• New England Ropes
    PiT-Stop Initiative at N.E. Ropes Corp. Fall River, Massachussetts, USA
    ( Member of the Teufelberger Group )

    Results and Overview

    The PiT-Stop employee engagement and idea generation initiative, to help launch Teufelberger Idea Management (TIM), under the guidance of Bernie Sander, Robert Fontaine, Harald Huegelsberger and Franz Hinterberger was conducted during the calendar weeks 9-10, March 2-11, 2011.

    1) Summary Findings

    5 Interview Teams ( 10 employees interviewed in total 132 employees )
    375 problem cards were generated and allocated to the following 29 thematic areas (clusters):

    HR Themes:
    • Staffing, Housekeeping, Benefits
    • Health & Safety - Noise and Fumes, Weight, Orderliness

    Process Themes:
    • Repair and Maintenance- Machines, Tools
    • MIS – Software, Hardware, Phone
    • Machinery, Identification, Yarn Inventory, Raw Materials
    • Layout – Machinery, Other
    • Time Management, Work Materials (Waste)
    • Work Materials (Shortage) – Winders, 3-Strand, Fabrication, Other
    • Office Procedures, Manufacturing Procedures, Scheduling,
    • Shift Change, Communication, Quality

    • Problems (Ideas) per Employee 2.8
    • Problems (Ideas) with estimated financial benefits 178 ( 48%)
    • Total Estimated Benefits $655,645

    < 5 T 138 ( 78%)
    5-10T 32 ( 18%)
    10-20T 6 ( 3%)
    > 20T 2 ( 1%)
    • Potential per employee interviewed $5,000
    • Potential per Problem (Idea) $1,800
    • Potential per Problem (Idee) with estimated benefits $3,600
    • Just-Do-Its and Quick Wins/Fast Money 66 (18%) $76,000
    • 1-Hr Problem Solving Candidates 88 (24%) $188,000

    Following the interview rounds, management further consolidated, bundled and allocated these 29 themed clusters. All problems and problem details were clearly visualized and also summarized in an Excel-based spreadsheet.

    • A selection of 80+ problems were suited for 1-hour facilitated team-based problem solving sessions. 24 of these were immediately tackled in the same week. Of the 132 interviewed employees, 57(43%) were engaged in solving their problems in this same week. The remaining team-based problem solving sessions will be addressed through the existing cadre of trained facilitators.
    • Target Allocation %:
    - 10% Just Do Its (immediate implementation)
    - 10% Short Term (Quick Wins – Fast Money)
    - 20% Suited for 1-hour Facilitated PiT-Stop Problem Solving
    - 10% Repair and Maintenance / Facility Management
    - 10% Candidates for Other Techniques (Six Sigma, VSM etc)
    - 10% Allocation to Existing Projects
    - 10% Middle and Long Term Success
    - 10% Don’t Do Its (with clear explanation)

    • Goal: Continued consolidation, determination „Who does what by when“ and implementation follow-up within the next 90 days.

    2) Acceptance / Reaction

    • The interview teams were advised and coached on the interview procedure. Each individual employee interview lasted on average 20 minutes in duration.
    • Employees showed themselves overwhelmingly open and all topics were constructively addressed without any apparent taboos or ‚holy cows’.
    • The clustering technique ensures the many problem cards are aggregated by cluster or theme, resulting in improved overview and assessment methods.
    • The priority-setting and allocation exercise and results presentation reflected the expectations of the employees involved. They were able to identify with the resultant problem clusters and results
    • All told, the action week left a good impression in the minds of employees and set high expectations that implementation levels would result.
    • It was possible to identify and differentiate many problems in an ongoing cordial working atmosphere.
    • The interview methodology was positively received by the interviewees.

    It was shown, that on average 3 interviews each with 3 concrete problems together with solutions can be generated within an hour by each 2-person interview team - these findings validate the experience levels of Bernie Sander.

    3) Return on Investment

    • Internal costs: 10 employees X 8 hrs. X 7 days X $20/Hr. = approx $12,000.
    • The additional costs of the external trainer are available.
    • Through the 375 identified problem cards, timely high benefit potential areas of concern and undocumented time reserves were identified. Many improvements will be felt immediately within the next quarter, through timely priorization and implementation.

    4) Summary

    The „ on-site interview“ method was positively received by all employees. Approx. 80% of the collected problems were known beforehand. This clearly
    indicates that many problem areas were raised that were previously unknown. The high expectations raised in employees should also result in many ideas being implemented in a timely manner. The PiT-Stop method, to quickly and efficiently discover and document previously unknown savings potential, proved successful. The general problem remains the implementation of individual solution packages as part of normal daily business. Herein lie varying degrees of effort and expense, dependent on the cluster in question. It requires vigilance and ongoing controlling efforts to ensure the necessary cost savings are truly realized.

    In Conclusion: Underlying positive employee sentiment with real measures and solutions that need to be responsibly implemented as wide as possible. Back