Forward Observations: Journey Not the Same for All

I’ve been lucky enough to tour many industrial operations over the years, usually in the course of article research. The process has allowed me to witness a small sample of the infinite variations possible in the continuous-improvement journey. Most of the plants I’ve seen have been noteworthy examples of what we consider best practices in maintenance, asset-management, reliability and production. Typically run by efficient world-class cultures whose members are proud of their accomplishments, these are cream-of-the-crop plants, and the most likely to achieve recognition.

But these aren’t the only plants running. Many others have the same goals and are at very different parts of their journeys: good ones working toward world-class, average operations struggling to maintain hard-won improvements, and those just struggling. Good times and bad, this is the case. And when you consider the sheer size and diversity of the U.S. manufacturing landscape—some 300,000 establishments and approximately 11 million employees, as of the 2012 U.S. Census (not including utilities and mining)—it’s not surprising that everyone’s continuous-improvement journey is going to be different.

This is certainly what we found with our 2015 Efficient Plant State of the Practice Survey, which is highlighted in this issue. Its input from nearly 300 EP readers provides a benchmark for the industrial-maintenance community’s current ability to integrate and improve key procedures. And it contains much good news about those efforts. It also reminds us how difficult the continuous-improvement journey can be. The fact that many of the survey’s key findings have changed minimally for the better—or not changed at all—since the last such survey was conducted in 2012 tells us that, despite today’s many world-class manufacturing operations, not everyone’s there. Some have barely begun the trip.

Fortunately for me, personally, and my need for perspective, I’ve seen the non-superstar operations, too. One visit with a consultant on the factory floor of a struggling aeronautics client was a particular revelation. In his efforts to help his client see why more money was flowing out than in, the consultant had explained how the site’s disorganized production floor and workflow procedures were a big part of the problem. But he was having trouble convincing this well-funded, inexperienced group how a simple lean-based approach to equipment placement and workflow could start them on a corrective path. Unable to grasp this fundamental, the management team could only argue about solutions, and the consultant moved on soon after.

I’ve also seen heavy-industry operations on both sides of the fence: shipyards devoted to implementing company-wide TPM regardless of the many over-sized challenges they faced in doing so, and, by contrast, a large steel-making operation that was a trip into the past: dirt on all surfaces, outdated equipment and unengaged workers. Finally, there was a memorable visit to a large, dazzling operation that was world-class in all aspects except for their use of maintenance strategy, which was at beginner level. They had just begun to address this seemingly at-odds approach with a cautious roll-out of several maintenance programs they hoped to eventually use company-wide.

So when you view the comparative figures in our survey report (starting on page 14), don’t be surprised at the absence of eye-popping differences over the past three years. With so many ongoing inequities across manufacturing—especially the dire need for skilled workers, which our survey reconfirms—it’s some consolation that, with regard to this community’s overall understanding and use of best-practice strategies, little ground has been lost. Clearly, the journey remains a challenge, but it’s one that most of our respondents indicate they are working to meet with everything they have.