QMI helps Trelleborg rubber hit the road
Implementing culture change within an organisation is a long-term strategy that takes time, says Ben Stevenson, manufacturing manager at Brisbane-based Trelleborg Engineered Systems Australia (TESA).
The Zillmere factory, one of two Trelleborg-owned sites in Australia, manufactures a wide range of engineered products, mainly from industrial rubber. A Perth facility focuses on servicing the mining industry. TESA is owned by the giant Swedish engineering group Trelleborg.
Stevenson said TESA began thinking about the need for culture change after attending a QMI Solutions breakfast meeting to learn about lean manufacturing.
He and his team could see the potential for lean manufacturing. “We wanted to improve production and limit our constraints,” he said.
But he was also cognisant it was not something TESA could introduce quickly and the company needed time for a culture change to occur.
The first step was introducing the workplace ‘housekeeping’ system, 5S. TESA had “tried to do it ourselves” before seeking QMI Solutions’ assistance, but Stevenson said the company “fell into the trap of thinking of it as just a major cleanup and it was hard to get the ball rolling”.
“There was a lot of resistance because [the workforce] didn’t fully understand what it was about. We knew the basics of 5S, but didn’t train and educate everyone on the floor. They just saw it as extra work,” he said.
But, once TESA enlisted QMI’s help and a consultant provided the training, TESA’s 70 Brisbane employees could see 5S was a structured, ongoing program that made their lives easier.
The fact that 5S was actually beneficial was “a big shock to them; it gives them pride in their work and they want to do more”, Stevenson said.
One difficulty encountered was the factory’s age. TESA – originally called Queensland Rubber Company Pty Ltd - had moved to Zillmere from premises at Lutwyche after Brisbane’s calamitous 1974 floods.
While modern factories are designed with contaminant-containment areas, the 1,800sq m Zillmere factory does not have those benefits. However, a move as simple as changing from sweeping to vacuuming the premises has made a difference.
Queensland Rubber was established in 1946 by entrepreneurial dentist Stratton Russell and focused on specialty engineered rubber products for infrastructure. When it was bought by Trelleborg in 2001, Queensland Rubber was marketing products in more than 40 countries.
Stevenson says implementing 5S has changed employees’ attitudes and that has flowed through to product quality and the factory environment. “We’ve received many compliments from visitors; they notice the change,” he said.
Apart from having the right equipment in the right place, 5S has improved occupational health & safety – there are fewer opportunities for employees to trip on equipment abandoned on the factory floor.
There are still challenges. Stevenson is now focusing on “neutral areas” – transit lanes between various departments. “No one has ownership, so they can become dumping grounds,” he said.
Although 5S implementation is still in progress, TESA has progressed to a QMI Solutions benchmark exercise, called Probe for Leadership and People, and leadership training.
Stevenson sees 5S as a good foundation stone on which to build the next phase as TESA progresses towards lean manufacturing.
The Trelleborg group is committed to having all its plants worldwide achieve lean manufacturing through a global manufacturing excellence program. Head office in Sweden requires a monthly report on progress.
Stevenson says TESA will continue to use QMI Solutions to achieve its lean manufacturing goal, but is conscious of the need to “keep an eye on the bottom line”. “We don’t want to push too far, too soon.”
The benchmark exercise showed TESA was four points higher than the comparison category, manufacturing industry - fabricated rubber products, in terms of practice, and two points higher in performance.
After a thorough analysis of TESA’s operations, the benchmark report recommended:
• Lifting the level of employee involvement;
• Conducting an employee attitude survey; and
• Conducting leadership skills development.
The report said lifting employees’ involvement would enhance their ability to contribute to overall organisational performance.
Consequently TESA has implemented regular tool box meetings. “We’re asking people in an open forum to raise ideas, or problems they may have identified,” Stevenson said. TESA is seeking ways the company can “improve their lives or production processes. They can fill out a form if they’re a bit shy at the meetings”.
Stevenson says it’s essential to respond to all employee suggestions, even if they are “a bit left field or obscure”. “If we decide not to implement an idea, we need to tell them why. Some things have been tried in the past and have had a negative impact.”
Stevenson says employees’ attitudes already are more professional and they’re taking greater pride in their work.
TESA is now giving more thought to issues like workflow through the factory. In the past, new machines or equipment were put in spaces available, rather than where they best contributed to the production line.
For example, a new rubber calendar machine imported from New Zealand is still being trialled and TESA is deciding whether it needs to change the locations of other machines to which it is linked in the production process.
“We’re aiming for quicker processing and to eliminate bottlenecks,” Stevenson said.
Already there has been a reduction in overruns, meaning TESA does not need to store as much product.
Stevenson says QMI Solutions’ involvement in TESA’s path to lean manufacturing has been “very helpful”. “They gave us the kick start we needed.”
By examining the factory floor and TESA’s manufacturing processes, QMI Solutions was able to provide practical knowledge that was individualised and customised for TESA.
“It’s sometimes hard to convert abstract ideas into the workplace, but the advice was very practical. They speak the same language so the floor operators can understand,” Stevenson said.
TESA has diversified to survive in today’s marketplace. Instead of an emphasis on mass production, it now focuses on being a “solution provider in niche markets”.
While there is still mass production of some products, for example, rubber bushing produced for a world leader in mining supplies, many products are single, one-off designs customised for clients.
That means a Queensland-based company is providing solutions clients may otherwise have had to seek offshore. “A lot of customers don’t want to wait for product to come from overseas and, if they need only a small quantity, it’s not cost effective to get it shipped,” Stevenson said.
TESA’s range includes:
• Anti-vibration and acoustic isolation for rail systems;
• Acoustic isolation for performing arts complexes;
• Movement supports and bearings for bridges, buildings and offshore structures;
• Specialty water seals for dams, dry docks, canals, tunnels and reservoirs;
• Marine fendering systems;
• Specialty safety products for electrical utilities; and
• Sheeting for industrial and mining purposes.
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