Respect goes both ways
Senior management need to become fully involved for continuous improvement to be accepted and implemented by staff, says Tom Szwajkos, a consultant with US-based TR Pallen & Associates. “Also, if you have union personnel, you must get them involved as part of the continuous improvement team.”
In many terminals there is a disconnect between management and union personnel, he says, “but I believe that if you treat the union personnel with respect and ask the same in return, ask for their opinions, get them involved, you will get positive results.”
When working for one previous employer, Mr Szwajkos worked closely with the gearmen who refuelled equipment, to develop a specification for a new fuel truck. “No one had asked for their input previously.”
Whereas the old truck had two fuel hoses, one for diesel and one for petrol, and required the gearmen to exchange hose nozzles when refuelling RTGs, the new truck had additional hoses, including a high-capacity dedicated hose which allowed them to fill RTGs five times faster – with the additional benefits of reduced nozzle damage, spillage and wasted time. “It was a win-win for all of us. The gearmen worked more efficiently, were proud that their input was actually accepted and began to offer additional suggestions.”
In any drive for improvement, goals need to be set and teams rewarded for their successes, says Mr Szwajkos. Start small and build up to larger successes. “Study a current process that has issues, brainstorm ideas, implement the idea and monitor it to see if it makes any improvement.”
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