What is most important for lean manufacturing success? Some immediately think about automation. Others point to eliminating the eight forms of waste: product defects, inventory, overproduction, overprocessing, unused talent, motion waste, transportation, and waiting. Yet others immediately focus on error-proofing with Poka Yoke solutions. However, none of these improvements happen without effective shop floor management. Without lean manufacturing teams and production, schedules are never aligned.
Seamless shop floor management doesn’t happen by accident. Constructive management isn’t a byproduct of lean principles but a prerequisite to successfully adopting them. Without solid planning, lean success is hard to come by — if not impossible. Success requires a dedicated workforce continually focused on eliminating the communication gaps that lead to costly mistakes, delays, waste, and inefficiencies.
The Importance of Communication on the Shop Floor
Think about how easily communication breakdowns can wreak havoc on shop floor management. Simple misunderstandings between production shifts, managers, and employees can lead to numerous mistakes. Those errors frequently result in missed deliveries, accidents, endless rework, lost production throughput, and defective products.
In manufacturing environments where silo mentalities thrive, employees, shifts, and teams often keep critical tools, consumables, and materials for themselves. This resource guarding manifests itself in excessive production waste, high labor and material costs, poor employee morale, and seemingly endless manufacturing disruptions.
These silos really go against the principles of lean manufacturing, yet miscommunication still sneaks in, even in some of the best lean environments. Optimized shop floor management makes communication seamless. When you run things using lean principles, everything becomes more efficient — employee safety gets top priority, morale improves, and productivity soars.
Now, the million-dollar question: What can you do to ensure seamless, uninterrupted, and optimized shop floor management?
Strategies to Enhance Communication
For manufacturers to properly adopt lean principles and optimize shop floor management, singular-focused goals must become the norm. Every member of the team must be aligned with these goals. There can be no ambiguity, no confusion, and nothing can be left to interpretation. Clear and effective communication is the most critical aspect of shop floor management and the magical elixir that makes lean environments work.
The Right Visual Tools
To manage your shop floor effectively, you’ll want to use tools like digital dashboards, TAKT boards, Kanban boards, Andon systems, or activity boards. These visual tools keep your production teams on the same page, helping everyone stay focused on shared goals while also keeping an eye on safety requirements and potential hazards.
Shift Changeovers
Creating smooth shift changeovers is crucial for effective shop floor management. A quick 10- to 15-minute walkthrough between shift managers helps ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding goals, production requirements, volumes, tasks, materials, and any equipment or machine issues.
15-Minute Shift Stand-Up Meetings
Shift changeovers are the perfect time for quick, focused 15-minute stand-up meetings. During these meetings, each team member can discuss remaining work orders, tasks, and any potential obstacles. This gives shift managers a chance to quickly allocate resources to the highest priorities and ensure everyone is clear on their objectives.
Real-Time Digital Tools
Of all these tools, only one can provide real-time, centralized reporting and near-instant updates on production throughput. Only one can track production as it happens, allowing shift managers to track key performance indicators (KPI) and critical metrics. Only one ensures that interactive monitors display the information manufacturing teams need to succeed.
Real-time production tracking software is an absolute must for successful shop floor management. It ensures interactive monitors and digital screens always have the latest data. Investing in mobile-friendly production tracking solutions puts all the information in a shift manager’s hands, enabling them to align everyone’s responsibilities.
How to Bridge Communication Gaps Between Departments
Effective shop floor management isn’t merely a question of eliminating communication gaps between employees and shift managers. It’s also about ensuring that every department is aligned so that the shop floor can succeed.
Regular meetings with production, maintenance crews, purchasing, logistics, and inventory management an essential first step. Proper shop floor management also depends on understanding supply chain limitations, the impact of material shortages, possible inventory stockouts, and the time needed for equipment maintenance and repair.
Additionally, fostering open communication means being open to constructive feedback on how to improve it. In a lean manufacturing environment, employees need to feel empowered to speak up. When they do, they’ll know their input is valued and that they’re an integral part of the process and success.
Improve Team Morale and Coordination with Improved Communication
When you invest in the right communication tools and adopt the right strategies, your shop floor management ascends to higher levels. Your teams are aligned, employees are more focused, morale improves, and delays and costs are always minimized.
If you're looking to improve communication as part of your shop floor management approach, start gradually. Measure success and adjust. In any lean environment, small incremental steps and a never-ending commitment to continuous improvement always win the day.
