Change Management Highlights:

Safety, Health and Environment:
* Developed and managed a major plant's Confined Spaces' Policy and Procedures, one of the "Big 4" Fatality Prevention projects.
* Improved safety and productivity by installing a 100m safety fence next to a dangerous manufacturing process allowing safe & quick maintenance access without the removal of 50+ guards
* In 1984 introduced data driven assessment of injuries, led the introduction of kevlar gloves (elminated cut hands) & side shields on safety glasses (reduced dust in eyes)
* After 3 years of managing my department, achieved 2 years without Lost Work Day Case - historically this was 18 per annum.

Quality:
* Introduced Production Specification Checklists - signed by customers to ensure correct specification dimensions and their requirements of the metal
* Prevented our Sydney manufactured product from being unfairly disqualified from Asia & within 2 years had proved to customers it was the best in the region
* With a major customer's Vietnam operation - led a conference to solve an ongoing quality problem resulting in significant improvement in output & reduction in scrap
* For one dominant quality defect, changed staff mindset and the process, reducing 1995's 284 scrapped coils, to 72 in 1996, to 2 in 1997, a saving of ~$10,000 per coil
* In several companies, determined the Critical Process Variables and used unionised personnel to manage via Statistical Process Control tools
* In 1988, championed the introduction of Statistical Process Control and Capability Programme. Successfully ran the first Australian Design of Experiments project in the company
* In 1986, developed an Optimum Quality Strategy (scrapped WIP if not to specification) which revolutionised the way the company managed quality

Output:
* Led the successful turn around of the company's two major and previously unprofitable production departments
* Redesigned the production floor layout so operators' daily movements were minimised and introduced new procedures resulting in equipment no longer being the plant bottle neck
* Set Hourly Output Goals not Shift Targets so Operators always knew their performance status allowing them to catch up on a previously poor output hour
* Changed Maintenance Foreman's mindset from getting a buzz through fixing problems to being rewarded for preventing the problems happening in the first place
* Developed a Production Capability Spreadsheet, which with basic specification data input, immediately assessed the requested product against manufacturing's capability
* Initiated TPM through Operators doing daily equipment checks reducing breakdowns by highlighting to maintenence when the machinery was outside normal operating limits
* Convinced customers in China and throughout S.E.Asia to purchase larger handling equipment to reduce the number of change overs plus shipping and warehousing costs
* In one FMCG operation, reduced line changeover times by 83%
* Initiated discrete signposted spaces for WIP items, so everyone could immediately see the status of the whole production process
* Despite scepticism from my experienced team, introduced a revolutionary new procedure that tripled the long standing production record on the major piece of equipment
* When the global paradigm was that can plants must run continuously, implemented an effective 3.5 day per week production schedule
* Reduced Equipment Tooling Change frequency from an historical standard of 12 hours downtime twice a week, to 2 hours every second week
* Introduced early shift start in a Service company so 1 to 2 individuals pulled parts from Stores and loaded all the trucks ready for immediate departure from Depot after the morning meeting
* Set up value adding task lists to be actioned by freed up resources when the next job was unable to commence on time
* In 1979, introduced Manufacturing Audits to the Australian Can Making Industry - taken up by the industry worldwide

Cost Reduction:
* Transformed the industry's oldest, highest cost production plant in the Southern Hemisphere into a cost neutral operation that achieved the goal of surviving a further five years
* Reduced metal coil inventory by 91%, reducing Working Capital by $300,000
* Introduced an innovative Just in Time programme with our supplier that allowed the plant to down-gauge the incoming metal thickness by 12% in six months
* Developed a Costing/Pricing Spreadsheet, which allocated a requested product to the correct process path and automatically determined the detailed costing & minimum selling price
* Introduced an effective Just In Time process to many customers in S.E. Asia and China, significantly reducing their Inventory and Working Capital
* Convinced customers in China and throughout S.E.Asia to purchase larger handling equipment to reduce the number of change overs and reduce shipping and warehousing costs
* Increased the size of a single production unit to the maximum possible resulting in an annual saving of ~$1 million in recovery improvement
* Initiated the concept that led to the total redesign of the major raw material item - now introduced across the global company saving $ millions p.a.
* In 1984 introduced the first "customer pull" system in the company, only producing what was required by downstream departments - resulted in a 50% reduction in plant inventory
* Developed a Packaging Products Cost Model, which compared the weights, costs and pricing for all types of beverage containers used globally, from canplant to filler

People:
* Took the word "can't" out of our plant's working vocabulary, enabling the removal of many barriers to change
* Built, trained and coached employee teams that investigated and sought permanent solutions to each major problem as it arose
* Empowered the unionised workforce to self manage their responsibilities
* Trained unionised personnel to manage the Critical Process Variables via Statistical Process Control tools
* Overcame resistant-to-change mindsets allowing increased output, through higher run speed, quicker changeovers, less roll changes & strip breaks
* Introduced several levels of Operator-Maintainer positions and involved TAFE to structure a training programme to certify them
* Trained all Domestic and Asian Sales personnel in the new structure and disciplines of Production Specification Checklists and Product Capability Spreadsheet
* Sponsored a mechanical tradesman to manage the major shutdown to overhaul critical equipment - previously a staff responsibility
* Sponsored an Operator to be the Customer Service Representative at a customer's interstate (QLD) can plant
* Organised Operators, not staff, to present to the visiting US head of the business
* Sponsored the education and personal growth of many Operators who became management personnel
* At multiple workplaces, changed the adversarial compulsory union workplace to one of mutual respect and working together
* In 1989 introduced a No Smoking Policy to my plant - the first successful manufacturing operation to do so in the nation wide company
* Implemented shifts run without (staff) foremen
* My most militant Operators and Tradespeople have became my change champions
* 1979 - 1982, trained staff and employees at all new canmaking plants in Australia, New Zealand and throughout Asia.

Organisation:
* In several companies, introduced a structure of Planning, Implementing, Investigating and Sustaining the change (effectively Deming's PDCA)
* Introduced KPIs to focus the plant's major income stream department's performance through the period of the introduction of the industry's first competitor
* Developed Job Descriptions clarifying each role, communicating the expectations of employees and leading to better planning and delegation
* Introduced a system of Single Person Accountable, together with an Agreed Completion Date to ensure all Corrective Actions were implemented on time
* Led the ISO 9002 Certification of the four plants in the business unit (one in Sydney, two in Melbourne and one in Auckland)
* Arranged a joint venture proposal to the Southcorp Board for the manufacture of aluminium ends in China

Sales, Marketing & Customer Service:
* Convinced the largest customer in Asia Pacific to link all their plants with emails, to introduce Specification and Corrective Action systems, plus a Quarterly Technical Review meeting
* Led a team of dedicated Customer Service Engineers who changed the way we serviced customers through working with their processes improving our product's performance
* Introduced a Process Audit spreadsheet, used on each customer visit to assess their process and provide improvement opportunities - presented at exit review meeting
* Assisted Australian and Asian Canmaking Companies to select the correct tooling and equipment for their new plants
* Wrote the "Aluminium End Making" manual, which was issued to all Alcoa customers in Australasia, then trained all Australian and Asian end making plant personnel
* In 1982, solved a major customer quality issue in Korea that had shut down their plant
* Developed and implemented a procedure for Raising an Accurate Production Specification ensuring the correct manufacturing path was followed
* While a Member of Australian Aluminium Can Group - derived the "Catch Us If You Can" slogan, used to focus Govt and Public on the lower recycling rates of other packaging products
* My plant's "We Can" catchcry became our total business unit's marketing slogan

Problem Solving:
* Major customer's Malaysia operation - in 3 hours, coached customer to successfully problem solve a major issue, preventing a 5th Night Shift shutdown ($100,000/shift revenue)
* Introduced root cause analysis of production defects and process downtime, increasing uptime, efficiencies and permanently removing several defect and downtime causes
* Introduced modern manufacturing practices to an operation with six totally different production processes
* Managed by data rather than by opinion for safety, quality, output, cost reduction and human relations
* In 1982, initiated daily "stand up" review meetings, now standardised across the company as Daily Management Meetings