Effective Communication in Workforce Engagement

To establish connection, organizations should not only ensure their employees are the right fit, but they are also providing effective communication channels and pathways. Greg Flickinger, Chair, OpX Leadership Network Workforce Solutions Group, reviews the attributes of communication and how they lead to internal information flow, awareness and decision-making.

Greg FlickingerChair, OpX Leadership Network Workforce Solutions Group

Aug 11th, 2016

PACK EXPO Rewind: Risk Assessment

Hear PMMI’s Bruce Main, Safety Expert and Technical Advisor, and Sean Riley, Senior Director of Media & Industry Communications discussion of risk assessment at PACK EXPO East earlier this month.

While few people argue against the use of OEE as a helpful guideline, some are questioning how much it can help direct specific production improvements.

Is OEE too abstract?

OEE has long been a popular method for calculating asset performance, but some are beginning to question its value in providing direction to staff on how to improve production.

Oden Technologies

Creating Algorithms to Improve Production

Golden Run optimizes machine performance with artificial intelligence algorithms.

With the integration of PI Vision, Illovo Sugar was able to provide real-time information for operators, promoting a healthy competition between operators. Photo courtesy of OSIsoft.

How a sugar producer found more capacity utilization

Striving to find more operational flexibility and utilization, South Africa-based Illovo Sugar implemented advanced analytics for its form/fill/seal packaging machines across five plants.

John Clemons explains as smart manufacturing visions are formed, executives will need to discuss and decide how all the technologies and terms fit together to drive their companies’ unique competitive advantage.

Putting smart manufacturing into strategic perspective

Though it might seem trivial what you call it—smart manufacturing, Industrial Internet of Things, digital manufacturing, etc.—or how you position it, it’s important to decide how the technologies and terms fit together.

Metal detectors speed date-paste inspection, reduce product waste

A new metal detector at The Jewel Date Company inspects hot date paste, eliminating the need to freeze and package product first, and reduces the amount of product rejected.

iFix 6.0 features enhanced security and alarm capabilities, as well as new HMI/SCADA application development capabilities.

New HMI/SCADA release highlights GE Digital’s new path

The release of iFix 6.0 shows GE Digital’s continued support for and development of its existing technologies as the company reorganizes around new technology groupings designed for cross-industry use.

The belt-fed VERYX B175 sorter at T H Clements inspects up to 12.5 metric tons (27,500 lbs) of Brussels sprouts per hour. Photo courtesy of Key Technology.

Brussels sprouts manufacturer turns over a new leaf with a digital sorter

A U.K. vegetable processor upgrades to a digital sorter that doubles throughput without compromising the quality of its Brussels sprouts.

Ametek Mocon launches oxygen permeation analyzer

The OX-TRAN 2/40 measures oxygen transmission rate of whole packages for food, beverage and healthcare products.

Cabarrus Brewing Company uses the ShockWave Xtractor from Hydro Dynamics, Inc. to extract more flavor from hops and speed up the brewing process. Photo courtesy of Cabarrus Brewing Company.

Brewing more with less

Cabarrus Brewing Company taps into a cavitation technology that lets the craft brewery extract more flavor from its hops while ramping up efficiency and yield.

Mark Hanley, senior asset reliability manager, Land O'Lakes

OEE is not the solution

For OEE to succeed, there must be a symbiotic relationship and active communication between all departments, and a solid, integrated plan for the execution of the process.

Agway's Rob Dargie details the OpX Leadership Network's remote equipment access tool.

OpX tools help manufacturers improve operational excellence

Detailing existing and upcoming tools available free through the OpX Leadership Network, industry experts explained how they can make your entire operations run more efficiently.

Diageo drives success on the plant floor

Mark Laven, Diageo’s VP of Supply, will keynote ProFood Live on June 21 and discuss his philosophy on achieving manufacturing excellence.

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Consumer demands put pressure on CPGs to deliver the goods

PMMI Business Intelligence “Top to Top” interviews with leading CPGs and OEMs reveal pain points in processing operations and the packaging line.

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Vision 2025: Defining the new normal in manufacturing

CPGs are focusing on a variety of solutions to operational challenges, chief among them improved relations with OEMs and other suppliers. This is part one of a two-part series.

After finding an inccorrect sequence of operation with its cooling compressors, the Strauss Group found energy savings on a month-to-month basis that led to $75,000 in annual savings at one facility.

Asset management strategies embrace component innovation and IIoT

With continuing investment in equipment and automation, operations teams are moving to a comprehensive approach for better optimization with nontraditional sensors and components.

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Three out of four food processing operations measure OEE (Overall Equipment Efficiency)

And they look to OEMs for any improvement in machines to maximize up-time and increase yields, according to a new study from PMMI Business Intelligence.

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Inside the OpX Leadership Network: Tools and checklists

In the first of two installments on PMMI’s OpX Leadership Network and the value it provides to companies of all types, Automation World explains four free tools and checklists that save manufacturers time and money.

Source: Sage Clarity

Study reveals operational KPIs that are crucial to performance

Focusing on reducing short stops, unplanned downtime and equipment failures help manufacturers improve OEE.

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Maximizing throughput on conveyor lines

A strong sanitary conveyor platform has a hygienic design that not only minimizes product debris but also allows fast and effective sanitation.

More in Continuous Improvement

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The Business Case for Workforce Engagement

Businesses today are experiencing the most competitive, global environment we’ve ever seen – and the key to current and future business success lies with engaging our workforce. Greg Flickinger, Chair, OpX Leadership Network Workforce Solutions Group, discusses the current state of engagement.

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Workforce Engagement Defined

The OpX Leadership Network’s Workforce Solutions group set out to define the conditions that create an environment to allow and support engagement. Greg Flickinger, Chair, OpX Leadership Network Workforce Solutions Group, highlights how companies can remove the barriers that stop employees from deciding to become engaged in an organization.

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The Importance of Effective Leadership

Greg Flickinger, Chair, OpX Leadership Network Workforce Solutions Group, highlights the various elements of an engagement framework, starting with the importance of effective leadership. Without it, your engagement framework will not have a solid foundation.

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The Three Pillars of Engagement

Greg Flickinger, Chair, OpX Leadership Network Workforce Solutions Group, reviews the three pillars of an effective engagement framework: empowerment, enablement and connection.

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The Pillar of Empowerment: Desire

The pillar of empowerment is an essential element of the OpX Leadership Network’s workforce engagement framework. While you can’t give your employees the desire to be engaged in their jobs, you can remove the barriers to their motivation through meaningful work, team contribution, recognition and emotional equity.

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The Pillar of Empowerment: Authority

Authority is very easy to understand, but is often difficult for leaders to surrender. Engagement requires the ability to distribute authority across all levels of the organization. Greg Flickinger, Chair, OpX Leadership Network Workforce Solutions Group, discusses how to achieve organizational flexibility, the ability to adapt and enable innovation through the distribution of authority.

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The Pillar of Enablement: Skills

To create the conditions for engagement, it’s important to support the opportunities to build and acquire the skills employees need to succeed. Greg Flickinger, Chair, OpX Leadership Network Workforce Solutions Group, reviews functional and interpersonal skills, and how learning acquiring new capabilities leads to a more engaged workforce.

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The Pillar of Enablement: Resources

Once people have skills, they need resources to use these capabilities to add value in the organization. Greg Flickinger, Chair, OpX Leadership Network Workforce Solutions Group, reviews resources – including tools, processes, technical support and more – that are crucial for an engaged workforce.

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Ensuring Your Employees are the Right Fit

Leaders should evaluate if their employees are in the right roles and have the right skill sets to provide value to the organization. The OpX Leadership Network’s Workforce Engagement framework outlines how to determine if an employee is a good fit for your organization.

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The Benefits of Overall Equipment Effectiveness

Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) brings value to the processing and packaging industry, but it is often misinterpreted. When you look at OEE, it’s important to recognize all of its aspects and what they mean to stakeholders, including risk reductions, capacity and predictability, and process control. Because world-class OEE is 85% and you will never achieve 100%, Mark Hanley explains the importance of standardizing its definition and measurement, so OEE is better understood across the industry.

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User Guide to the OEE Starter Tool

The OEE Starter Tool provides a rough estimate of the “size of the prize” of a project’s potential savings. Mark Hanley reviews how this tool is easy to use and can be adopted at any plant.

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OEE Benefits Calculator Key Concepts & Instructions

The OEE Benefits Calculator helps you find opportunities for increased efficiency on the plant floor. Mark Hanley provides an overview of the calculator, and how you can effectively use it to determine direct labor wages and overtime, raw material ingredient and packaging yield, and reductions in unplanned stops.