The Just Don't Get It!

The team started by quantifying the cost of excessive changeover time driven by reactive scheduling. Armed with that data, we worked with the Planning organization to adjust sequencing. Together, we built a schedule that reduced complex changeovers and created real capacity. We created a cross-functional task force with Quality, Marketing, and Sales. By reviewing product standards, we discovered that many were unnecessarily tight. Together, we streamlined specifications that were more closely aligned with our equipment capabilities. We partnered with Sourcing to clearly define material specifications that best fit our equipment. Rather than chasing the lowest price, they went to market with those specs in hand—and found suppliers who could deliver materials that both ran well and came at competitive cost. Marketing and R&D invited us to the table early in the design process for a new product. In collaboration, we selected materials that not only met the desired customer attributes but also ran reliably at speed. The result was a harmonized product strategy that hit both innovation and manufacturability targets.

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