Clients
DuPont
DUPONT’S HEDRICK IOWA PLANT, WITHIN ITS PIONEER HI-BRED BUSINESS, DEMONSTRATES THE EFFECTIVE USE OF A PILOT TRACC LAUNCH TO DRIVE QUICK BUSINESS RESULTS AND MOMENTUM. PHASE 5 GROUP ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR COLIN MAHON EXPLAINS.
DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential for a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, it offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel.
Having started the journey towards operational excellence through the DuPont Production System (DPS), the organization partnered with Phase 5 Group and TRACC in January 2009 to enhance and expand the program. DuPont plans to employ TRACC in its entire global footprint of 300+ manufacturing sites, having already deployed to 60 sites by the end of the first year.
The Pioneer Hi-Bred business is the world’s leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics to farmers worldwide. Its Hedrick, Iowa site was one of the first to start the TRACC process. Hedrick produces, packages and distributes about 3.5 million soy and corn seed units to customers in Pioneer’s western business unit.
During the summer season, operating teams run a heavily machine-dependent PROBOX® process, in which plant operators work 24/5 to inspect, clean and store for re-use approximately 40 000 bins (PROBOXs) that carry Hedrick’s conditioned seeds to the farms for spring planting. Hedrick’s Site Steering Committee decided to pilot TRACC in the
PROBOX process. While creating excitement for TRACC introduction to other site processes, the goal was to improve performance.
The PROBOX pilot focused largely on the best practices of Teamwork, 5S and Visual Performance Measurement, training teams and team leaders prior to the PROBOX season start. As the PROBOX process began, the team meeting boards were a key focus area. Daily shift handover meetings became a place of team communication and motivation, resulting in
a clear demonstration of the skills acquired through the training interventions.
Jumping from 2008’s moderate performance, Hedrick finished as a top performing location across the entire Pioneer footprint for the 2009 PROBOX process. While Pioneer as a whole processed an average of 32 PROBOXs an hour, Hedrick averaged 39 PROBOXs an hour for the entire season. During the last three weeks of the season Hedrick averaged 45 PROBOXs an hour.
Energy, excitement and confidence infuse the entire Hendrick facility thanks to the PROBOX pilot success. It has built momentum for implementation started in November 2009 in the conditioning and packing process. The facility plans to implement Teamwork, 5S, Visual Performance Measurement, Focused Improvement and Business Centred Maintenance
across the site.
Apart from significantly improving operations in the PROBOX process, the pilot at the Hedrick facility has resulted in a workforce that has seen success firsthand and is eager to apply TRACC to other site processes. Now well into the conditioning and packaging season, Hedrick is seeing similar performance improvements and anticipates meeting aggressive packaging goals.
Garnering support for unfamiliar activities is often difficult, but through effective use of pilot launches an organization can drive business results while building support among employees.