MRO Today - Right under my nose

Right under my nose

by Paul V. Arnold

MRO Today’s coast-to-coast focus has given me the opportunity to do cover stories on manufacturing plants in 22 states. That includes a few sites in our home state of Wisconsin, but each of those required an hour or two drive from my Fort Atkinson office.

In all these years of thinking nationally, I overlooked a great local story practically under my nose.

It all came about while wrapping up the “Lean Manufacturing University 3” conference last November in Milwaukee. During discussions with industry friends about plants worthy of a cover story in 2005, one of them, a representative from the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership, mentioned that a company in the state faced a mechanical crisis a few years back that led to it re-evaluating its processes, procedures and performance. As a result, the company introduced a formal Total Productive Maintenance program and changed the roles and goals of its production and maintenance employees. The WMEP rep said the company reportedly achieved impressive gains.

“This sounds like a great story,” I said. “Who is it?”

“Spacesaver,” the WMEP rep answered.

“You mean Spacesaver, the Fort Atkinson company?” I asked incredulously.

“Yes. Do you know them?” he countered.

I did, but maybe I didn’t. The company/plant in question is located less than a half-mile from my house and two miles from MRO Today headquarters. I drive past the place most every day. In the summer, I use the bike trail that runs directly behind the building. I also am good friends with more than a dozen of the plant’s 400 employees, but while crossing paths at the grocery store, restaurants, youth sporting events and church, their hands-on involvement with change initiatives, TPM, lean techniques and productivity gains were never topics of conversation. Wow! I knew more about stuff going on at factories 1,000 miles away than I did the one in my own backyard.

So, I didn’t need to rely on airplanes, rental cars, taxi cabs, Yahoo maps or hotel rooms to reach the plant featured as the cover story in this issue. Instead, my employer owes me $1.60 for mileage.

It’s been a great lesson for me and should be for you, as well. Make sure you know what’s going on at companies in your neck of the woods. Open up some dialogue, tour and perhaps benchmark with nearby sites. Doing so will make you aware of the resources and interesting stories right under your nose.