TWI at Energizer Battery

IndustryWeek : Introducing Training Within Industry

Our friend Bryan Lund is featured in this interview with IndustryWeek (click here to subscribe) about the Training Within Industry Program.

I love the focus on developing people:

IW: What do you hope to gain from implementing TWI?

Lund: Confident, problem solving people.

IW: Would you consider this a culture change for your employees? And if yes, how have you been addressing this?

Lund: Absolutely. We see people confident in proceeding with improvements. We see managers more engaged with their people. They are working together to solve problems and aim to standardize them until they find a better way.

We do not go into our sessions looking to change the culture within two weeks as if it were a project. Changing behavior takes time. All we can do is teach some critical skills, coach those people and encourage them to practice those skills every day.

Developing people -- for one, it shows "respect for people" (as Toyota says) and it leads to results for customers and the company. How do people solve problems? How do managers and leaders work with people? That's what it really all comes down to...

I really appreciate all that Bryan has done to help spread the word about the resurgence of the TWI approach. Check out his TWI Blog here.

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Intro to TWI Presentation

TWI Summit - Training within Industry Home

Courtesy of the folks at the Training Within Industry Summit (being held May 6-7 in Orland, FL). My schedule will prevent me from attending or I would go... TWI is very applicable, even in hospitals!!

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TWI Job Instruction Method for Healthcare

TWI Blog

Thanks to Bryan for sending this along. The link above is to his site, which has a link to a PDF file that is the healthcare adaptation of the "Job Instruction" method in the old (but revitalized) Training Withing Industry methodology. In a way, there is nothing new under the sun, eh?

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The making of a UPS driver

FORTUNE Magazine - November 12, 2007

I always enjoy reading about UPS, with their roots and background of strong Industrial Engineering. Not Lean, per se, but a strong focus on finding the best way to do things. This article from FORTUNE gives some good insight into that approach. The focus of the article is on changes UPS is making to make their training more relevant and effective for younger employees, but it seems like a good approach and maybe somewhat reminiscent of the Training Within Industry approach to training and employee development.

UPS is known for specifying small details, such as avoiding left turns (which are slower and cause delays). I actually saw my neighborhood UPS driver waiting to make a left turn Friday in our area, so they can't manage to avoid it 100%. Granted, it wasn't a left turn onto a real major street, but he did have to wait for another car, namely me.

So, back to the FORTUNE article. The author watched the driver demonstrate and explain their standardized work, including:

At 9:08, he demonstrated "three points of contact" - UPS for stepping off the truck - with a hand holding the handrail, one foot on the package-car step, and one foot on the ground below, to minimize impact on the ankles.

Here's a great example of "explaining why." That's the best method for exiting a vehicle because it reduces wear and tear on the body, not because some manager said you have to do it that way. They have training that simulates and tests to see if employees are learning that proper method. The training is hands-on and participatory, instead of being lecture based. Did anyone, of any generation, ever learn effectively from lectures and procedure manuals?

Down the line, another package car is equipped with force sensors in its handrail, in its bottom step, and on a large plate on the ground below. In a job as physical as a UPS driver's is - he must be able to "continuously lift and lower packages that range up to 70 pounds each ... while 'unloading' at a rate of 800 to 1,300 packages per hour and while 'loading' at a rate of 500 to 800 packages per hour," says a casual list of essential job functions - one of the most difficult things to teach young Supermen is how frail their bodies really are. Grow lax with your three points of contact and you can be sure you'll be growing old - with a hobble and a cane - before your time. And what better way to show that than with a computer-generated force diagram? Students take a few hops off the truck with and without the handrail, and immediately, they can see a representation of the impact on their bodies.

Generation Y is called "Generation Why?" as if it's a negative. In the Toyota Production System, we want people to ask why and to challenge things. Managers and leaders have a responsibility to explain why -- that's a major component of the respect for people principle. Questioning things is only considered bad in a very traditional, top-down organization.

Because the young people they're trying to train aren't just Generation Y, they're Generation Why? - a tribe of disbelievers who've learned to question absolutely everything. And they need the obstacle course of Integrad not because they won't take notes in a lecture but because without these demonstrations they may not believe a word of what they hear.

Anyway, lots of interesting stuff there.

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New TWI Blog

TWI Blog

Since it is "introduce you to new blogs day" apparently, here is a new blog focused on the Training Within Industry methodology. It is put together by regular Lean Blog reader and commenter Bryan Lund. The blog is off to a nice start, take a look.

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TWI Webcast this Week

IndustryWeek : Foundations of the Toyota Production System: Establish Standardized Work & Sustain Your Lean Initiative with TWI Training

I'm hoping to attend this online, or at least I'll watch the archive.

This Webcast will also feature Patrick Graupp, who was TWI trained in Japan in the 1980s while working for Sanyo. He will share stories and results of companies who have discovered TWI as the missing ingredient to attain and sustain standard work as the foundation for continuous improvement. Grupp was North America's first TWI Master Trainer since the end of WWII.

I'm learning a lot about TWI through my own work. It applies well in a number of settings, including hospitals. There are some very interesting early writings about TWI applied to healthcare that date back to the 1940's.

LeanBlog Podcast #31 -- David Meier, "Toyota Talent"

LeanBlog Podcast #31 is a discussion with David Meier, most recently the co-author of the book Toyota Talent, written with Dr. Jeffrey Liker. In this podcast, we discuss the topics from Toyota Talent, including standardized work and how to use the methodology in the right way. We also talk briefly about Toyota's new San Antonio plant. I love David's quote, ""Standardization of work doesn't mean that everybody does it exactly the same way." There will be an upcoming Part 2 of this discussion with David where we talk about upcoming books in the Toyota series, so stay tuned.

If you enjoy this podcast, I hope you'll check out the rest of the series by visiting the LeanBlog podcast main page at http://www.leanpodcast.org/.

MP3 File (Right Click to Save-As)

Keywords and Main Points, Episode #31

• How does Toyota turn the cliche of "people are our most important asset" into reality?
• How to avoid standardizing for the sake of standardizing -- how to decide WHAT to standardize and why
• How did Toyota built upon the Training Within Industry program?
• Why does Toyota look at work in such minute detail, breaking jobs down?
• What are "key points" in a job breakdown sheet? Why is it important to explain why the key points are necessary? Does this tie to "respect for people"?
• How does this process apply to jobs, such as nursing, that aren't repeatable 45 second assembly line cycles?
• Does Toyota invest more time and effort into training new employees than other companies?
• Blog post about Toyota, "frugal" versus "cheap"
• Daily Kaizen post on NUMMI
• "Standardiziaton of work doesn't mean that everybody does it exactly the same way."
• Talking about the new Toyota plant in San Antonio

If you have feedback on the podcast, or any questions for me or my guests, you can email me at leanpodcast@gmail.com or you can call and leave a voicemail by calling the "Lean Line" at (817) 776-LEAN (817-776-5326) or contact me via Skype id "mgraban". Please give your location and your first name. Any comments (email or voicemail) might be used in follow ups to the podcast. Click here for the main LeanBlog Podcast page with all previous episodes.

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2008 TWI Summit

TWI Summit - Website

It really looks like a powerhouse lineup they are starting to form for the 2008 Training Within Industry conference in Orlando, to be held next May.

Speakers will include:

• Art Smalley
• David Meier
• Alan Robinson

They are also featuring the outstanding book Toyota Talent, written by Meier and Jeff Liker, that gives a great overview of TWI and ties it into Toyota and their Production System.

I'm hoping to attend, especially since I'm seeing firsthand how these methods are being applied to healthcare, with great impact.

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John Shook TWI Presentation

Presentation Link from TWI Summit

Thanks to Blog reader Jeff for sending this along. Jeff sends glowing reports about the first ever TWI Summit that he was able to attend recently.

The Shook presentation material is outstanding.

I had a chance to see John present at the Global Lean Healthcare Summit. Unfortunately, John had to present via video because the U.S. government was taking too long to process the update/renewal of his passport. But, John's talk on Toyota style leadership was outstanding. I'll share some of the highlights of that soon.

That's a whole different Lean story on the passport situation... lack of level loading (due to government deadlines and people procrastinating -- not saying that's what John did) and not having enough capacity to process that many passports so quickly.

TWI Approach to Scooping Ice Cream

Following up my earlier post about instructions for scooping ice cream, and key points, a blog reader , Bryan Lund submitted this commentary. Click here to download a Word doc version of the "Job Breakdown Sheet" that he created for this discussion.

-------------------------------

Job Breakdown Sheets, ala Training Within Industry Job Instruction, is the preferred format for standardized work. This has very little to do with appearance, company preferences, or in general, superficial preference, like whether you want pictorial instructions or not.

The primary purpose of the Job Breakdown Sheet is to serve as a trainer’s aid during On the Job Training (OJT). Why? Because as experts in a job, we often forget the key points of a job: tricks (rolling not digging), quality points (tap off excess water) and safety. These are the key points that if properly communicated, are the backbone of a learning organization.

Sounds silly, but amazingly it works. Back to the format for a moment: By breaking down the job into important steps, key points, and reasons for key points….the trainer can build up the trainees knowledge by first showing the job using important steps only. The trainer then repeats the demonstration by showing the trainee important steps, but this time with key points. (Building knowledge and allows the trainee to remember steps and key points easily) The trainer then repeats with the reasons why we do the key points.

This is the most important part of the knowledge transfer, by communicating “why” we do things the way we do, the trainee now understands but is more readily accepting of the work. For example, the trainee now understands why customers are satisfied with a triple scoop that is rolled and not lopsided because you were “digging” instead of rolling. Instead of mumbling to herself, “why do I always have to keep this scoop in the water?” The trainee knows that the water is there to make rolling easier, which satisfies customers.

It all sounds simple enough, but the real trick is in using the sheet for the purposes of delivering good training, and this is extremely difficult because it requires patience, discipline and iron clad consistency. By delivering good training, we are preventing problems from occurring down the road. This is why training is a means to solve production problems.

I will be presenting at the TWI Summit in Orlando on June 5-6. Please register at www.twisummit.com and use promo code “lund” for a $50 discount off registration!

Bryan Lund, Energizer Battery Mfg.

Training Within Industry Article

IndustryWeek : TWI Promotes Quick Training, Standard Work

Here's an article about the Training Within Industry program, a key foundation of the Toyota Production System.

The article features Jim Huntzinger and mentions his upcoming TWI Summit. You can listen to my podcast with Jim about TWI here.

From the article:

Today in North America, a handful of companies have resurrected TWI, according to Huntzinger. One is Chittenango, N.Y.-based ESCO Turbine Technologies. The company attributes a 96% reduction in defects (over a two-year period) in one department to TWI. Also, training that used to take two months now takes two weeks.

Free Web Seminar on "TWI"

Wednesday, there is a free web seminar on the "Training Within Industry Program."

Click here for the registration page.

WEBINAR SPONSOR: SUPERFACTORY (www.superfactory.com)

You've likely heard and read about the TWI (Training Within Industry) movement. Skeptics are asking what TWI's significance was 60 years ago and how it could possibly relate to today's modern enterprise.

Join us for this groundbreaking webinar and learn why a rapidly increasing number of companies are turning to TWI. In this webinar, you'll learn...

• how the TWI program rapidly and consistently trained an unskilled workforce charged with replacing "the boys" sent to fight in WWII.
• how TWI was introduced to Toyota and why they attribute it to their ability to achieve standardized work.
• how TWI has proven responsible for significant savings in today's modern enterprise
• how TWI is currently being applied in service, education, government, lean manufacturing, and more.

If you can't wait to learn more, check out my Podcast with Jim Huntzinger about the TWI Program.

LeanBlog Podcast #15 -- Jim Huntzinger ,"Training Within Industry"

LeanBlog Podcast #15 is a new discussion with a previous Podcast guest, Jim Huntzinger. Last time, we talked about the Lean Accounting Summit. This time, we're talking about the renaissance of the "Training Within Industry" program. We'll talk about the origins of this program, the impact it had on Toyota and the Toyota Production System, and why the program is being bought back in the United States and in lean circles. Jim is also organizing a Training Within Industry Summit, June 5-6 of 2007. Check the Show Notes, down below, for more links to TWI resources and information.

MP3 File (Right Click to Save-As)

Show Notes and Approximate Time, Episode #15

• Background: Copies of the original TWI manuals
• Background: Wikipedia page on TWI
• 2:30 Background of the TWI program prior to the U.S. entry into WWII
• 3:15 How did TWI get promoted in Japan during the U.S. occupation?
• 4:15 How did TWI get incorporated into the Toyota Production System? "It is an excellent industrial training program on its own" but Toyota also built upon the system
• 6:00 What were some of the motivations behind TWI? What did they hope to achieve?
• 7:15 What are the different components of the TWI approach... Job Methods and Job Instruction, the focus on training people HOW to train, etc.
• 9:15 At Toyota, Ohno thought "Job Methods" was a little too "point focused" and he wanted to look more at the "value stream"
• 9:45 "Job Relations" focuses on how to be a supervisor, how to drive kaizen, etc.
• 11:00 How did TWI get "rediscovered" recently? Mentioned in the book Becoming Lean: Inside Stories of U.S. Manufacturers
• 13:45 What are the unique things Toyota was able to do with the TWI program?
• 14:15 TWI was focused on training NEW employees, how does TWI apply when you have long time employees who never had standard work or standard methods?
• 15:45 Toyota still uses Job Instruction today for training their experienced people
• 16:15 TWI says you have to "get the employee motivated to learn" - how do you do this?
• 17:45 Why did American companies move away from TWI after the war?
• 19:00 Early challenges with getting management focused on sustaining TWI methods
• 19:30 To learn more about TWI:
  
• Training Within Industry: The Foundation Of Lean (Don Dinero, history of TWI)
• The Twi Workbook: Essential Skills for Supervisors (Bob Wrona, hos to use TWI today)
• Jim's article "The Roots of Lean"
• Plenty of articles and references through Google

If you have feedback on the podcast, or any questions for me or my guests, you can email me at leanpodcast@gmail.com or you can call and leave a voicemail by calling the "Lean Line" at (817) 776-LEAN (817-776-5326) or contact me via Skype id "mgraban". Please give your location and your first name. Any comments (email or voicemail) might be used in follow ups to the podcast. Click here for the main LeanBlog Podcast page with all previous episodes.

Training Within Industry Summit

TWI Summit to Help Redeploy the Long Forgotten Training Within Industry Program

Here is some info about Jim Huntzinger's upcoming TWI Summit. You can check out my earlier podcast with him about Lean Accounting. I also have another podcast recorded with him about TWI, should be out in a few weeks.