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Start a discussion about any machine in the shop by asking questions. These questions can also cover office equipment, construction equipment, tanks, relay stations, service yard equipment, vehicles, delivery vans, etc. The necessity to discuss a machine applies to nearly every asset owned by a company. Pick a machine or work center to discuss. It makes no difference where you start because there are opportunities everywhere.
To get to the answers, ask the operators. Ask the operators, not the bosses who are in the offices and watch the assets through windows from afar. Ask the operator these questions and realize any comments are worth listening to because they may lead to good ideas. If you proceed to fix or improve a machine, employees will see this and then ask if you are going to fix the other machines that have problems you did not know about. Get them involved and they will end up giving you more good productivity improvement ideas than you thought existed.
Questions to ask plant personnel/operators:
- What is wrong with this machine (you fill in the name)?
- Does it run without any problems and if no, why not?
- What does this machine do that causes problems or causes unplanned scrap or flaws?
- Does the machine break down a lot?
- Have you been trained on this machine like you would like? Do you need further training?
- Does this machine act up? Does it stall? Is it easy or hard to perform an initial setup?
- Does it destroy product or cause problems for some parts?
- Do you know what signs to look for before calling maintenance personnel?
- Does it get serviced on a normal basis?
- Do our maintenance people seem to know how to fix it or not?
- Is there an operator who abuses the machine or needs training?
