Improving at Morssinkhof Groep

The family-owned Morssinkhof Groep is, amongst others, a manufacturer of concrete paving products and a supplier of paving bricks and facing bricks. When Martin Schipper started working as a location manager for the company, he brought his experience with continuous improvement. Together with consultant Willem Siebers, they successfully implemented Cierpa OEE at his previous employer.  

Martin, in your career, you’ve seen all roles in manufacturing. How did you get in touch with quality management and continuous improvement?

"Well, 38 years ago, I started as an operator. During the years, I had all kinds of education, from MTS to post-HBO, and I got educated on quality whenever an opportunity arose. I became an inspector, then supervisor, quality engineer, and eventually quality manager.

In 2005, I got the chance to become a production manager. The company wanted to start with continuous improvement (LEAN, 5S, Kaizen). So, for me, taking three comprehensive LEAN training courses at Staufen AG in Germany was the logical step."

What was the situation like when you started working at Morssinkhof Groep?

"An external consultant was already at work to guide continuous improvement, starting with an S5 implementation. We quickly figured out there was no chemistry with the work floor.

So, I stepped forward and indicated that I would like to lead this project across the four production locations. Fortunately, the team agreed so I could take on the challenge.

At Morssinkhof Groep we have a healthy mix on the work floor; some of our employees have been with us for over 45 years. The colleagues had shown promising results over the years, but there was obvious improvement potential. We selected the slogan ”Getting better at what you’re good at” to motivate the team. We use that slogan on information boards across all locations.”

We selected the slogan “Getting better at what you’re good at”

And how do you do that?

"We started focusing on LEAN and 5S. That’s familiar ground for me, but it was new on the work floor. We used value-added actions. Don’t walk, search, what. You won't recognize the place when you look at the old and new situation. I am so proud of how the team keeps the 5S standards alive.

We started using Cierpa OEE to keep on taking improvement steps. I knew the software well and how much it would bring us. Cierpa Quality added to that. It took care of all the paper on the work floor.”

What does the pilot project look like?

“First, we visited Dumocom, my old employer, to demonstrate Cierpa OEE in practice. You want people to see that it works, so it will motivate people to think: I want that too. Everyone needs to believe in it, and they did.

Then, we started using Cierpa OEE on one machine in Hengelo and, after that, two more lines in Hardenberg. Later on, we added Cierpa Quality. Slowly, we implemented both tools across all four manufacturing sites. By using the same software at all production sites and generating the same reports, we can ultimately compare apples to apples.

Since I already know how to get the best results with Cierpa OEE, I know where to look. The number one bullet: getting and keeping support inside the organization. When attention falls behind, or you don’t fill out the software correctly or consistently, results will suffer and motivation will fall behind. That's why we expand step by step. First, show that you have completely mastered the software package on the first machines, and only then move on to the next machines.

Cierpa Certified Consultant Willem Siebers supports us with hardware implementation and system configuration. I already knew Willem, and we clicked very well. He’s no-nonsense, adequate, helps you out: he’s just a nice person to work with. And as keen as we are on making this a success."

How do you take people with you in your enthusiasm?

"There’s an advantage in me already knowing the system. I know the benefits and triggers for management and the work floor. That makes it easier to create support.

And if you want to succeed collectively you must stay on top of things. Did you use the software correctly, what did you fill in, what does it do with your OEE? Keep asking questions. Why don’t you have an explanation for the downtime? Why, why, why. Make sure you always have an explanation so you can analyze and take action. The subsequent improvements will get everybody motivated.”

If you want to be successful, you have to stay on top of things.

What has changed on the work floor?

"Every Friday, we review the OEE numbers and the downtime Pareto chart with both teams on the work floor. You notice a change of attitude with your people. There’s even more drive, more commitment. You can keep that focus and reach the potential really fast. The people are very keen on that too.

Nowadays, when a machine has to shut down for an inspection by the technical staff, the operator asks when the machine can start running again because he doesn’t want any unnecessary downtime. The operators ask for the daily Pareto when they see a dip in the weekly report during their shift. They want to know exactly what’s going on.

The best example was a colleague who worked here for over 40 years. He asked if he could bring his wife to work one day. He had never wanted to before, but he was so proud of his workplace now that he wanted her to see it. You really can't get a greater compliment."