Zen and the Art of Manufacturing

On this episode of Zen and the Art of Manufacturing, we take a deep dive into embracing and adopting new technologies in manufacturing. Bryan is joined by Jason Guss, CEO and Co-founder of Iterate Labs, a wearable tech and computer vision company designed to increase safety and production in the factory in real-time.

As many of us know, the adoption of new technologies is difficult in any industry, let alone manufacturing. Jason gives us insight into getting employees to buy in, reducing turnover, developing people, and increasing safety. He explains how technology can not only digitize the factory but help to engage employees.

“A lot of these jobs, they’re really manual, repetitive, sometimes boring processes so having a piece of technology that can really digitize their actions and provide scores and feedback to them actually has had a really positive impact. They become more excited, more engaged.”

At the end of the day, the goal is to keep the worker safe and healthy, and technology can do this while helping employees achieve productivity goals along the way. This helps to create a better culture, Jason explains. When culture is improved, other key metrics start to fall in line like employee retention.

The second half of the episode focuses on the next steps once a new technology has been adopted. Where do you go from there? Jason talks about communicating value, tying metrics to specific dollar amounts, and integrating with other platforms.

Join us as we talk about all things technology and adoption with Jason Guss.

In today’s episode, Jason mentioned a few books that have helped me learn about running and growing a business:

Hiring is a hot topic right now. There are many, many manufacturing jobs available, but manufacturers have are having difficulty filling the openings. David Klotz, President of Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) joins us this week to discuss hiring and retaining skilled employees.

With over 850 members in the PMA, David is in a unique position, close to the action. His experience provides a point of view unlike any other.

“Finding talent is very hard. It’s an interesting market, and you have to find creative ways to find talent. We’ve seen customers offering signing bonuses, referral bonuses, partnering with recruiting firms, even advertising on TV and billboards.”

Join us as we discuss

• Creative initiatives to hire new talent
• Retaining skilled employees, cultivated by a great culture
• Partnering with organizations like the military or correctional facilities to train individuals in manufacturing jobs
• Promoting the trades in the younger generation through vocational training
• What to do to combat product shortages

What is your company doing to fill these positions or retain top talent? Let us know!

Too many companies focus on the wrong metrics. Instead, if they were focusing on increasing engagement and reducing turnover, other results like cost savings and increased profits would follow. Allison Greco joins us once more for a discussion on continuous improvement, the importance of soft skills, and how that helps build a competitive advantage. 

It’s all about picking the right metric to drive results she explains.

So, why isn’t everyone doing this? Well, according to Allison, there are 3 very important factors:

• A leader focused on improvement needs to exist
• The willingness to venture outside of your comfort zone and try something new
• The knowledge that you can’t be “too busy to improve”

When you have these 3 things, you have a competitive advantage above everyone else. You can iterate and change things faster. You’re 10 steps ahead of the competition.

All of which drive continuous improvement and increases company engagement.

But, she makes one very important point, too. Tools give you a structure around the improvement conversations, but the way you approach the soft skills often ends up being more important in accomplishing your goals.

So, if you’re going to do just one thing to start, she suggests looking in your company for a thought leader This person is a progressive thinker and naturally inclined to improve. You’ll “work with the person to find an improvement and communicate the heck out of that… tell the story, and it will grow.”

About Continuous Improvement International

Continuous Improvement International is a member-driven organization focused on offerings around networking and developing soft skills rather than hard skills. They have “meetings of the minds” meetings helping members develop and learn together.

Of course, there is an online library of resources such as courses and templates that help members work on hard skills, but the overarching goal is to bring people together to work on soft skills.

In today’s episode, Allison mentions her favorite book and the organization she founded to foster skill-building and networking, both of which can be found below.

Join us as we dive into the world of continuous improvement. But, instead of a focus on tools, we focus on the why. “We have to be very good at persuading people so we focus a lot on the why.”

• Why are we making a change?
• Why now?
• What’s in it for me?

Allison Greco is a continuous improvement guru, having worked for the railroad, various government roles, oil and gas, and now has founded and leads a continuous improvement organization, Continuous Improvement International.

“It starts with building a relationship with them before you actually want to go and improve processes… You listen for small things. You listen for things you could help them with today or tomorrow, and you bring them a resource and help them find an answer and build the trust.”

Join Bryan Sapot, CEO of SensrTrx, and Allison as they talk about:

• How to get everyone on board with continuous improvement
• Understanding the behaviors and habits that drive efforts
• Finding and engaging a key stakeholder that will help your project succeed
• Planning for continuous improvement projects
• Acknowledging the problems that need to be solved
• Improving rather than simply cutting costs
• Selecting metrics to drive the behaviors needed to succeed

“If we focus on the right things, develop the right habits, give things the right focus, then the results will take care of themselves.”

Paul Dunlop joins us for a second time to drill down into lean processes, measurements, effective communication, and daily production metrics.

Most manufacturers are too heavily focused on the outcome. Instead, focus on the process and measurements that contribute to that outcome. With that, communication and great culture follow.

Join Bryan and Paul as they dive into making processes work for you, understanding what to measure, structuring daily production meetings, and using those processes set to track against your goals.

Lean processes can be applied to virtually any industry, but the important thing to remember is that these processes are more than just tools.

“Lean is and always will be about what’s happening inside of people’s heads, in their brains... “We follow the tools, we follow the process, we follow the dogma, whatever it might be…but lean is fundamentally about people.”

Using real-world examples and tactics you can apply to your business, Paul dives into the world of lean processes, metrics, and even a little bit of psychology. Tune in!

During this episode, Paul mentions a few podcasts and a book which can be found with the links below:

"A process is a process, no matter the industry. Most organizations can apply Lean principles and Lean thinking." Paul Dunlop, Founder of Dunlop Consultants and a world-renowned Lean expert, joins us on this week's episode of Zen and the Art of Manufacturing to discuss all things, you guessed it, lean! 

Most industries are more receptive to "dipping their toe in the water" and using Lean principles to improve workflow, but often, these initiatives fail. Paul explains why and what needs to be done to make these initiatives successful.

Join Bryan Sapot, CEO of SensrTrx, and Paul as they talk about:

• Implementing Lean from the top-down
• Engaging all employees, regardless of role 
• Developing the habits needed to make Lean stick
• Prioritizing good habits and behaviors 
• Effective communication throughout the company 

"Developing people and process is the only thing you should be focused on" Paul says. In this episode, you'll learn how to tackle the challenge of implementing (and achieving) Lean practices that transform your business. Tune in!

Creating a successful brand is difficult, yet Trevor Crotts, Founder and President of BuddyBrands and CEO of Compel Commerce, has figured out the winning formula. Trevor joins us on this week's episode of Zen and the Art of Manufacturing to talk about all things manufacturing marketing. 

Learn why his first trade show after founding Buddy Brands was a disaster yet it led to key insights. Discover how the brand yet again pivoted after lackluster sales, creating an opportunity in eCommerce that would prove to be the key to success. 

Trevor walks listeners through effective eCommerce sales strategies as a direct-B2C company, positioning your brand in a way that captures the attention of potential customers, driving traffic to your website, and investing in employees that are going to encourage company growth and a great culture. 

Featuring real-world strategies and lessons to learn from, Trevor explains the marketing strategies that work for manufacturers. Tune in!

How do you define what excellence is in an organization? Jesse DePriest, a Lean Transformation Coach and Director of Operational Excellence at First National Bank of Omaha, joins us once more to explore defining, measuring, and solving challenges. He demystifies and pushes aside all of the well-known terminology for a straightforward look at what it takes to continuously improve, no gimmicks. 

"That's magic. We're creating that environment where people are asking for help to solve these obstacles. Now we've got an environment for learning ripe for process improvement." Tune in to learn more about simple process improvement! 

During this episode, Jesse mentions two books which can be found with the links below:

How do you figure out the difference between data and information? What is going to drive change in your organization? Jesse DePriest, a Lean Transformation Coach and Director of Operational Excellence at First National Bank of Omaha, tackles these questions, giving the listener informative and actionable answers. 

There is such a thing as too much data that becomes overwhelming and complex, and at the same time, all of the information you use should support the common objective throughout the company. 

Join us as Jesse DePriest tackles the problems and questions most manufacturers are all too familiar with - data, information, and goal setting.

When and how should you move to automatic data collection? Dick Willis, Industrial Digitization Leader at Trane Technologies, a skilled veteran in the digitized factory industry, tells us how to structure data collection and reporting, and do it successfully. A solid structure of collecting and reporting data is essential in manufacturing, but data collection is hard. And, it's hard to do it well. 

"Show me that you were able to get the right data at the right time in enough time to fix it." 

There are quite a few hurdles to getting that structure just right. Two of those hurdles are a reliance on paper and pen and Excel reporting methods and meaningless measurements. Controversial, right? But, Dick has a point. These are barriers to efficient problem solving and valuable insight. So, in this episode of Zen and the Art of Manufacturing, learn when the best time to move to automatic data collection is and what that looks like for your plant.

"By doing these things, you will improve across the board." In the second part of John Broadbent's interview with SensrTrx's Founder and CEO, Bryan Sapot, the two discuss getting started with Industry 4.0 and why it doesn't need to be hard or expensive.

According to John, you may need to enact Industry 3.0 first, and that's ok, but at least you're starting somewhere. The concept of a connected, smart manufacturer isn't going anywhere. It's a proven idea. But, if you get on the horse, you're entering the race and working towards that idea.

"We've got a decade of information and experience to show this stuff does work."

John mentions a book during this episode which can be found at the link below: 

Industry 4.0 has been around for years. Surprised? You shouldn't be. Industry greats like John Broadbent, Founder of Realise Potential, have been exploring the benefits of a new era of manufacturing technology since the early '90s.

Part 1 of Zen and the Art of Manufacturing, features Bryan Sapot, SensrTrx CEO and John Broadbent exploring the history of industry 4.0, how it's expanded throughout the years, why there's a certain role essential to executing industry 4.0 initiatives, and tips for implementing it at your own plant.

Don't miss this exceptional episode discussing the past, present, and future of industry 4.0 and John's name for the role key to encouraging industry 4.0 growth - stewardship.

Part 2 of Stuart's podcast episode dives into the maintenance metrics that you need to care about, getting operators onboard with maintenance goals, daily meetings involving the entire plant, and working together as a team. 

"We're all in this together, and how are we going to get back up and running?," Stuart asks. Essentially, the main idea behind the 2nd half of a "Healthy Maintenance Culture" is communication. If a machine goes down, it's affecting both production and maintenance, and as such, what can be done to get that machine back up and running? 

Dive into the details of a healthy culture in the plant, going beyond just maintenance in this episode. 

In part 2, we talk about the specific steps needed to become a better leader while simultaneously improving the plant. Learn why listening skills can be the number one influence of exceptional culture, why good leadership needs to start at the top in order to improve culture, and how both of these things can help improve the performance and processes of the company as a whole.

"When a leader can understand that a good idea and improvements can come from anywhere and anybody, that's a great skill because that can take an organization to the next level."

Mike Leigh is the President of OpX Solutions, a performance improvement company that helps manufacturers remove the barriers that prevent them from achieving their goals by developing leaders and improving processes. 

During this episode, Mike mentions two books and a leadership organization he belongs to which can be found with the links below:

Mike Leigh is the President of OpX Solutions, a performance improvement company that helps manufacturers remove the barriers that prevent them from achieving their goals by developing leaders and improving processes. As such, Mike knows a lot about what makes a good leader. 

In this episode of Zen and the Art of Manufacturing, Byran Sapot asks Mike, "What makes a good leader in manufacturing?" You'll hear the key qualities of a leader, as well as how those qualities transfer to running a manufacturing plant. Learn how leadership and continuous improvement work hand-in-hand to create a great culture. "Leadership behaviors and culture in the organization are the biggest factors that impact the success of your continuous improvements efforts"

Mike started OpX Solutions because to help manufacturers and other organizations be more successful, and in this podcast, he'll impart that same knowledge so you, as a listener, can improve your leadership and create success in your own organization. 

As the Ambassador of Manufacturing at Cambridge Air, Tony Spielberg builds relationships, guiding business development for the company. With his extensive knowledge and expertise on the subject, Tony sits down with SensrTrx CEO, Bryan Sapot, to talk about workforce development. Why is it important and how do you start?

In his previous role as CEO of BCI Packaging, Tony took a special interest in workforce development because of the unique workforce he managed - adults with disabilities. He was able to transform the organization, learning lessons, and providing guidance along the way.

A couple of takeaways on how Tony built a lean culture when he was CEO of BCI:

1. Tony and a small team read 2 Second Lean from Paul Akers.
2. The team started improving processes, taking videos and sharing them with employees at BCI.
3. The team recruited other employees to participate in this process.
4. Implemented daily meetings with the entire company.
5. Employees started asking to help and share their own improvements.

At the end, learn what Tony believes will change in manufacturing as a direct result of Covid-19.

During this episode, Tony mentions a number of books and publications which can be found through the links below: