Posted on March 07, 2016

Being in the industry for several years has afforded me the opportunity to recognize and capture many opportunities that may be overlooked in any sawmill/planer operation. I have been exposed to the best and the not so best in my career and each time I am in a plant I try to take something away that I can add to my basket of knowledge for future use.

As the first article in a series of other topics related to this subject matter, I will focus on one of the not so obvious opportunities out there that can make the difference in any operation, namely the people.

I have observed in many operations across North America, the benefits of utilizing people in the manufacturing of lumber.

Having employees who want to do well is a huge asset to any company. Holding employees accountable for their responsibilities makes them more effective in that they recognize that there is a need for them to do what they are asked of and it puts all employees in the same category of importance.

Not much deteriorates a mill’s performance more than employees who are jealous, disgruntled, don’t feel useful or just don’t care about the job they do each day. Employees, who feel important and are listened to, will be more inclined to want to help the operation succeed. Having many educated and focused eyes on the entire manufacturing process can assist greatly in identifying potential issues and resolving them as quickly as possible.

Below are just a few examples of the importance and impact an employee’s role can have throughout any operation.

Machine Operators:

Machine operators can inform you of quality or operational issues at a time when immediate action can be taken. If there are any anomalies in production, the operators can call for the QC person or the supervisor to come and see the issue and address it as it happens. This applies to manufacturing variables as well; lumber sizes and lengths, saw performance, operational damage, etc.

Having the employees on the floor performing checks at acceptable intervals adds an element of accountability to the equation. Education and training are key, as well as follow up and feedback to the employees who document these checks to let them know that someone is looking at them, thus giving them ownership of the process. This can prevent issues in the sawmill from being recognized later in time at the planer when it causes low yields or other issues and now you have 5 days of affected production to work through.

Machine and transfer maintenance issues can be identified by these operators far sooner than a maintenance person can ever do. These operators can spot changes in equipment operation, noises, glitches and hang-ups, and alert the appropriate people to address the issues at a convenient time rather than have it fail and cause costly down time during production. The key here is to listen to what the operators are telling you and react with an action plan or at the very least, provide positive feedback to the employee.

Supervision:

Being the leader of a group of workers carries huge responsibilities. In my experience, the single most important phrase that can be followed is “DO what you SAY you are going to do”. There is no room for “lip service” when leading a work force.

Credibility, honesty and sincerity carry huge benefits when dealing with any employee. Leading by example and being fair to everyone also goes a long way. Sincere appreciation for the people who report to you is priceless. Having the ability to address good employees in the same manner as the not so good and holding people accountable for good and poor performance can earn you respect amongst your crew.

Documentation in harmony with giving workers the opportunity to learn, can develop a team of employees who want to do their best for you and for the company. Having employees trained to fill all and any position allows for flexibility in managing sickness, vacations or advancement opportunities for these workers in that “having nobody to fill the spot” becomes a non-existent excuse in these situations.

A good leader will NEVER walk by an issue without addressing it. Even at the most inconvenient time, a few seconds to let an employee know that you’ve seen an issue and will be addressing it at the first opportunity, will go a long way in demonstrating that you are a good leader.

Stay tuned for my next blog article on this topic: The opportunities behind Optimizers and Reports

Robert - Process Expert