Implementing Standardized Work

Standardized Work refers to the process of finding and applying the best operational methods that will lead to cost reduction, better product quality, and increased operator safety. This book, the latest in a series dedicated to Standardized Work, focuses on operator training and auditing. It describes the methods and tools used to train operators and then check their work against the standard defined in Standardized Work forms. It also discusses how to introduce these tools in the most effective way.

Following in the tradition of the other books in this series, Implementing Standardized Work: Training and Auditing covers essential knowledge using a compelling story format. It follows Thomas, a young, high-potential plant manager in an industrial group, as he deploys Standardized Work to turn around a plant that is losing money. This latest installment recounts the next steps in his process―preparing for training, conducting the training itself, and introducing an auditing process to measure its success.

The book explains how to structure and present the newly improved operational methods to facilitate the training. It introduces the Job Breakdown Sheet, which gives operators the "why" for actions and provides illustrations covering key points. The book presents a customized version of the training industry’s four-step training method that provides simple actionable tools that will help you perform quick and effective operator training. It also provides a number of key tips to ensure the successful establishment of auditing processes.

Implementing Standardized Work: Training and Auditing provides you with the right tools and the right processes to train and sustain Standardized Work. Everyone’s role, from the plant manager to the operator, is described and illustrated by simple examples in this book. Covering the essentials of training and auditing in a streamlined, easy-to-understand format, this book can have you applying its concepts in just one day.

Alain Patchong is the co-founder and CEO of Mexence, an extension of the concept of his book series. Mexence is built around the simple idea that in today’s highly competitive environment, industry, which has already harvested low-hanging fruits, we cannot rely anymore on single-minded or one-size-fits-all tools. Mexence partners with companies to improve their processes, support their digital transformation and their automation process to deliver business excellence. Before co-founding Mexence, he was the assembly director and master expert in assembly processes at Faurecia Automotive Seating. He was previously the industrial engineering manager for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Goodyear in Luxembourg. In this position, he developed training materials and led a successful initiative for the deployment of Standardized Work in several Goodyear plants. Before joining Goodyear, he worked with PSA Peugeot Citroën for 12 years where he developed and implemented methods for manufacturing systems engineering and production line improvement. He also led Lean implementations within PSA weld factories. He teaches at Ecole Centrale Paris and Ecole Supérieure d’Electricité, two French elite engineering schools. He was a finalist of the Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS) Edelman Competition in 2002 and a visiting scholar at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2004. Dr. Patchong is the author of several articles published in renowned journals. His work has been used in engineering and business school courses around the world.