Labor & Process Design
Removing work the packaging and production system should never have required.
Articles
18 articlesYour Scrap Rate Is an Allocation, Not a Measurement
A mid-market frozen and prepared foods plant reported a four percent scrap rate.
A Throughput Request Cannot Find a Yield Loss
A plant data request on one of our engagements was narrowed twice in the same short call.
A Rate Nobody Wrote Down Belongs to One Crew
A two week assessment has one scarce resource, which is time in front of the operation.
Your Attendance Log Is a Capacity Study
Two things happen on almost every plant walk I do.
Run Two Changes at Once, Prove Neither
Someone calls out.
Measure the Line, Then Use Their Headcount
Every labor reduction on a manual line meets the same question in its first review, and it is never about the time study.
The Ceiling Is Utilization, Not Rate
Our field lead spent four days on the trim line at a Midwest protein processor with a stopwatch and a clipboard.
Your Time Study Measured The Task, Not The Day
An operator spent four days on the trim floor of a protein plant with a stopwatch.
A Walkthrough Is Not a Labor Baseline
Observed staffing, coverage requirements, and paid hours answer different questions. A labor case needs to reconcile them before assigning value.
Build the Run Record Before Asking for the Rate
A plant may have output, payroll and start times in different systems without being able to calculate a defensible rate. The problem can be the relationship between the records.
Recovered Hours Need a Conversion Plan
A time saving is an operating opportunity. Its financial value depends on what happens to the recovered hours and which costs actually change.
The Average Is Not the Operating Condition
An average can summarize performance while hiding the conditions that drive a staffing or process decision. Segment the baseline where the work changes.
Count the Work the Box Assigns
A box design assigns work before the first operator touches it. Inserts must be positioned, tape applied and components oriented. Those steps belong in the sourcing comparison.
Price the Hours the Project Actually Changes
Which paid hours and support costs would disappear or change if a labor or automation proposal worked?
Stress-Test the Coverage Behind a Labor Plan
Can a proposed crew configuration cover critical work during breaks, absences, and difficult product runs?
The Equipment Footprint Is Not the Operating Footprint
Does a proposed layout leave enough room and access to operate the surrounding process?
Transfer the Operating State at Shift Handoff
What must the incoming crew know to continue the current run and make the next decision?
Price the Next Overtime Window
What incremental value would the next overtime window produce after its full operating demands?