Visiting of Snow Brand Milk Products 2

Mar 7,2008, Steed, Andy (my partners of lean implementation) and me visited a milk products company in Japan. The company located in Yokohama of Japan with historical operation. Before we arrived the factory, the guide of the visiting explained a little bit of the background and news of the company.

Personally, I felt that the visiting for this company is not related to lean manufacturing. Also, I believed that trip is arrange by the tourist agency or Japan government by the relationship of benefit. However, after the visiting, I still found something useful for the lean implementation, even lean thinking. Simply say, I got some thinking of the attitude to face the problem.

The web-link od Snow Brand http://www.snowbrand.co.jp/ (this is more details for the company and absolutely not a advertisment.

According to introduction of the guides, we understood Snow Brand faced two serious problem before and the affection still existing right now,

1. year 2000, the milk they produced caused more than 10000 people food poisoning. Nobody explain what is the root cause and as my understanding, it may be caused by human mistake in process or maintenance. The result is the company stop producing milk.

2. year 2002, there was a affiliated company of Snow Brand sold a beef with incorrect labelling. The marked the beef was domestic goods but actually it was imported. The domestic produced beef was much expensive and better than imported. The problem was affecting her honesty and the image of brand name.

Once we sat in the conference room, the guide of the company introduced the problem they have before. I can say the they faced the problem nakedly in front of us. One of my colleague asked a question, "why you not consider to quit the market and use another brand to operate?", the answer was, "we liked to face and solve the problem! it was agreed by all employee in the company." Wow, what kind brave attitude they had in front of trouble?

It is a culture different between China and Japan. Japanese encourage brave, enjoy challenge and they never give up. For Chinese, they more prefer to escape. When we hold the kaizen projects, how many time we heard the member to give themselve a excause to stop the improvement action? "It can't be worked!", "if we did that, there is another problem on...", ...etc. The point of your member wanted to tell you is that, we do not like to face the problem. All of this, it is the attitude problem and culture problem.

I am sure that if the situation of Snow Brand happen in China, the company will stop for a moment to change it brand name and start to product again in short moment. Actually, the critical problem of quality is stll not fixed. The story would be happened again and again.
For improvement project, the most important thing, is the attitude of facing problem.

1. Brave to face problem, (it proves the value of you to exist)

2. Enjoy the challenge, (it helps you to grow up)

3. Never give up, (It is the main factor of success, no matter how much you pay on the job, once you start to think to give up, you lost everything you have paid.)

The visiting of Snow Brand looks no relation to lean, we can not find any lean concept in such material and process flow. However, we found a important and useful attitude for everything you want to success. It is a good lesson for me.

And finally, I bought one to share with my sons, so far so good...

Visiting of Snow Brand Milk Products 1

This is the article which wrote by my partner, Andy Song. Good for your reference.

***** *****
我们在日本考察的最后一个企业是雪印乳业.因为雪印是从事食品生产的企业.和我们的行业根本搭不上边儿,当时心里就特别纳闷,组织方怎么安排我们去参观他们呢?

去雪印的路上,组织方就介绍:‘今天去参观的企业很特别,这种公司是从1925年开始的生产的,而且在整个日本信誉极好.是乳品业的王牌企业.但这家公司在2000年的夏天发生了一件让全日本震惊的大事:‘日本各地相继出现顾客因饮用雪印乳业公司大阪工厂(也就是此次参观的工厂)生产的低脂肪牛奶及牛奶饮料而发生中毒事件,中毒人数超过１.４万人.’使得雪印关闭4家制造工厂,公司大幅裁员.

到雪印后,发了一些关于雪印的简介.接着雪印公司的领导---工场厂(相当于国内工厂的厂长)对公司简介讲解.作完公司介绍后说:“我们公司在2000年发生一起让公司信誉大受损失的事件---顾客饮用本公司生产的牛奶及牛奶饮料发生中毒,导致公司失去消费者信任、公司严重亏损.制造工厂关闭,大幅裁减员工…”当时听到这儿就懵了,那有这样对客人介绍公司的,我们中国不是有句俗语叫---家丑不可外扬,对我们这些去考察、参观、学习的企业来说就更加不能如此表白.

而接下来的讲述更加意外:‘公司经历了此次事件后濒临倒闭,公司董事长在日本媒体(电视)对日本所有人公开道歉.并且公司高层领导和员工集体讨论是否继续将雪印这个品牌保留下去,经过激烈的讨论.公司员工强烈要求保留雪印品牌,就这样雪印上下一致决定继续使用此品牌,接着雪印公司请著名专家、普通的消费者,连同本公司自己的技术骨干组成一个团队.共同寻找发生问题的根源,解决发生问题的原因.并且为了防止类似问题再次发生,公司将生产产品的所有流程(除了部分保密外)放在公司网页上,并组成团队定期检讨.接收消费者建议,就这样一直坚持改善下去,经过将近7年的奋斗,雪印逐渐在消费者心目中取得信任.赢得失事前客户源的30%.今后雪印一直持续改善下去,最终取得消费者的信赖.’

我们作为一个旁观者,一个毫不知情的参观者,雪印在对待问题的态度着实让我们感动,就象雪印工场厂说的:’我们在以前犯了错误,并且为此付出沉重的代价.我们要做的不是逃避问题,而是勇敢的面对问题.解决问题.为了雪印在以后的成长路上不会再犯同样的错误,我们将发生的这起事件当作我们公司的座右铭.让每一个雪印的员工都铭记于心.’这正如我们经常说的---知耻而后勇.

反观在我们的工作中、在生活中同样也面对这种问题,在我们这个社会中的企业也经常发生如此错误,当我们出现这些问题,我们的企业出现这种错误.我们是如何去对待去处理的呢?是否象雪印一样,勇敢的去面对问题,最终解决问题,和长期预防类似问题再次发生呢?

小时候老师教导我们,犯了错误并可怕,可怕是我们不去寻找犯错误的原因.可怕的是我们不去面对问题、逃避问题.继续让这种错误再次发生.

Kaizen planning 2

There are four factors which are important of setup kaizen project as below,

1. Focus:
For a wide range of product categories and model, we can not fix the problem in one shoot. We need to select a representative scope to improve and use the selected target to spread the lean improvement by copy and paste, we have to remember that resource is limited all the time. Once we success improved the scope, we can spread the improvement ideas to the other area smoothly.

2. Resource:
We need to consider the capability of the owner for improvement. Also, consider do we need support from senior management? Is that cross-department supporting project? Can investment balance with the saving? so, what is the investment needed? What is the organization of the team? External consulting service needed?

3. Objective:
Can we clearly define the baseline of improvement? What is the reasonable target or goal? Can we effectively collect and measure the data? If no clear target of project, there is no direction of improvement. Is that correspond with the vision and mission of company? Is that meet with the business strategy?

4. Significance:
The improvement project need to setup related to current situation. What is the most important issue needed to solve for the company or your department? If the project is simple, just do it immediately and no need to make a plan to "delay" the action. That's meant the project should meet a degree of complexity.

Hope the above concepts can help you to setup a good improvement planning in future.

Natural swimming pool

That's my dream... Natural swimming pool

Kaizen planning 1

Here is a Kaizen planning schedule for your reference. Usually, we need to complete the kaizen program within one week, due to time limit, we have to change some mind in our outdated thinking.

Day 1:
Kick off meeting: Program leader need to well present what is the objective for the program and what is the problem right now. To let all members have a clear direction to go.
Team training: Because of members may not have enough knowledge of lean manufacturing, usually, we need to provide a basic rules of lean to improve their way of thinking.

Day 2:
Team investigation: Full team to audit the target area, preliminary, we can have some ideas how to improve the area. Afterward, the team can have a brain-storming to setup the goal for this program.
Brain-storming for action: Team setup a preliminary action plan and starts to implement.
Site presentation preparation: Prepare the preliminary presentation to the head of that production area. It aims to get the support for the area including the supervisor, line leader and operators. Without this step, we will have resistance of the area because they have no idea what you do.

Day 3:
Site presentation: Present the objective of the program, goal and preliminary action plan to the area to get them support and sustain.
Improvement actions implement: Fully push the implement action and keep checking the result. Adjust and fine tune the actions if necessary.
Review the implement status: Summarize the action implement status at that day and review.

Day 4:
Enhance improvement implement: According to the review of day 3 and setup a enhance improvement plan. Implement afterward.
Review the implement status and sustain status: Review the actions again and check are there any item can not be improved immediately. Setup 30 days follow up action plans and request for more resource or supporting from other departments.
Final presentation preparation: Every members needs to make their own page and pass to leader to summarize to be a presentable file.

Day 5:
Rehearsal of presentation: All members present their own page. Team leader and consultant to improve their presentation skill.
Team presentation: Present the result to all department managers to let them more understand the benefit of lean manufacturing. It aims to culture change and get more support for next program.

Some main factors need to be consider for the Kaizen program will be post in next article.