our Challenges

Cost of Poor Quality and Training seem to be the two biggest challenges facing Thread Roll right now. Luckily, with help from our department scoreboard and mini game, we are able to track and review these numbers regularly.  I feel these challenges go hand-in-hand. Once we’ve established more training in our department, the CoPQ numbers should drop considerably.

Training Days

This leads directly into what I am most excited about for Thread Roll in 2024, which is training, training, training!  The “Training Days” we’ve started have helped up and coming setup personnel to be able to focus more on setups without the need to stop what they are doing to dump production pans.  We will continue to implement more of these “Training Days” when opportunities present themselves.

by Matt Kik, Thread Roll Team Leader