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Quality days in BL Sound Solutions Beijing
From May 5-9, NXP Sound Solutions Beijing organized its first ever
‘Quality Week’. With the motto ‘Zero Waste’, all 575 employees of
the Beijing factory were actively involved in this initiative. In 5 days,
60 teams went through the factory and identified innovative and
creative ways to reduce waste and improve the operation's
efficiency and productivity.
Toyota's definition of ‘Seven
Wastes’ served as the defining
framework for the Quality Week, combined with care for the
environment. When talking about waste, people mostly think about
waste of materials. But waste is much more widespread - waste of
waiting time, waste of motion, waste in transportation - to name just a
few. In order to ensure a good understanding of the different types of
waste, a training session was conducted by the Management Team
in the morning on each of the five days. In addition, for each team, a
coach from Sound Solutions' second management level - the High
Impact Group - was assigned.
After the training session in the morning, each team went into the production facility to
identify 5 ‘spots of waste’. In a subsequent discussion, the teams came up with solutions
to solve the problems that led to the waste. At the end of the day, each team chose one
out of the five identified waste situations and presented their solution to the Management
Team.
As the week went by, it became clear how valuable the
knowledge of Sound Solutions' line and process engineers
is. As operators of Sound Solutions' full-automated
production lines, they know most about each production
step, each machine and every product. The Quality Week
gave them a platform and opportunity to express their ideas
and voice their solutions. It was amazing to see how many
simple and effective improvement solutions were presented.
When implemented, these solutions can lead to very
significant savings for Sound Solutions.
But, it's not only about money. It is also about learning and
engagement. Non-production employees could gain a deeper
understanding of the production processes. Management became
aware of existing loopholes and inefficiencies. Production
employees learned about quality tools and made their
contributions to reduce waste and improve productivity. And the
fact that people of all functions worked together for an entire day
ensures a better understanding of and appreciation for each
other's work.
In the spirit of continuous improvement, this Quality Week will certainly not be the last one for Sound
Solutions Beijing.