This month Brady’s expert Liz Gallagher looks at the benefits of implementing visual techniques in the workplace to save time, money and boost productivity
I know not everyone enjoys training courses but as someone who both trains and is trained, the opportunity to swap, share and take on-board new information is something I really look forward to. If there is something I can then pass on to enable companies to operate more efficiently, then it is even more satisfying.
At Brady, we have recently been spending a lot of time looking at visual workplace implementation, something that I have mentioned before and that may be familiar to you as a part of standard lean manufacturing process.
The whole key to ‘visual’ is to eliminate lack of knowledge, for example ‘Where is?’ ‘How Does?’ ‘When Can?’ type scenarios. Relating this directly to a case I have personal knowledge of, I was puzzled why we hadn’t had any follow-up orders from one of our printer ranges that I knew would be a hardworking addition to this company’s production line. When I called in to see the warehouse manager it transpired my original contact had left and his replacement was unaware of the scope and capability of the printers he had inherited.
For me it was a tragedy to see all this potential laying idle – after all why have equipment and not use it – so we arranged a short training session. The success of the session lay in training the actual team members who needed to use the printers, in this case to produce serial rating plates for white goods on the production line.
Our machines are very intuitive in their usage but it is still necessary to know when to re-order materials to avoid downtime while awaiting delivery and also which type of material to use for which product.
A simple one-point guide provides a fast, visual reference to streamline production. By training employees on current materials and printers it also gives them the ability to quickly update information as required to keep colleagues informed. All visual materials need to be posted at the point of need and should include who to go to for additional support. It may sound obvious but you wouldn’t believe what a difference in efficiency having these guides positioned correctly can make, and this applies equally to small items such as printers to large machinery, safety logistics and warehousing to name but a few.
To learn more, you can visit enbradyeurope.com/visualworkplace
Right visual, right place
One of the most important considerations with ‘visual’ is something known as the ‘speed of process’ what this means basically is how fast and in what presentation form is the information needed in.
For example, in the midst of a fire, people need short, unambivalent instructions, ditto if a particular tool for a leak is being sought. On the other hand, a process visual can be presented in a different way.
Brady
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