Plastics Training: May 2009 Archives

Please feel free to comment with other books you feel apply.

A plant manager recently approached me with an issue...

The plant was losing between $20,000 and $50,000 a month in mold damage during mold changes. It turns out, they had changed plant managers a few times in the past two years. As a result, no one really cared since accountability went out the window with each change and new managers came in with a clean slate.

I shared a couple of success stories from the past with him about upper management teaching critical job functions. Your employees are impressed when the plant manager, president, or owner is willing to roll up their sleeves and show someone how to do the job right. In such a role, these managers act as professional mentors to your employees.

In this case, I told the plant manager to learn the proper way to change a mold, and then teach, step-by-step, the most effective way to change a mold at their facility. Also have the employee change a mold side-by-side with the plant manager. Once this has been done, the plant manager can offer to repeat this instruction if any issues occur... but ultimately, the employee is now inherently responsible to the plant manager for doing the job right.

Remember, employees always look up to a mentor... and plant managers often make great mentors.

-Andy