EDITORIAL DIRECTIONS

I once worked for a university that was proud of its reputation as “an institution without walls,” meaning that it encouraged relationships between the schools of medicine, engineering, business, nursing, public health, etc. This resulted in amazing research collaborations, and outcomes that couldn’t have been achieved otherwise.

I think it’s the same way in manufacturing. The more each area is aware of others, the better. I remember visiting one shop that had created a schedule for spotlighting each different area within itself. It wasn’t a huge operation, so everyone could gather for an hour the last day of each month while a particular department – with beer! – gave a presentation on what happened there from start to finish, the equipment that was utilized, the challenges that were encountered and how they were overcome, and then the audience was invited to ask questions and make suggestions, including following up afterwards if anything else occurred to them late. Two things happened. First, the presenters gained from the clear-eyed perspectives of those who were not contained within their daily routine, and secondly, the presenters themselves were forced to take a closer look at what they did every day, rather than simply doing it. My impression was of a workplace that was energized and invested in the operation in its entirety, not just their one piece of the puzzle.

Another company I wrote about encourages the relationship between its production line and R&D, constantly discovering fresh ideas benefiting one, the other, or both. The same can be said for OEMs that maintain strong lines of communication between outside sales and engineering, incorporating design changes customers suggest which result in a stronger relationship as well as a better product overall. Once you start thinking about how information gathered in one area can be useful in other part of your company, the momentum begins to grow, and surprising things can happen.

In academia, it’s referred to as a “silo” when a discipline closes itself off from others and loses the fresh stimulus of new ideas. In manufacturing it’s mere stagnation, and a missed opportunity to capitalize on one of the simplest ways of achieving continuous improvement; by fully utilizing the assets that you already have on hand.

Russ Willcutt Editorial Director, Industrial Machinery Digest

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