Home > Articles > Have You Hugged Your Press Operator Today?
article printed 11-15-98
"None of us are as smart as all of us"
By Ron Brenwall
President, MaxiM International Consulting
When Bob Larsen and I first discussed the possibility of writing an on-going column focused on hard anvil, rotary die cutting and converting, my thought was that it would be as easy as falling off of a cliff. Considering the fact that the narrow-web, rotary die cutting industry has been my profession for almost 35 years. Production foreman, operations manager, general manager and vice president and now a consultant to the industry for the past four years. The problem now is, what area of the industry do I write about first? Equipment? Tooling? Materials? Training? Personnel? Start up? Expansion? Should I focus on one problem area of production or a broader area of Operations Management?
Have You Hugged Your Press Operator Today? (figuratively speaking)
Since this is the first column, I thought that I would start with what I believe is the single most important ingredient to a successful Converting operation. Although I suppose that if you asked 10 people what they thought the single most important ingredient is, you would get 10 different answers. Mine happens to be a rotary press operator, trained and skilled in the "art of die cutting." I think you know the type of person I'm talking about. I happened to look up the definition of "art" in Webster's dictionary.
- "Skill acquired by experience, study, or observation"
- "An occupation requiring knowledge or skill"
- " The conscious use of skill and creative imagination"
They have a sixth sense when it comes to "tweaking" the set up to get that little extra speed while still maintaining the quality requirements. They have an organized work area, maintain exceptional "good housekeeping" practices (don't need to spend 20 minutes looking for a misplaced Allen wrench). They can usually fix problems before they occur. They know if a die should be resharpened before the next run by the sound it's making or by the impression in the release liner. They take pride in a job well done. These are the people that will make the difference between a good company and an exceptional company. Does this sound like the impossible dream or do you think I've been standing too close to the MEK for too long?
You won't find these people walking the streets and probably not in the classified section of the local newspaper. You're going to have to "grow your own" as we say in the business. Let me assure you that with the proper training program and management style this is not out of the range of possibility. As we all know, training and keeping these important employees is a never-ending process. They require among other things, good mentors and the freedom and encouragement to try different things. They require safe and efficient equipment. They need to know that mistakes are the learning process to success and not another reason to get fired. Management on all levels must be consistent in their decision making and communicate, communicate, communicate. Above all employees need an organized training program and to know exactly what their responsibilities are. Now I'm not talking about giving employees a blank check here. The operator trainee must understand that along with this freedom comes the heavy burden of responsibility on their part. They are expected to produce high quality products. They are expected to co-operate and communicate with management.
A recent discussion with a client concerned the problem of spending time and money training machine operators, only to have them leave and join a competitor. Several columns could be written on the root causes of this problem alone. First of all, understand that sometimes, no matter how hard we try to do things right, people will leave. We can train'em, trust'em and listen to'em and this is still going to happen. My point is, don't take them for granted. Training, in all its forms, requires much time and effort.
I recall my own experience with a training program years ago when I was working to complete my apprenticeship to become a Tool and Die maker. When I arrived at the job on the first day, I asked my boss what he wanted me to do. He politely said to me, "Do you see that older gentleman over there, standing by the lathe. The one chewing on the cigar?" "Yes," I answered." He said to me "Well, that's Arnie, he's our Journeyman Tool and Die maker, go stand next to him for four years." I learned the true meaning of the word "gofer". Fortunately, training programs have come a long way since then.
Whether its' on-site or off-site, every company must have a regularly scheduled training program. I know that in the "heat of the battle" of day to day production, training programs may tend to get rescheduled and rescheduled and then eventually abandoned. However, they usually get hastily called immediately after a major error has been made. If this scenario sounds familiar perhaps it's time to take a harder look at your Training Program. Perhaps bringing in an outside training program would assure that the program stays on track along with other experiences and training techniques.
Allow me to make a suggestion in the area of operator training as a tool for building customer relations. The next time you have a difficult product to run or one that the customer is always complaining about for one reason or another, rather than sending your sales person back in there for the third or forth time, have your press operator visit them. I guarantee you that your customer will appreciate it (because so few other suppliers do it) and your press operator will have a much better understanding of your customers' requirements. Not to mention a new sense of pride and responsibility for the final product. As for the time and cost involved, how much is a satisfied customer worth?
In the next issue of DDIN I will be dealing with the premise that "if you can't measure it, you can't control it" and how that relates to the narrow-web converting industry.
Ron Brenwall would appreciate questions and comments concerning this article and suggestions for future articles. If you have either, he can be reached by phone at (1 800) 660-3696 fax at (920) 894-4003 or e-mail me.
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