$
Joe Olsen, Industrial Engineer and Chief of the Lean Six Sigma Office in 2006-07.
“It was phenomenal from beginning to end, as we were able to meet the constant demand of the Soldiers while driving down costs.”
Despite a workforce new to Lean, the feed- back from Shingo in 2006 commended their high level of enthusiasm to embrace Lean concepts. Olsen said the young workforce was motivated and had high energy for embracing the new thinking. The feedback also revealed that the depot had not reached its fullest potential and that opportunities existed for improve- ment. It indicated that the number one need for development was Lean training, as well as establishing a true Lean culture.
OCI concentrated on imparting its knowledge to the workforce through various avenues, such as the Civilian Edu- cation System, High Potential Leadership, and other mentorship courses. Employees began submitting two-piece summaries, a LEAD tool to capture employee-driven improvement initiatives. Others partici- pated in traditional Lean Green or Black Belt training, learning the tools used to collect and analyze data to find and elimi- nate areas of waste.
MAKING MISSILES
Employees work on the guidance section of the Patriot (Phased Array Tracking Radar Intercept of Target) missile in LEAD’s Theater Readiness Monitoring Facility. The Patriot missile system program received a Shingo Bronze Medallion in 2010. (U.S. Army photo by Don Bitner, LEAD.)
“We preached a change in culture, and as preparations began for the 2009 Patriot [Shingo award] submission, employees were facilitating their own two-piece sum- maries and rapid improvements events,” Eichenlaub said. “Employee leadership, facilitating events, and managing change have most notably shaped the change at Letterkenny.”
CULTURAL SHIFT Nine years after Lean Six Sigma began at LEAD, the cultural shift of placing respon- sibility in the hands of the employees is undeniable. The 2011 Shingo Bronze Medallion for the Aviation Ground Power Unit (AGPU) was the first Shingo award in which the cost center unit owned the entire process. Production-line employees briefed the Shingo review team, describ- ing their role in the AGPU’s continuous improvement process.
Shingo examiners, during an audit in July, were impressed by LEAD employees’ alignment with the Soldier, the flexibility and adaptability of the workforce, and their pride of workmanship. The Shingo auditors walked away with a strong sense of the heart and soul that the AGPU workforce demonstrated.
“What an amazing commitment at all levels. Very impressive,” said Paul Terry, Shingo Examiner.
The Power Generation Branch, encom- passing AGPU, leads the depot in employee-driven initiatives for improve- ment in their processes. Employee ownership has proven the secret ingredient to shaping the culture into one of con- tinuous improvement. Employee-driven success stories led the Shingo efforts.
An AGPU assembly-line employee real- ized that each rubber back shell brushing, which serves as a shield between the
wiring harness and the connector to pre- vent cutting of the wire, cost $965.85. With research, a replacement was found at a cost of 78 cents. This resulted in a savings of $965.07 per AGPU produced and saved LEAD more than $240,000 by May 2011.
Incorporating employee solutions into process improvements and communicat- ing the results show that leadership values employees’ opinions. This mutual trust encourages employees to continue offer- ing solutions.
“We want to put the systems in place in the organization to sustain the principles that drive the culture,” said Gerald Chap- man Jr., Process Improvement Facilitator.
CONCLUSION LEAD’s seven Shingo awards are the result of a diligent and committed work- force. “Lean has become part of their work ethic,” said Jerry Mellot, President of NFFE Local 1429. “Now the employ- ees think Lean instead of just do Lean.”
The Shingo awards are a supplement, though, to the ultimate success, in which employees drive change and take pride in providing high-quality equipment to the U.S. military. These prestigious awards confirm that Lean has transformed LEAD into a thriving competitive facility, the provider of choice for DoD in production, repair, or overhaul.
COL CHERI A. PROVANCHA is the Let- terkenny Army Depot Commander. She holds a B.S. in psychology from Colorado State University, an M.P.A. in administra- tion and organization from Golden Gate University, and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. Provan- cha is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.
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