Thursday, February 27, 2025

Heroes of Lean Manufacturing

 



https://www.wearekms.com/blog/2018/10/19/key-figures-in-the-history-of-lean

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Saturday, February 22, 2025

Industrial Engineering Operations Research (IEOR) - Optimization - Online Course Module Lessons


Module  of Industrial Engineering ONLINE Course 

Modules


IEOR -Application of OR to optimize every operation in process chart.

IEOR - Industrial Engineering Operations Research - Optimization - Optimizing Production, Inspection,  Handling, Stocking and Planning Operations.
Online Course Module Lessons.




Previous Module - Productivity Management. Lessons 336 - 367


371. Operations Research - An Efficiency Improvement Tool for Industrial Engineers

372. PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATIONS OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH
(from the perspective of an industrial engineer)
(From Maynard's Industrial Engineering Handbook, 5th Edition, pp. 11.27-11.44)
Jayant Rajgopal (From Rajgopal's website)
http://www.pitt.edu/~jrclass/or/or-intro.html

373. Engineering Optimization - Introduction

374. Single Variable Optimization - Engineering Problems

375. Multi-Variable Optimization - Engineering Problems

376. Constrained Optimization - Engineering Applications

377







Crankshaft - Engineering Optimization - Bibliography


Optimization - Minimization of Resources Used in Big Data Storage and Analysis


Engineering Optimization - Courses and Resources

What is mathematical programming?
http://coral.ie.lehigh.edu/~ted/files/ie316/lectures/Lecture1.pdf

Examples of Mathematical Programming.
http://coral.ie.lehigh.edu/~ted/files/ie316/lectures/Lecture2.pdf



Simplex Method
http://mat.gsia.cmu.edu/classes/QUANT/NOTES/chap7.pdf

Transportation Problem
http://orms.pef.czu.cz/text/transProblem.html

Queing Models
http://orms.pef.czu.cz/text/QueTeory/QueuingModels.html

Simulation

http://orms.pef.czu.cz/text/NolinearProgramming/simulation.html


An Overview of Optimization Techniques for CNC Milling Machine
https://www.alliedjournals.com/download_data/IJEMS_V1IS50005.pdf

New Technology and Optimization of Mobile Phone Battery
https://theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/110646/Liu%20Jian_Zhang%20Yixian.pdf?sequence=1

Combustion Optimization in PF Boilers
http://www.eecpowerindia.com/codelibrary/ckeditor/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Session%201%20Combustion%20and%20Optimisation%20in%20coal%20fired%20boilers_KBP_17_09_2013.pdf

Application of Optimization Techniques in the Power System Control
https://uni-obuda.hu/journal/Kadar_43.pdf

More cases to illustrate the application in each operation of the process chart will be collected.


Overview of injection molding process optimization technology

Optimal inspection strategy for a multi-stage production process using simulation optimization.

Optimization of material handling in production by G Ioannou · 2004


Optimization designed to optimize surgery scheduling for a hospital system.

Ud.  2.7.2022, 16.3.2022, 9.2.2022  4.2.2022
Pub 30.5.2021















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Friday, February 21, 2025

Method Study - Ralph M. Barnes - Important Points of Various Chapters - Book Seventh Edition






Book: Motion and Time Study: Design and Measurement of Work, Ralph M. Barnes





Ralph Barnes and H.B. Maynard are contemporaries and both have synthesized the existing industrial engineering literature of the period 1930 to 1940 in the books published by them. Both have indicated the full scope of industrial engineering (machine effort, human effort). Barnes focused on detailed study and improvement of operator method. He discussed equipment related issues relevant for the manipulation by the operator only.

This point needs to be emphasized again that industrial engineering has to primarily examine and improve engineering elements of engineering systems to increase productivity (example - collect for corochuck). Engineering is the provision of engines to provide additional power and advantage to persons. Operators run the equipment and tools used in engineering systems and therefore industrial engineers focus on improvement of human effort also to assure productivity of the system. Industrial engineering is better explained as engineering-system efficiency (productivity)   engineering and human effort efficiency (productivity) engineering.

Chapter 1. Productivity

Productivity Definitions

The ratio of output to some or all of the resources used to produce the output.

Labor productivity
Capital productivity
Material productivity

Barnes has indicated that productivity of three important resources used in production or engineering systems is important. Labor, capital and material are the three important resources. For increasing the productivity of labor, motion and time study are used. It is important to specifically highlight that Barnes' book is on "Motion and Time Study" only. It does not cover full industrial engineering. But Barnes clearly stated the importance of capital productivity that is machine productivity and material productivity. Cycle time reduction that reduces inventory in the system fall in the area of material productivity or more appropriately as material flow productivity. 

Productivity Index

Calculated by US Bureau of Labor Statistics for the entire economy as well as parts of the economy

An input-output model of the firm is given in  Figure 1.

Eli Lilly has century long record of productivity improvement

Technological innovation

Productivity increases by technological innovations - Example Dial telephone, farm machinery, computers.

Examples Texas instruments and Hewlett Packard were also given.

Measurement of Individual Worker Productivity

Standard Time

Actual output * Standard time per unit/Hours of effort  = productivity index

Motion and Time Study for Increasing Labor Productivity



Chapter 2  Definition and Scope of Motion and Time Study


Some have suggested that the term methods engineering, work design, work study, or job design should be used in place of motion and time study, and it may be that eventually these terms will come into wider use. There is however, at the present time a trend toward making work methods design synonymous with motion study and work measurement synonymous with time study. Therefore motion and time study and work methods design and work measurement will be used interchangeably in this book.

Motion Study or Work Methods Design (Barnes equates Motion Study to Work methods design)

1. Developing the Preferred Method.
2. Standardizing the Operation - Written Standard Practice
3. Determining the Time Standard - Work Measurement
4. Training the Operator


3 Patterns in which Motion and Time Study is used

A.  By industrial engineers - staff specialists - Originated in 1880s - Taylor and Gilbreth advocated involving operators and taking their feedback after they use the new method.
B.  Also used by Managers and Line Supervisors -Introduced in 1930s (Alan Mogensen - Work simplification workshops)
C. Also used by workers themselves in teams or groups - Came into use in 1950s


Chapter 3. History of Motion and Time Study


Taylor's Use of Time Study

Time study was initially started by F.W. Taylor in 1881 in the machine shop of the Midvale Steel Company. (Detailed note by F.W. Taylor).

Taylor was a pioneer in applying the systematic approach to that phase of industry which intimately affects the worker. He understood that he was dealing with a human problem as well as with materials and machines, and he approached the human side of his investigations with an understanding of its psychological aspects.

Human Effort Industrial Engineering - 


Barnes wrote, "So great has been Taylor's contribution to the whole problem of effective utilization of human effort in industry that we can profit from a review of some of his work in this field."



Taylor's Principles of Management

Taylor's Investigation of Shoveling

Taylor found that shovelers were lifting loads of 3.5 pounds when handling rice coal and up to 38 pounds to the shovel when moving ore. Taylor's experiments showed that with a load of 21.5 pounds on the shovel, a man could handle a maximum tonnage of material in a day.

The Beginning of Motion Study

In 1885, Gilbreth, as a young man of seventeen, entered the employ of a building contractor. Gilbreth observed that brick layers were using different set of motions and some set of motions were more productive. Gilbreth developed interest in developing more productive motion sets and methods in bricklaying.  He invented a scaffold which could quickly and easily raised as the wall height is increasing due to construction. The scaffold on which the bricklayer is standing has a bench for holding the bricks and mortar at convenient height. The bricks were placed in an orderly manner by a helper. With such improvements, the motions to be made by a bricklayer were reduced to 4.5 from the earlier 18, The average bricks laid increased to 350 per man per hour from the old rate of 120 bricks  per man per hour.

Industrial Engineering is System Efficiency Engineering and Human Effort Engineering. - Narayana Rao


Chapter 4. General Problem Solving Process


1. Problem Definition

Example: A farm plants peas in 7000 acres each year from early March to the the first of April. Harvesting is a problem and  the harvesting crew works round the clock and still cannot harvest all the acres. Dr. C.W. Thornthwaite, climatologist for the farm attacked the problem from planting side. He scheduled planting in such a way that a definite number of acres are ready for harvesting every day during the harvesting season and hence there was no confusion and overload on the harvesting team. The problem could have been tackled from the side of harvesting also. But this solution is more ideal according to the author.

2. Analysis of the Problem

The author highlights that some time certain restrictions are told by the persons who are using the current process. They need to be examined carefully. He gives the example of citrus fruit packing. They were packed in wooden crates wrapped in tissue paper with the assumption that they need ventilation. But now they are packed in cardboard cartons without any ventilation. Hence the earlier assumption was not correct.

3. Search for Possible Solutions
Study of texts, handbooks, magazines, technical brochures of various companies, search of relevant websites.

The author gives two examples of new technology to support the idea that search for possible solution should extent to new technologies.

Examples one is an electronic thermometer. The thermometer has a probe onto which a disposable probe is placed and inserted under the patient's tongue. In the 15 to 25 second, the digital reading will come. As a disposable probe is used, there is no possibility of infection spreading to other patients and also the thermometer need not be sterilized. There is no danger of patients biting the thermometer also.

Second example is related to special polypropelene foam material developed by Dupont.

Creative thinking by individuals and groups to be employed.


4. Evaluation of Alternatives

Role of Engineering Economics in Evaluation of Alternatives

In certain types of problems, evaluation would center around the total capital that would be invested in each of the several proposed methods, expected life of the equipment, scrap value and annual operating cost. From these economic or cost figures, the rate of return on the investment per year is calculated.  Direct labor required for each of the proposals need to be worked out. Predetermined motion time systems (MTM) could be used for this purpose. But to visualize the motions to be made by the operators, mock-ups of jigs and fixture may have to be made. Some companies have special laboratories and workshops for such projects.


5. Recommendation for Action

Chapter 5. Work Methods Design - The Broad View


The over-all process of putting a new product into production

1. Planning
2. Pre-production
3. Production

Planning

Six basic planning functions

1. Design of the product
2. Design of process
3. Design of Operator work method
4. Design of  tools, jigs and fixture
5. Design of plant layout
6. Determination of standard time

Preproduction

Resources are acquired and installed and trial runs are made.

Production

The production system is producing as per market requirement or demand.

Two attention areas of Method study person.

1. Preventing the method from deteriorating or deviating adversely from the planned methods,
2. Constantly being on the look out for improvement options, and when one is found, putting it into effect. Also the methods have to be periodically subjected to methods improvement study.

An ongoing manufacturing process provides opportunities to improve and redesign operator methods, to eliminate manual tasks, and make the job easier for the worker. New equipment and tools make existing facilities obsolete and provide cost reduction opportunities. New and better materials are developed or become available providing scope for changes in product parts design.

Example given - Elizabeth Arden Inc. lipstick manufacturing process

In the zeroth year or the starting of the study, the units produced per labor hour was 76. By end of 7 years, the productivity increased and the unit produced per labor hour was 179.

Chapter 6. Work Methods Design - Developing A Better Method


Approach for developing the preferred method

1. Eliminate all unnecessary work.
2. Combine operations or elements.
3. Change the sequence of operations
4. Simplify the necessary operation (Operation analysis)


2. Combine operations or elements.
Example given: In a furniture factory, an operator unloaded wooden logs from a truck and loaded them into a molding machine. On the other end, another operator took the moulded item and loaded it into a another truck. In the redesign, another short conveyer brought back the moulded item to the operator who was loading the machine. The truck was partitioned into four comparments and only three were loaded. In the empty compartment the moulded pieces were loaded by the same operator. Thus the operation was completed by only one operator and also the need for another full truck was eliminated,

3. Change the sequence of operations

In one plant small assemblies were made and stored in a stock room. Inspection was done subsequently. This was resulting in certain problems and in the rearrangement inspection was done immediately after the assembly and then only the finished goods were kept in stock for despatch.

4. Simplify the Necessary Operations - Improve the Necessary Operations

After improving the process using three steps of eliminating the operation, combining operations or elements (or even breaking them further), and changing the sequence of operations, the operation itself can be studied in detail to simplify or improve it.  Study of process is the study of overall picture and then smaller details of each step of the process can be attempted.

One of the best ways to do methods improvement is to question every thing about the method. The design of the product itself can be questioned and investigated (product industrial engineering). The equipment and tools are to be investigated and improved. The materials used are to be examined. The working conditions are to be evaluated. The operator method has to be studied and improved.


Barnes was quiet clear that his text is concerned basically with the description of design and improvement of operator work method and measurement of time required to do it.  That is why he has given the following questions as important in investigating the method (operator method).

1. What is done? At this stage of operation analysis, the analyst must first clearly define what is being done.

2. Who does the work? It is directed at the person who is given the work. The further questions are Why this person? Can any body else do it better? Can a less skilled person do this work if some changes can be done?

3. Where is the work done? 

4. When is the work done?

5. How is the work done? Why is it done this way? What are alternatives?  This step requires application of principles of motion economy and careful analysis.




Chapter 7. Process Analysis


Process Chart

Gilbreth Symbols
ASME symbols

Flow Diagrm

Gang Process Chart

Example: Installation of a Pipe Bridge in Procter and Gamble Company

The earlier procedure was to pick up the the bridge with a crane and fasten it in place and then install pipe and conduit in the bridge at a height. The procedure was changed to installing pipe and conduit while the bridge is on the ground and then lifting it to the required height and fastening it.

Chapter 9. Operation Analysis

Full details of Operations Analysis - Book by Maynard and Stegemerten

It is important to the note "Operation Analysis" is a method used by Westinghouse. It is described in detail in a book by Maynard. Barnes included the description of operation analysis in a chapter.

Because Barnes' focus in on operator method, he discusses in detail the operation chart or the left- and right- hand chart.

Operation Chart or the left- and right-hand chart.

Bolt and Washer assembly example


Check Sheet for Operation Analysis was given only briefly.
1. Machine
    A. Setup
    B. Operation
2. Materials
3. Materials Handling - Plant Layout
4. Tools, Jigs and Fixtures
5. Operator
6. Working Conditions


Example: Spraying inside and outside of metal box cover.

Initially one side is painted and the cover is put in an oven and then the other side is painted.

A device was developed that held the cover on two knife points and inside and outside were painted one side first and next side later and then the cover is put in the oven. Production doubled with the same facility.


Even though, the description of problem solving process, and process analysis are given in this note, the main work of Barnes is research on principles of motion economy and he developed a full book on motion and time study.

Ch. 18. Motion Study, Mechanization, and Automation


Work that can be done better and cheaper by machines has to be done by machines only in work systems.

Barnes recommends that industrial engineers develop the automated method for each operation in the process. Further to it, in work systems design, it is recommended that the best manual method or the best combination of manual and machine method be developed and used as a basis for evaluating the automated alternative to do each element or each sub-operation.  - Barnes. [Automation, Low cost automation]

Interesting statements by Google


Google Productivity Engineer: You might love this role if:

You have an unwavering passion for, and focus on, polished products, engineering excellence, and productivity.
You've worked to automate and remove repetitive and manual tasks because inefficiency is one of your least favorite things.

Read to know about Google Engineering Productivity Department
Google Engineering Productivity Department - Evolution of the Department through Automation of Testing. Emergence of Software Engineering Productivity Engineer & Specialist.


Related Information
Methods Design Concept by Sakamoto
https://books.google.co.in/books?id=r0WEDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA377#v=onepage&q&f=true


Ch. 38 Training  the Operator

Training Methods on Simple Operations
Pictorial Instruction Sheets
Training Assembly Operations



Updated on 10.12.2024,  15 August 2021,  6 July 2021
22 June 2020, 9 June 2020, 26 June 2019, 10 August 2015






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Productivity Training by Industrial Engineers


Lesson  360 of  Industrial Engineering ONLINE Course -  Productivity Management Module. 


Industrial Engineers have to be good trainers in machine work and manual work.

Two Related Industrial Engineering Principles

Productivity Methods Training - Principle of Industrial Engineering. Train operators at the motion speed planned and expected.

https://nraoiekc.blogspot.com/2017/07/productivity-methods-training-principle.html

Work Simplification Education and Training to All - Principle of Industrial Engineering


https://nraoiekc.blogspot.com/2017/07/work-simplification-education-and.html


Industrial engineers have to be imparted training skills in the curriculum. They have to redesign processes and they have to impart training to supervisors and workmen in the redesigned processes. They have to ensure as a part of training that supervisors and workmen produce as the speed specified. The ongoing training of the workmen is the responsibility of supervisors. The first time responsibility is that of industrial engineers.

The training by industrial engineers is a neglected topic in IE curriculums. It is a neglected topic in practice also. The failures of IE profession are to a large extent because of their lack of commitment to training foremen and operators till they attain the production rate specified for the redesigned process.


Read Ch.38. Training of Operator in Motion and Time Study Design and Measurement of Work by Ralph Barnes

Training Methods on Simple Operations
Pictorial Instruction Sheets
Training Assembly Operations


Ud. 21.2.2025

Pub. 8.3.2022






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Wednesday, February 19, 2025

2 Million Page Views in Blogger Statistics - 20 March 2023 - Industrial Engineering Knowledge Center Blog

19.2.2025

2.68 million now.


10.3.2024

Very happy to notice that in the last year Industrial Engineering Knowledge Center Blog  got  0.276 million page views in blog statistics.


-----------------------------

 2 Million Page View Registered by Industrial Engineering Knowledge Center Blog on 20 March 2023.



Very happy. Blog registered 2 million page views in blogger statistics on 20 March 2023. This gives the confidence that in the next 3 years 100,000 more persons will visit and read articles from the blog. A good audience which will make the effort spent in writing the blog useful to the society.



20 March Birthday of F.W. Taylor







Last 12 months it is 222K hits and 4K comments.


Ud. 10.3.2024

Pub. 20.3.2023

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Success Stories - Industrial Engineering, Productivity Improvement and Productivity Management


Success Stories - Industrial Engineering, Productivity Improvement and Productivity Management

Chapter of Productivity Management in Engineering Organizations - Online Book



Productivity is an area of study and research from time immemorial. Adam Smith started his book "Wealth of Nations" with discussion of productivity only.

F.W. Taylor is credited with developing  theory and practice of productivity improvement and management in the modern era.


Taylor's Success Stories


Bicylcle Ball Inspection Case Study - F.W. Taylor

Illustrations of Success of Scientific Management - Bricklaying Improvement by Gilbreth

Scientific Management, Industrial Engineering and Productivity Improvement in Machine Shop - F.W. Taylor

Illustrations of Success of Scientific Management - Pig Iron Handling - F.W. Taylor



Value Analysis and Engineering - Cost Reduction of Products and Components


Value Analysis and Engineering - Examples by L.D. Miles

Value Engineering - Examples, Cases and Benefits



Productivity Improvement: 850% Increase in Machining Time - Sewtec Automation

Productivity Improvement Case Studies - Bibliography


Industry Wise - Productivity News and Case Study Information


Industrial Engineering and Productivity Management in Various Industries - Index Page


Industry Sectors


Productivity and IE in Automobile Manufacturing

Productivity and Industrial Engineering (IE) in Battery Manufacturing

Productivity and Industrial Engineering in Bicycle Manufacturing

Productivity and Industrial Engineering in Bottled Water Manufacturing

Productivity and IE in Electronic Assembly Manufacturing

Productivity Improvement, Cost Reduction and Industrial Engineering in Mobile Handsets - Phones

Productivity and IE in Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing

Productivity and IE in Power, Distribution, and Specialty Transformer Manufacturing

Productivity and IE in Ship Building and Repairing

Productivity and Industrial Engineering in Soft Drink Manufacturing



Individual Company Productivity Success Stories

2024

Lean Manufacturing in Productivity Improvement in a Food Company, Peru.
Nanotechnology Perceptions (ISSN 1660-6795)
Vol. 20, S11 (2024)

The objective of the research was to determine the impact of implementing Lean Manufacturing tools on the productivity of the production area in a food company specializing in the manufacture of Andean cookies in the city of Huancayo. To achieve this, the Lean Manufacturing methodology was used, selecting the Kaizen, 5S, TPM (Total Productive Maintenance), Kanban, and Just in Time (JIT) methodologies.
Regarding productivity after the implementation of Lean, a 14.9% increase was recorded.
https://nano-ntp.com/index.php/nano/article/view/1956


Productivity Success Story - Coca Cola

Improving productivity; a description of selected company programs
National Center for Productivity and Quality of Working Life.
[Washington, D.C.] : The Center, 1975.
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/101690317

Industrial Engineering Case Studies - Industrial Engineering ONLINE Course


(C) Narayana Rao K.V.S.S. 2019

12 October 2019


Updated on 19.2.2025, 14.3.2022












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Promoting Productivity Management



Promotion of Productivity Improvement Program


1. Spelling out the goals of the productivity program for the next year and next five years or a five year plan by the CEO

2. Forming a Productivity Steering Committee of Top Executives

3. Demonstrating the commitment to productivity program by the CEO and other top executives


4. Organizing and Reorganizing the Productivity Management Department

5. Declaring the Introduction of Productivity Improvement Program or Yearly Productivity Plan by the CEO.

6. Organizing Grade by Grade Training in Productivity Improvement.

7. Creating Productivity Improvement Circles in each department.

8. Forming cross functional Management Committees

9. Productivity Audits by Various Levels of Management

10. Productivity Rewards at Productivity Case Study Contests and Productivity Review Seminars.

11. Best Practice Identification Workshops

12. Sending Operator Teams and Manager Teams to National and International Teams to present their achievements and learn from other organization achievements.

13. Productivity News Letter Creation and Distribution through print and online channels.

14. Reporting Productivity achievements in Annual reports of the company.



Organizing and Reorganizing the Productivity Management Department


If presently there is no specific department that looks after productivity improvement, the organization has to create one to have systematic productivity improvement program. At the top of the productivity program there can a single manager or a cross functional committee chaired by one of the members of the committee. This department may need to be reorganized periodically to take care of increased responsibility and induction of more people, or reduction of more people, or starting of new sections to take care of new methods and techniques etc.

Productivity Promotion Office


The Need for Productivity Promotion Office


Etzioni’s (1965, 1975) model of organizational change refers to the conforming or nonconforming behavior of various persons in the organization and the expectations and performance goals of those in charge of planning and managing change. The total organization will change when nonconforming person's number approaches zero.  The model identified a sequence of four phases in change: education and promotion; commitment; performance; withdrawal of the special promotion effort as the organization change is completed successfully. The model does not, however, give the duration, and hence timing by which phase succeeds one another.

Japanese quality author, Hitoshi Kume writes that to build or develop a system in which people are proactive towards work improvement to improve output, certain new ways of presenting things are necessary.

1. People have to be presented information that helps in better understanding of the current situation of the organization. People are generally happy with long-surviving routines and do not see waste or the loss caused by them to the organization. Only when the fact that organisation is suffering due to that routine in a big way and there is a way to eliminate that waste through some effort is brought into their consciousness that people start thinking about the issue.  Such an insight sometimes can come to people when they are attending lectures by experts in waste elimination or in implementing some techniques that eliminate that waste, or by listening to success stories told in case study competitions, when visiting plants with best practices or consultant presentations. When the senior managers of the company realize this existence of waste, they can create a promotion team to make all the persons in company become aware of the waste. Productivity promotion has to do this type of promotion.

2. Encouraging operators to come out with improvement suggestions is important for their self development. Both Taylor and Gilbreth, the pioneers of scientific management and industrial engineering emphasized this point. The operators have to first follow the standard method designed as the best method at that point in time by the industrial engineering or scientific managers and then have to keep giving suggestions which will improve the method further. In the early days of scientific management and industrial engineering all those suggestions were referred back to industrial engineers. But in Japanese companies, especially in Toyota Motors, after the second world war, this responsibility of evaluating and accepting the suggestions of operators was given to the supervisors and engineers of the shop. Engineers and supervisors are made responsible for continuous improvement of the processes with the involvement of the operators. Productivity promotion offices of the current day have to take up this self development aspect of productivity improvement  (good process change - kaizen) ideas as an important issues and ask all operators to think all the time to improve the method whenever they get an idea because of their reading, observation, or responding to an issue while working. It is to be stressed that supervisors are always ready to listen to improvement ideas and they have some time set apart for listening to improvement ideas of operators working under them.

3. Productivity promotion office also has to promote among all the supervisors and human relations personnel the idea that apart from doing the job effectively and efficiently and achieving results specified as a standard, a proactive mindset that thinks of more effectiveness and efficiency has to be developed in all operators. Supervisors have to provides the required inputs in creative thinking and provide routines or behavior opportunities and role plays in which creativity is exhibited and thus becomes a habit among operators.

4. Successful productivity improvement effort results in tangible results. Each successful project provides a taste of productivity improvement to the other members of the organization. The success when verified, validated and celebrated develops more operators and supervisors committed to the program. The role of Productivity Promotion Office or Section is to produce this snowballing effect. Productivity is to be promoted for bringing the abilities of people into production projects development and implementation. The chief of productivity promotion office is especially responsible for creating enthusiasm for productivity in the organization.

Productivity promotion office has to specially target persons who are not enthusiastic about productivity improvement at any point in time. Frederick Taylor indicated in 1911 itself, that objective demonstration, and teachers who are capable of the holding the hand of the operator and train him in the new efficient method are necessary for change of the mindset of people who are apprehensive of the new efficient methods. Productivity promotion office has to develop trainers of the new productive method and arrange for demonstration of objective and tangible results from a stream of productivity projects to convert more and more people into active supporters of the productivity program.  The persons working in the productivity promotion office need leadership ability, the ability of influencing people, perseverance to do productivity promotion over long periods of time, and have to be broad-minded and tolerant. They should not short tempered people who get upset with too few converts to productivity projects. The persons of the productivity promotion office have to be full of enthusiasm and belief in the productivity policy announced by the top management.

The Role of the Productivity Promotion Office


1. Acting the secretariat for the CEO and Productivity Steering Committee.

2. Drafting the Productivity Policy

3. Drafting the Productivity Promotion Plans

4. Program of promoting the productivity policy of the organization

5. Establishing the productivity management system

6. Program of promoting productivity circles.

7. Planning productivity training activity.

8. Keeping record of productivity improvement projects and unresolved issues relating to productivity improvement.

9. Planning top management audits of productivity practice.

10. Organizing productivity result sharing seminars, case study sessions, best practice sessions, and celebration events.

11. Compiling annual results of productivity improvement activity and collaborating with financial , cost and management accounting to arrive at financial contribution and capital and revenue expenditure incurred for productivity improvement activities and projects.

12. Preparation of books, articles, magazines and videos.

13. Establishment of a desk for providing productivity related help.

14. Management of productivity initiatives website of the organization.

15. Management of productivity library


Sustaining The Productivity Movement


Productivity promotion activity can be initiated and run successfully for number of years by the active participation of productivity promotion office. But once the promotion activity is reduced and stopped, the productivity improvement may slacken. It is not easy to sustain an activity without the an effort to sustain it. Hence, the productivity promotion section is to be substituted productivity sustenance section. This section has to develop information that reminds all the productivity improvement efforts other organizations and their results and remind the personnel of the organization the need to continuously promote productivity in their departments.

1. Every year the productivity policy management has to take place
2. Cross function committees are to be formed and the chairmen have to be appointed again.
3. Training programs at all levels have to continue as appropriate
4. Productivity circle activity has to continue
5. Top management audits have to take place.
6. Daily work management to achieve productivity has to implemented and practiced.
7. Important productivity breakthroughs have to be publicized.

(C) Narayana Rao K.V.S.S.  2019

Next Chapter
7. Industrial Engineering - Its Role in Productivity Improvement


Ud. 19.2.2025, 11.3.2022
Pub. 12.10.2019
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