Over the last 12 months or so, Duro-Last and our sister companies that make up JRB Enterprises have been working toward becoming “lean” throughout all companies. Over 200 employees attended the initial Lean 101 training at Delta College in Saginaw, Michigan, where they were presented with the concept of “principles” and their importance to the organization. All participants were asked, “What are the principles of JRB?” Their ideas were distilled down to the following ten:
1. A culture of open communication, integrity, innovation, respect, involvement, support, equality, and trust.
2. Customer service that is on-time, high quality, and committed to satisfaction for all customers, both internal and external.
3. A commitment to:
- 100% first-time quality;
- The identification and elimination of waste;
- Root cause problem resolution; and
- Continuous improvement.
4. Base decisions on long-term focus, while maintaining the health of the business.
5. We are a process focused business.
6. Empower leaders at all levels to provide mentoring, coaching, training, and support to help everyone in the process.
7. Immediately correct all problems.
8. Make decisions by considering all options, then implement rapidly.
9. Support continuing education, learning, and self-improvement.
10. Develop, support, and recognize an individual’s pride in workmanship.
Since the initial training began, it became apparent that all employees should be educated about lean practices and principles. Training is now in full swing and there have been several “success” stories throughout all of the companies.
The JRB Lean Committee, made up of 29 employees representing all companies, recently announced a quarterly award – the JRB Continuous Improvement Award – that recognizes a work group with a completed lean implementation that has produced a significant gain for JRB. Improvements and achievements are evaluated and voted on by the JRB Lean Committee.
The Duro-Last Accessories department in Saginaw was recently presented with the inaugural JRB Continuous Improvement Award. The department has undergone a complete transformation throughout the past year; reducing process waste and implementing lean initiatives which has improved the overall department performance along with a higher output productivity rate of +16.4% in just the last three months. The department is focused on continuous improvement and is currently implementing additional lean initiatives to further reduce overall lead time, increase productivity, and sustain high quality.
Congratulations to the Duro-Last Saginaw Accessories Department for your implementation of lean and dedication to continuous improvement.
Duro-Last Saginaw, Michigan Accessories Department
