Continuous Improvement at Good Harbor Fillet

  

What is your title/role at Good Harbor Fillet?
 
Charles Levin:  Production Control Manager and Lean Team Leader
Scott Richard:  Assistant Plant Manager & Six SigmaGreen Belt   
- How did Good Harbor arrive at the decision to use a lean manufacturing training program? 

During an annual training review session with managers, our VP of Operations requested this type of training.  GBMP had been recommended by word of mouth from a business associate to him.  Our HR Manager then conferred with the State's Training program for references and received very high accolades for GBMP.  This resulted in a free review by GBMP with written Assessment, which was then written, with GBMP's help, into a Grant Training Request to the Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund.
 
- Who ran the lean program? When did the lean training occur?
 
The program was run by the Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership (GBMP, Inc.).  They provided the leader and all materials.  The program ran over a blank month period, beginning in September and ending in February.
 
- Can you give me some examples of training topics? What lean issues or strategies did your employees learn? Any hands-on learning involved?
 
All learning was a combination of classroom and hands on (tacit) learning. Each topic was presented and discussed within the context of our organization. For example, while discussing the principles of 5S, we then went to the production area and identified equipment to be moved, storage to be organized and cleaned, and made a full task list to address.
 
Other topics included the introduction to continuous improvement, value stream mapping to improve the material and information flow, problem solving skills for continuous improvement teams, production set-up reduction and other production area continuous improvement tools.
 
Each topic had homework assignments which required the team to make actual improvements, some small and quick, some were much longer term.
 
- How did your employees respond to the lean training? Did they prefer any specific classes/topics over others?
 
Each topic was greeted as a breath of fresh air.  Given the continuous improvement tools and the eyes of a seasoned production veteran, the team and employees were able to embark on making changes that made a difference.  The people closest to the process are often an untapped resource and should be included when changes are made.
 
The program leader provided enough coaching to get us moving in the right direction.  It is up to us keep thing moving.
 
- What benefits/improvements (if any) has Good Harbor seen since doing the lean training? Is your supply chain leaner? Are numbers (output, productivity, savings, and/or profits) up?
 
GHF has seen improvements in increased labor productivity and a reduction in set up time.  Many other lean programs are in process, but have not yet begun to yield measurable results.
 
- Do you have any plans to do more lean programs in the future?
 
GHF has scheduled more courses to bring lean initiatives and the theory of 5S to other departments within the company.
 
-  Would you recommend lean training programs to other manufacturers?
 
Absolutely. Thinking Lean has opened our eyes to opportunities that we may not have seen without the training. We have learned to make incremental improvements on a daily basis and have learned how to identify and eliminate waste through continuous improvement. 

Good Harbor Fillet specializes in providing top quality branded or private label frozen fish products through the manufacturing and distribution of a complete line of made-to-order, processed seafood products, as well as a variety of innovative specialty items.
The company has recently moved into their new processing plant giving them the most modern facility in the industry. This 21 year old company is headquartered in Gloucester, Massachusetts. www.goodharborfillet.com/
 
About GBMP
Based at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, GBMP is a non-profit corporation that has worked with hundreds of companies, providing suggestions and solutions resulting in millions in cost savings and increased sales. Each year GBMP trains over 7000 people on Continuous Improvement principles in customized, on-site classroom and shop-floor training sessions and educates over 1000 more in public workshops, plant tours and the Manufacturing Roundtable. www.gbmp.org/