From: Dehede011@aol.com
Date: Sat Aug 31 2002 - 18:26:38 MDT
In a message dated 8/31/2002 4:42:32 PM Central Standard Time,
max@maxmore.com writes: Productivity measured how? Obviously you have a
different measure in mind so as to show a divergence. What measure are you
thinking of?
Max,
I believe what most folks have in mind when they measure productivity
a Macro measure of productivity. As a measure of macro productivity, if
taken in parallel with other measure of manufacturing health, I have no
problem with it.
However I am a manufacturing guy whose career began in 1951 as a
production worker, got two degrees in what were essentially manufacturing
majors, and have held almost every office in manufacturing below Vice
President. I finished my career as a consultant.
Given my background I don't give a hoot about the Macro measure of
productivity as it doesn't give me a clue as to how a factory, department, or
individual is going as either as a spot check or as a trend over time.
I want a measure that allows me to measure individuals, departments or
plants individually, to see where I am at that moment, what direction I am
going and to give me a clue as to the areas susceptible to improvement.
Most consultants that are successful learn to do this to the extent of
measuring where they are on first contact, what areas are most susceptible to
improvement, and then to track themselves as they proceed.
However, in the hundred or so plants that I have been in to do a
project I have never heard anyone that seemed to have a clue as to how to
measure over all productivity and certainly they don't ever collect the
numbers and publish them internally for others to examine. The few
measurements I have seen were woefully incomplete and usually BS numbers to a
greater or less extent.
My bottom line is this. I keep hearing about how the macro
productivity numbers are improving even as I can see how to cook those
particular books while at the same time as I go into the factories I see
micro productivity deteriorating in a way that is visible to the naked eye.
On my 2nd or 3rd last job I found the bottleneck operation was working
at about 17% productivity. I got the operation up to something barely over
30% productivity and the guys thought I was a genius. :-))
My second point is this, we can't make national policy on
manufacturing when our understanding of the situation in manufacturing is so
far off the mark. For example I cannot agree that we should subsidize
manufacturing. My reservations is not based on political theory but simply
on the cure not being the cure appropriate to the disease.
Ron h.
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