From Concept to Reality

F & B Farms and Nursery Kaizen event June 2011 Potting Line Process Before conditions: Inconsistent work – particularly on machine set up. Area would get “cleaned up” only to fall back into disarray. Machine down time drastically reduced production (estimated time loss of 1 – 1.5 hours x 5 employees). Presented by Leigh Geschwill

 Management talks about improvement often amongst ourselves.  Many employees in production are non- native speakers.  Cultural differences can make it hard for employees to take initiative on their own.  Changes that had been made in the past don’t stick.

Step 1: 5S Kaizen event focused on 5S  Sort  Set in Order  Shine  Standardize  Sustain Clean Up Area (Sort) Remove unneeded items Red Tag Area Making The Area Work (Set in Order) What’s Left: A place for every thing and every thing in its place. Shine Be realistic about what “clean” needs to be for you

 Areas for Improvement (Opportunities):  Excess soil on the line  Machine adjustments awkward / not easily accessible  Pot filling not efficient  Access to plug tray for both sides of line  Line leveling  Room for Point of Use storage closer to machine

Opportunity: Remove Excess Soil Excess soil on the line: Makes a mess Clogs up filters on watering tunnel Tracks excess soil into greenhouse Detracts from plant value Try-storm Solutions: Add brushes at flat filler and before tunnel. Make sites to catch excess soil.

Opportunity: Machine Adjustments Initial Kaizen Improvements: Machine height setting guide Planting depth guide After Kaizen continued with: Daily, Shift and Job Posters for machine set up. More permanent planting depth guideline in larger (easier to see) format.

Opportunity: Pot Filling Before Kaizen: Pots and flats had no designated area. Flats being filled onto the ground. Prefilled flats led to excess inventory in line. After Kaizen: Designated spots for pots, flats and recycling cart. Kanban set up of only 5 flats in process at one time. No prefilled flats. Flats filled on conveyor (more ergonomic).

Opportunity: Access to Plug Tray Before Kaizen: Plug tray located on one side. Employees handed over plugs to other side – or employee reached. Plugs getting pulled and broken. During Kaizen: Bridge that had been made previously was put to use. Employee on line took initiative to reposition bridge to work better. Second bridge was added to stage next plug tray. Future Improvements: Will add sign post to put paperwork on where it will be easily accessible to planters.

 Employee buy-in critical to moving forward.  Not an overnight wonder fix-all. Requires small improvements daily and weekly.  Once basics established (5S standards) becomes easier to move ahead with more complicated tasks.  A good management tool for people who are not born managers.  Consistent results = consistent quality.