Based on recent Manufacturing Health Roundtable (MHRT) meetings with scores of Consumer Products’ business, engineering, and operations leaders, FSO is sharing the combined knowledge generated in easy-to-use Q&As to help manufacturers achieve operational excellence.
Q. What are the key priorities consumer packaged goods (CPGs) manufacturers are targeting in 2024?
A: CPGs should focus on bottom-line improvements and expand their capabilities and capacities. They would benefit from assessing the production capacities and consider transferring some manufacturing to a third party. Many should also consider broadening the adoption of enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. It is also imperative to invest in employees training and focus on employee retention. Now more than ever, CPGs should implement smart CapEx investments to increase operational effectiveness and begin to build scalable initiatives.
Q. What are the MHRT members doing for capacity improvement?
A: Large and small CPGs should critically reassess their company’s position within their markets from customer fulfillment, supply chain management, and operational excellence. Continuing efforts are focused on upskilling the workforce, reliably improving uptime of the equipment, and better utilization and understanding of technology. Smaller companies should seek to find that hidden factory, avoiding or delaying CapEx.
Q. What process and system improvement strategies can benefit plant leadership?
A: Compressing processes to be more accessible will improve productivity. Each plant, whether it is part of a multi-national organization or a smaller company early in its journey, should recognize the value derived from consistent application of key improvement tools. As confidence and consistent performance is growing, reach beyond the low hanging fruit. Consider fast tracking SWOT assessments and implementing small project teams with limited scope can help deliver early project success. It is also critical for all CPGs to retain institutional knowledge. In fact, frontline leaders should rethink their job and role in retaining workers and institutional knowledge.
Q. What specific workforce engagement strategies can accelerate manufacturers achieving their objectives?
A: Some key takeaways from a recent FSO Manufacturing Health Roundtable include:
- Align the plant workforce to the strategies and goals of the company
- Clarity of roles and responsibilities can help each associate better achieve KPIs
- Supervisors play a huge role in building buy-in and ownership of their leads and operators
- Retention of institutional knowledge is critical, engage front line leaders to rethink their jobs and role in retaining workers and knowledge
- Engage cross functional team members from plant floor to leadership to better understand the hurdles that are being faced, inhibiting strategies being adopted
“You will know your team is engaged through their buy-in to the plan, ownership in the outcomes, and advocacy for the value of your improved operating management system”
