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Sep 8, 2021 | Time to read: 2 min
I spent two full days on a manual assembly line recently. I was struck by a number of observations that relate directly back to Drishti.
The opportunities for improvement on manual lines are plentiful.
It took me less than five minutes to identify muda on the line. Twenty minutes in, I was stunned at how much opportunity there was to improve productivity.
Line associates were waiting for parts to arrive. Barcode scanners took up to eight seconds to read the barcode, and the line associate had to twist and turn parts to get a reading. On every single cycle, those seconds add up. Bins were misplaced. Line associates, through no fault of their own, were waiting a long time for the next unit to reach their station.
Perhaps most importantly, the line I was watching, and all of the lines in my view, were nowhere near hitting their targets.
Line associates are more effective when they’re busy.
When a unit hit their station, they would get to work. But there was no incentive to rush, because there wasn’t another unit sitting in the queue. So finishing the current unit just meant being idle again.
I don’t know about you, but when I have fewer items on my to-do list, I’m way less productive. Mistakes are made when your head isn’t in the game. (There is, of course, a balance here: too busy and mistakes are made, as well.)
When units were slow, the line associates were distracting each other. They weren’t being “bad,” they were being human. Minimizing the time for distraction would not only improve productivity, but likely quality and job satisfaction. And making sure line associates hit that busy-ness sweet spot to be “in the zone” is critical.
Feeling like what you’re doing matters, matters.
Each of the ten stations had a different version of complexity. Each line associate was performing at least 10 steps. Meanwhile, I knew that if I had to pinch hit for one of them, I would have zero idea what to do. They kept it all straight.
Line associates don’t have an easy job. In addition to being complex, it’s hard physical labor in a loud, hot factory. And in an industry where there is massive turnover, employee satisfaction matters. Feeling like what you're doing matters, matters.
We all want to be appreciated, and feel good about what we accomplished after a hard day’s work. Technology like Drishti focuses on the line associate, ensuring he or she is empowered to do the best possible job — and to be rewarded for good work.
That’s why Drishti matters. Because in a post-COVID-19 world where so many people are re-evaluating their career choices, and questioning whether they need to return to a job that may not bring them satisfaction or opportunities to advance, Drishti enables manufacturers to really recognize high performers for the first time. And Drishti provides a mechanism to drive true improvements on a line — resulting in that feeling of accomplishment that for which we all strive.
