Tipping Point Ch. 06

I had purchased a small, used video camera with very high frame rate a couple of years earlier. I used it to slow down and examine high speed machines to see what was happening that the human eye couldn't detect. I didn't use it often, but it was invaluable when I needed it.

I hooked it up to my laptop and then jury-rigged a high-wattage halogen lamp above the filler section and began to record the action as the machine ran. I let it go for two minutes before shutting it off, taking the mini-disc out, and loading it into my laptop. I slowed the action down and called Frank and the two lead hands over to see if one of us could see what might be causing the leaks.

We watched it carefully for several minutes before one of the Helmvac team leaders spotted something. He noticed that the flow of the product was not uniform, and it was moving around as it dropped into the pre-formed package. We couldn't see it with the naked eye, but the camera could. We finally had a lead.

We spent the rest of the day taking the infeed chamber section apart and looking for irregularities. It took a while, but again, the Helmvac man spotted it. One of the twenty four collars showed one side of the chamber was bowed slightly inward. It was subtle and you wouldn't think it would have made a difference but, with the product we were packaging, it may have. We removed the sleeve and examined it carefully. If we could straighten the sidewall without damaging the precise fit, we might effect a fix without having to order a part from Basel. Under the supervision of the Helmvac man, the maintenance supervisor took the piece to his shop and they worked for several minutes to find a way to fix the bow. In the end, they gently tapped the side out with a hammer on a flat bar. The two men showed great patience and it took time, but they finally got it straightened.

The rest of the day was spent re-installing the corrected piece and shutting down the line for the night. The next morning, the crew started it up and ran throughout the day. We would know if we had made progress by the next morning. Wednesday morning, there was a significant drop in leakers. In fact, it was now in a manageable range of 0.3%. Three out of every thousand packages was big progress and close to the target set for the sign-off on the line.

I spent the rest of the day with the team leaders, Frank Sellers, and the two main Helmvac men. We reviewed the current performance of the machine and the targets for the "hand-over." Frank agreed that his people could now take responsibility for the machine. There was still progress to be made, but it was incremental and they now had a process in place to work on fine tuning while they ran.

I shook hands with the Swiss team and wished them luck in Toronto. I had the number of the plant they would be in, and if anything cropped up that the Winston crew couldn't handle, we could call them. I felt there was a pretty good attitude now with both groups as they had battled through the problems together.

I walked upstairs to the main reception and ask the young lady if Byron was in today.

She called his local, spoke to him briefly and turned to me. "He'll be right out."

I saw him walking briskly down the hallway with a big smile on his face.

"Hi, Stan. I hope you had a great Christmas. I know I did."

"Yeah, I did. I know you took some time off. I did too. I'm glad I did."

"Come on down to the office and we can talk."

Byron served coffee and we sat around the coffee table once more.

"Your people are ready to sign-off on the Helmvac, Byron. I think they're in good shape to take it the rest of the way."

"Yes, I know. Frank couldn't wait to tell me. Congratulations, Stan. I can't tell you how pleased and relieved I am that you got this far this quickly."

"You've got some good people out there, you know. It was just a matter of getting them motivated to make it go. Once we got that in place, the rest was just a matter of time."

"Frank tells me you didn't need any overtime. That's remarkable."

"Or good luck," I grinned. "The trouble with overtime is that you start to lose your concentration at some point, so you don't get as much accomplished as you hope. Fresh minds and a good attitude go a long way in this kind of situation."

We talked for a while, and I thanked him for the "retainer" check. It was a welcome surprise. Byron admitted he guessed I would be a little stretched this early in my business career, so he arbitrarily picked a number to keep the wolf from my door. It reinforced the admiration I had for this man.

"Can I let you in on a confidential matter, Stan? I don't want it to go any further than this room right now, but you'll understand when I tell you."

"Of course."

"Our plant manager in Houston is retiring this spring. I've decided to ask Frank Sellers if he would take the position. He's earned it, even without the success of the new machine. I think I've made a good decision, but ... I'd value your opinion."

"Well, having worked with him for the last couple of weeks, I'm impressed. He was under a lot of pressure when I arrived, but he welcomed the help and didn't fight it as undermining his authority. That's always a good sign. From what I've seen, he'd make a good plant manager."

Byron smiled broadly. "Great. I was hoping you thought that."

"So ... who will you promote to take his place?"

Byron smiled again. "I've got a good candidate in mind. She's well qualified and available. Sue Palotti."

"Wow! I know Sue. She's a terrific person. She'll make a very good production manager. Does she know?"

"No ... and don't you go telling her either. I know you two are friends, but keep it to yourself until she tells you. None of this will take place until April, but I've got to get Frank up to speed in Houston, and Sue will need to catch up here. That's why I wanted to give you a heads-up. I don't want her to get bogged down in the Helmvac. She's going to have plenty to learn without that, so I'm asking you to help train her on that system."

"Sure. It'll be a pleasure. I'm really pleased she's getting a chance to move ahead. She's a great leader and knows how to get the best out of her people. Just one thing though. Kansas City has a lot of women on the production floor. I noticed there aren't very many here. I hope that isn't a problem for her."

"Until I moved here, this was a very old fashioned male domain. I've been trying to integrate more women into the operation, but I can't do it all at once. Sue is a calculated risk. She's got a thick hide and a wicked sense of humor. I'm counting on that to get her over the hump in the early stages."

"If anyone can do it, she can," I said. I wondered just what her reception would be like when she arrived. Byron was right, she was tough when she needed to be, and she could defuse tense situations with her quick wit and charm. I hoped that would be enough.

As I flew home that afternoon, I was wishing I could call Sue and congratulate her. I was very happy for her, and I envied Byron being able to give her the good news.

*

My thanks to ErikThread and DaveT for their editing and technical skills. Any errors are mine.