Q. What is P2?
A. P2 is a coaching, training and implementation firm that helps manufacturers realize a quantum difference in P and cost effectiveness through implementation of lean manufacturing strategies.
Q. What exactly does P2 do?
A. P2 provides analysis, training and implementation of lean manufacturing strategies to batch manufacturers. The company's unique approach enables clients to employ methods that maximize availability, performance and quality of manufacturing processes while lowering the cost of manufacturing low and yielding the greatest return on investment.
Q. What makes P2 different from its competitors?
A. P2 does not look at things in isolation; they come in with a tailored measurement tool and then go to work on the targeted trouble areas, making sure they fit their tools to the company culture first. Many consultants don't customize or implement organizational changes - they merely prescribe. Once the prescription is complete, they leave the staff to deal with the implications of the changes as best they can. Process changes don't stick because the culture isn't ready to accommodate the changes that need to be made, and the staff may not be properly coached.
P2 works to ensure that the people affected by the change are an active part of the process. This fosters lasting and healthy change within an organization. P2 diagnoses and then trains and coaches staff on how to makes changes within the company. They utilize tools similar to General Electric's Workout to draw out and implement a company's best practices and set them in motion. Overall, the company creates a customized, robust and flexible system that allows clients to obtain lasting results that directly affect the bottom line.
Q. How do you measure improvement?
A. P2 measures improvement with an Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) number. P2 measures the process and uses data to identify and implement the most appropriate lean tool.
Their Compass Analysis locates the tools that provide effective and profitable change. The development of a Visual Workplace is the foundation for process improvement. OEE is then utilized as a broad and balanced measurement of a plant's processes. P2 uses OEE to isolate which of the six big losses of P (breakdowns, startup losses, set-up and adjustment, idling and minor losses, speed losses, and quality defects and rework) should be the focus of improvement efforts. Guesswork is eliminated and production numbers are used to guide and measure the improvement. Based on direction provided by the Compass Analysis, the appropriate interventions are then chosen to target the identified loss.
Q. What are some results using the OEE number as a baseline for improvement?
A. P2 has helped companies increase their OEE numbers above the industry standard by as much as 144%. In the case of one client, after P2 assisted in the implementation of the Visual Workplace, the company saw a 16% increase in machine effectiveness in just four months. P2's hands-on implementation helps companies take the best practices and apply them on the spot.
Q. Aren't you just efficiency experts?
A. P2's methods and approach are not about clipboards and stopwatches. They help the people in the process, see the process, and then create a new and better way. An OEE number will measure many things, but P2 helps companies come up with the best solution for their unique bottlenecks, They develop steps to address it and then show you how to execute and overcome those bottlenecks. Using time-tested tools, P2's Compass Analysis directs companies to the area of most profitable improvement and their Mission Aligned People and Process (MAPP) Analysis ensures that the improvements will bring real and lasting change to the corporate culture. P2 creates improvements that stay with a company for the long run. They give employees the tools they need to get the job done and increase the quality of the product.
Q. How does P2 help companies eliminate waste?
A. P2's approach identifies bottlenecks in manufacturing processes. Once identified, P2 will then apply their Compass and Mission Aligned People and Process (MAPP) Analysis to create or re-align the processes for maximum effectiveness. P2's Compass Analysis directs companies to the area of most profitable improvement and their MAPP Analysis ensures that the improvements will bring real and lasting change to the corporate culture. Customized plans ensure that ownership of process improvements is transferred to those who run and maintain the target processes. The result is a reduction of wasted product, wasted time, wasted effort, wasted space, and wasted creativity.
Q. What are the advantages eliminating waste from the manufacturing workplace?
A. Everything that is not adding value to the product is waste. In most cases the market will not allow you to raise the price of your product, even if you provide superior quality and service. Consequently, the best way to make more money is to reduce the cost of manufacturing. Overall, the advantages include:
- Reduced corporate sluggishness due to excess production and just-in-case inventory;
- Improved morale and safety as every team member's creativity is utilized to remove waste of administration, rework, and clutter;
- Strengthened systems - through continual improvement that is the result of operators taking responsibility for perfecting their own work processes; and
- Lower cost of manufacturing by decreasing the time between receiving and order and receiving a check.
Q. Why would a manufacturing company need P2's services?
A. In today's economic climate, companies are re-thinking traditional definitions of P. It's not enough to simply produce more product - all elements from machine availability to performance and quality must be in sync in order to achieve the greatest return on investment (ROI). P2 identifies bottlenecks in the manufacturing process and implements the right methods to lower your overall cost of manufacturing. P2 helps companies identify the value stream, organize for success, lower the cost of manufacturing and improve ROI.
Q. How do you ensure your methods become a part of the organization's culture rather than just a short-lived program?
A. Because P2's initiatives are based on each company's processes and OEE number, their services are customized to that particular process that needs improvement. In order to ensure that P2's methods don't become a short-lived, or the flavor-of-the-month program, P2 works with employees and management to ensure that the improvement initiatives are supported by the organization's training, information, and reward systems. Part of developing a method to improve a company's effectiveness is understanding the company inside and out. With this knowledge comes the ability to develop an appropriate program supported by all involved, and destined for longevity.
One practice that has ensured success is the development of an internal champion. P2 trains a member of your team to drive process improvement. They coach and provide continued education to be certain of sustained progress.
Q. What is the 7S method?
A. P2 employs the latest concepts on workplace organization, the 7S System, to help companies see their workplace, identify waste and then organize them for success. With this foundation in place, P2 bases its actions on the premise that in order to have increases in machine availability, performance and quality (all measured by the OEE number) the workplace must be organized. P2 trains your employees to improve their organization for success, improved morale and safety.
Q. What are the advantages of utilizing P2 over an in-house staff?
A. P2 serves as an objective facilitator with an outside, big-picture perspective. They bring implementation experience from a variety of industries. By helping employees understand and visualize where bottlenecks occur, P2 helps employees create their own solutions. Through a series of interactive planning sessions, P2 combines ideas from across industry with the best thinking of your people. Procedures are then more likely to be followed because operators had a hand in writing them. The training that is provided is not a contrived experience - P2 demonstrates how to execute a project by doing the project and then works with employees to master the best methods.
Q. Who is P2's Management Team?
A. P2's management team includes Dr. Scott Ellis and Mr. Leslie Pickering. Both Dr. Ellis and Mr. Pickering bring a wealth of unique talent and industry experience to P2. Collectively, they have more than 40 years experience working with some of the most widely recognized names in the packaging industry. Prior to P2, Dr. Ellis was the director of training and development for Pacific Southwest Container. As a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, (MFT) Dr. Ellis has 16 years experience in private practice assisting individuals and families in growth and change. Through his work with individuals and organizations, he is equipped as a catalyst for healthy change. Dr. Ellis has his Masters and Doctoral degrees in Counseling and Educational Psychology from the University of San Francisco. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California State University, Stanislaus.
Leslie Pickering draws on his international lean management experience in packaging and manufacturing companies to facilitate the Compass Analyses for P2. Prior to P2, Mr. Pickering was vice president of technology at Pacific Southwest Container in Modesto, California where he was responsible for process improvement. Mr. Pickering has worked in the area of process improvement in companies throughout the United States and Europe. Mr. Pickering was educated in the formal apprenticeship system of the United Kingdom. His Higher National Diploma in Production Engineering was conveyed by the Business and Technician Education Council. The Technical Education Council awarded him the Certificate in Mechanical and Production Engineering. He is also a graduate of the Mechanical Engineering Craft Studies program of the City and Guilds of London Institute where he received honors as the Apprentice of the Year 1981.
Q. When was the company founded and where is the company based?
A. P2 was founded in 2001 and is based in Renton, WA.
Q. Who are some of P2's clients?
A. P2 works with some of the leading companies in the packaging industry including AllPak, Bay Cities Container, Gallo Glass, LA Corr, Mark Container and Trojan Lithograph.
Q. How do I contact P2?
For information, please contact:
Scott Ellis, Ed.D.
P2 - Process Raised by the Power of People
425-985-8508
scottellis@PSquaredUSA.com
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