A Chula Vista-based company had success reinventing itself several years ago by reassessing the processes it uses in its manufacturing, and seeking ways to make the company more efficient.
Their gamble paid off, and now the company is as profitable as it has ever been and productivity is high.
Now, they’re giving free lessons to the employees of Chula Vista.
Drawing upon their own experiences, they hope to teach the city employees, who often find themselves facing extra work due to substantial layoffs in recent years, how to do more with the time they have in the office. And they are giving these lessons for free.
From the San Diego Union-Tribune:
What can city employees learn from a company that manufactures airplane parts for companies like Boeing and Airbus?
Chula Vista-based Goodrich Aerostructures hopes it can teach the city to become more efficient. A weeklong ‘Lean’ course instructing some 50 Chula Vista employees to work smarter during tight economic times began Monday at the company’s headquarters, which has been operating in Chula Vista since 1941.
Being ‘Lean’ is a skill the company regards as vital.
In 1997, Goodrich’s aerospace division factory was so far behind schedule producing airplane parts for Boeing, that they nearly lost their contract and teetered on bankruptcy. Then the factory, once known as Rohr Inc., drastically improved its efficiency using Lean production concepts, techniques first touted by Toyota Motor Corporation that incorporate a Japanese philosophy called kaizen. Roughly translated, it means continuous improvement or “never stop getting better.”
Read the full article here.