Appliance Maker Uses JI to Smooth New Model Transition

A manufacturer of consumer appliances used JI training to help train its people on updated procedures in one of their value streams.  The result was a model update on the line without any productivity loss.  Normally, when the production procedures and instructions are updated, productivity is negatively impacted as people learn and become practiced in the new ways of doing the work.  This loss during train-up was avoided by their use of JI and off-line training.  Prior to the changeover, the organization called The Bilas Group in to conduct a JI training workshop.  After receiving the initial training, they designated primary trainers for cells of five to eight operations.  These trainers had the responsibility for developing the breakdowns for the tasks on the line and ensuring the people assigned to those tasks were fully trained using the 4-Step JI method.  As the changeover approached, the trainers along with mentors/coaches from the plant JI Implementation Team, worked to breakdown and then train off-line all the new tasks.  When the day came for changing over to the new procedures, everyone was trained and the transition went without a hitch.  What normally might have been a productivity dip for up to several weeks, occurred without any losses.  The process is now being expanded and rolled out to other areas in the facility that are gearing up for similar updates.