Final WCM.pdf - myroyalmail

myroyalmail.comFor daily news, visitstaff jump on boardApril 2012 2Tools to improve... Andyand Deb are using WCMto increase qualityDeliveriesThe more the merrier...Daniel and Kev areamong those driving WCMMore than 80 people at our Stokeand Stockport manual data entrycentres (MDEC) expressed aninterest in getting involved withWCM before it even launched.Now it’s up and running at the two sites,there’s no sign of that enthusiasm slowingdown.‘I was overwhelmed with the level ofinterest at the launch events last month,’says WCM champion Andy Donaldson.‘We held presentations by the pillarleads at workshops for staff to discusswhat WCM would mean for them at bothlocations.’Because of the type of work carried outBinthere,donethatOVERTOyouGot a WCM successstory or suggestionyou’d like to share?Let us know andyou might befeatured next time.Email worldclass@abcomm.co.uk orcall us on 020 79225670at the MDECs, where addresses that can’tbe read by our machines are keyed in tomake sure the item gets to the customer,they’ve adapted some of the pillars.‘The Autonomous Maintenance,Logistics and Professional Maintenancepillars just didn’t fit,’ says Andy. ‘But wehave introduced an additional pillar calledEarly Equipment Maintenance, whichdeals with how we specify any equipmentor technology we may need in MDEC.’So both centres have kicked off withfour pillars – Quality Control, CostDeployment, Safety and WorkplaceOrganisation. Their Quality Control work isalready well under way.EnvironmentRecycling is getting easier thanksto the introduction of new bins thatwill soon be appearing across ourprocessing sites and large deliveryoffices.Since recycling was first introducedacross our business, different types andcolours of bins have been used, whichcan be confusing. The new bins willmake it simpler to choose the right one.‘More than 60% of what goes inresidual waste could be recycled,’ saysJames Kokiet, environment manager.‘We can still make a significantimprovement, and these new bins aredesigned to make that easier.’Paul Hammacott from our facilitiessupplier Romec worked with theEnvironment pillar leads from theDeb Burgess, night shift manager andpillar lead, says: ‘We used WCM to identifythat postcode errors and was the mainarea we need to focus on improving.‘From there, we used our data toidentify our model area, and workedwith colleagues at Stockport MDEC onlate shift to prioritise the issues so we canunderstand and attack our quality defects.‘We are making good progress so far,and have now started work with thePeople Development pillar so our defectscan be attacked through training anddevelopment.‘We’re passionate about using WCM toeliminate errors and improve our service.’Showing the way... Kasia andoperator Mandy Charmandemonstrate the binsNational Distribution Centre and Leedsmail centre to incorporate WCM designrequirements. He says: ‘The bins aretransparent so that any contaminationby the wrong item is obvious. There’san A3 backboard attached to the binto display posters showing what itemscan go in the bins. To make things eveneasier, obvious colours have been used,so the recycling bin is green and theresidual waste bin is black.’Kasia Kozyra, Environment pillarlead at Peterborough mail centre, oneof the first sites to use them, says: ‘Thenew bins are much more visual and theposters make it clear what waste goeswhere. We’ve already seen an increasein recycling as more people are makingthe effort now it’s easier.’People PowerPeterborough postman Kev Hydon isinvolved with the Focused Improvementpillar. He says: ‘I saw the differenceWCM made in processing, so when it wasintroduced in deliveries I was keen togive it a go.‘Our model area is in sorting, where we’reusing WCM tools to reduce the amount of timespent walking to and from the frames. This willhelp us find a simpler way of working to reducewasted time.’WCM champion Daniel Dring says: ‘Work hasreally taken off since January, once Christmaswas out of the way. One of our main areas isSafety, and we’re concentrating on measures toreduce dog bites, which are quite high here.‘We were keen to make sure as many staff aspossible got involved in running WCM, and I’mdelighted with the results at such an early stage.We’ve launched six pillars, and three staff areinvolved in each one.’JArgon busterIn the second of our series to explain WCMterms, we look at Kaizen.Kaizen (Japanese for ‘change for the better’or ‘improvement’) is a way of bringing aboutproductivity improvement. It often involvestaking apart a process, system, product or serviceand putting it back together in a better way.Kaizen takes place across all WCM pillars and usessketches and visual signs to show progress and results.There are several types.Quick kaizen is used to carry out simple improvementsto problems that occur every day. It’s carried out by theoperator(s) themselves.Standard kaizen is used to solve problems that onlyoccur sporadically but have complex causes. It is usuallycarried out by two or three people and it may requiretraining a small team to analyse the problem.Major kaizen is used to solve more complex, long-termproblems, and usually involves a team of between threeand seven people, with a project leader. It can last as longas three months and activities are divided into steps.Advanced kaizen is used to solve the most complex,chronic problems using the most sophisticated WCMtools. It usually involves a team of around seven people,with a project leader. It can take up to six months.