visionaries help us see where we need to be in five years and are willing to explore avenues for reaching that destination,” Dzelme says.

Sponsors tend to be high-energy players who have a firm grasp on the benefits of improvement initiatives. They are willing to help drive events or to evangelize, creating a steadily growing climate of continuous improvement. “I’m always interested in people who step back and look for answers that are broader than the fix of the moment,” Dzelme relates. “We want people who won’t put up with a failed quality check, who know that if you monitor processes, get into the details, and step in when key indicators first begin to move out of line, quick corrective action is possible.”

One common theme runs through initiatives managed by Dzelme’s teams: They all involve the end-user, whether that is the business manager or an operator on the line. “People dislike being force fed,” he says. “But if you let them plan the menu and do some of the cooking, they’ll build an appetite. Besides, who knows better about an issue than those who live and breathe it day in and day out?”

In all of this, Dzelme says, “you have to accept the fact that some people just don’t get it. The good ones can be moved to operations that have already been standardized, where things are relatively static and mature. Nay-sayers, people who interfere with the ability of others to understand best practices, need to be removed. Visionaries are prime candidates for new efforts or new product lines or processes.”

Dzelme has hammered out three rules for program success. First, when you initially bring technology to bear on a given operational detail, take a long look at the process. If you have many steps, determine whether the activity is actually complex, or whether the steps have proliferated simply because the process is manual. Simply automating the manual steps may bring no benefit.

Second, when selecting technology, dig into vendors’ experience in your industry, and opt for a supplier that can show you relatively short initial projects with appreciable returns—and a product architecture that supports modular installation and development. “You gain sponsorship when you show an immediate benefit,” Dzelme says.

Finally, ensure that the architects of the new systems are providing solutions that align with overall business needs. “It’s better to be open-minded about what good architects are telling you,” Dzelme says. “We pushed ahead with modifications at the beginning, over the recommendations of Camstar—and from this, we’ve learned that we were not the MES experts. A couple of our current projects are focused on undoing what we did then.”

Industry Directions’ Fraser brings an interesting insight to any discussion of operational excellence. “There’s a growing gap between companies who have the discipline to be excellent and companies that cannot or will not measure what counts,” she says. “Our research since the 1990s consistently shows operational leadership from groups that are successful in defining and enforcing principles of operation. The more that brand and quality are important to C-level people, the more you’ll find dedicated resources for strategic direction, improvement initiatives, and measurable information from every hand that’s involved in making the product.”

For more information, search keywords “ operational excellence ” and “ manufacturing execution ” at www.automationworld.com.