Continuing the series on what makes a GOOD manufacturing organisation we come to:
Manufacturing Effectiveness 10 – Perception of Production
In addition to analysing how the Production function compares with its own idealised word picture, the perceptions held by the other functions within the Mechanism about the production function – and vice versa – is a key pointer to the overall effectiveness of the Mechanism.
A Manufacturing Mechanism working efficiently and in harmony will focus its collective attentions on the requirements generated on the production shop-floor, to the extent that the first reaction, given news of a problem, is to sort the problem out, whilst waiting until a more opportune time to uncover the causes of the problem. The Design, Production Engineering and Logistics functions will see the production arena as the stage on which the success of own functions is measured. As a result, when faced with a hiccup in production, the immediate reaction of personnel is to ‘jump in and sort it out‘. The attitude of the three non-production functions in the Mechanism towards the production function will be that they ‘do a damn good job in trying circumstances‘. In its turn Production Management will feel that it is fully supported by the other functions within the organisation; it will feel that help is on hand immediately upon request; and there will be frequent and friendly communications between the key players operating and supporting individual production sections.