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rework

2/26/16       
Gary

Website: http://gosslingwoodworking.com

We seem to be having more rework than usual lately. Most of it is stupid simple stuff that should be caught at the shop before the job ships.
For the most part I have the same guys and the same processes as we've had for years. I've have talked to the guys repeatedly about quality control at every step of the build but it does no good.
I do profit sharing as a motivator (which is another story). I am thinking about taking some money away from the profit share each time a mistake made. Everybody in the shop loses the same amount regardless of who made the mistake.The idea is to get the guys to work with each other and check on each other more or else feel their mistakes a little bit in their own pocket books.
Maybe I'm on the wrong track but I don't know what else to do but also don't want my actions to backfire.
What has worked for you?

2/26/16       #2: rework ...
Lawrence

I knew of a company that would pay their shop employees based on a percentage of the invoice for the job. It accomplished a couple of things. They had incentive to not waste time but also if they had a coworker that was making a lot of mistakes or not pulling his weight they would go to the boss and complain, which might cause a change. I need to add that this company did not require quite the level of expertise that cabinets require. Just my two cents worth..

2/26/16       #3: rework ...
Pat Gilbert

Group incentives are a can of worms, a disincentive for the good workers and have little effect on bad workers.

If you think about it the shop is really just a collection of policy.

IOW don't do this because blah blah.

Your only real option is to reap yourself as many times as it takes. If the worker is completely incorrigible off him.

IOW real communication, face to face, i.e. real management.

Which is annoying when you are already wearing too many hats. But then again this is mostly a foreman's job.

2/26/16       #4: rework ...
Lawrence

Pat, it will have an and effect on bad employees. This program will expose them quickly and to what degree. If the degree is bad enough he should go anyway and the other employees will be tickled. I'm not completely convinced of this either, just a way of managing.

2/26/16       #5: rework ...
Pat Gilbert

Lawrence

That has not been my experience.

2/27/16       #6: rework ...
Jim Member

My experience is that I get people to sign off on each step that they perform. By doing that they take responsibility for that part of the process. When there is rework to be done, I have that person redo the work and any other resulting work from the mistake. I still expect them to get the rest of their daily work done as well. By having the party responsible redoing their work, they will not let it happen again.

I also expect the person doing the job following to ensure that the previous operation was done properly. I expect them to not pass on a problem. If one gets by, I do as above but I also talk with the person who should have seen the problem and not pass it done the line.

2/27/16       #7: rework ...
cabmaker

We make a recycle pullout that's probably the most robust on the planet. There are 7 parts to the product and a total of about 30 processes to produce all of the parts.

We had two people participating in the various processes. There was always at least one defect in the product and the defect tended to migrate from project to project.

When I spoke with the guys about this the answer was always something to the effect of "I don't think I did that part". The lawyer in them knew I didn't know who did what so the lawyer in them relied on plausible deniability.

The solution for this was to produce a written list of the 30 processes. I gave the project to just one of the guys and had him initial each step as he proceeded. The end result was a $500 item built to perfection in a two hour window.

The reason for this success had to do adding formality to the management. The list kept the builder focused on the task at hand. He didn't have to imagine the steps and he didn't get to spend any time chasing butterflies (this fellow was easily distracted).

Having him sign off on the steps as he proceeded required that he interact with the list as he went along. This added accountability and helped him build things in the correct sequence.

The real benefit to this kind of formality was tremendous gains in process improvement. Once the step was formally defined we could measure it, analyze it and improve it.

Since we have had so much success with this approach we have applied it to other things we do. We did the same thing for drawer box manufacturing and discovered five process improvements, three of which were very significant to outcome. We've been building that drawer box for fifteen years and if you have asked us before that exercise if we knew how to build drawer boxes we would have "yes" without hesitation.

You probably won't change your facilities or machinery anytime soon. You absolutely cannot change your crew. The only thing you have any influence over is how you manage these resources.

More formality will make you more money than less formality.

2/27/16       #8: rework ...
Lawrence

cabmaker: that was well written and right on point. Much success to you.

3/9/16       #9: rework ...
RobertNH  Member

First I will apologize for what I'm about to say to the Mill Shop guys.
Our business is installation of your goods.

When the Heck, did re-working your goods become 'my' issue?

The latest of qualifications in our contracts now states "If product is sent to the site that shouldn't be installed, it is upon the installer to call and review. If such is installed, costs to do so is upon the installer."

Okay, it's on your Shop-builds.
We install per.
You're product fails.
How the Heck did "I" become responsible??

Latest in the list...
I have two guys working tonight to raise a run of cabinets.
Why you ask?
The file cabinets, supplied by the Owner do not fit below.
Are the Cabinets at the height on the shops given?
Yes!
Did the Shop allow for discrepancy?
Yes! An inch!
Files cab's miss by 1/4"...

So why the Heck do I have to re-work others issues at My expense?

REWORK?
Ya, I have some issues with this.

This trade used to bring a smile to my face...

Again, my apologies for my rant.
And to my Mill Shop friends.
The 'Buck' can not just be passed down the line.


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