This document discusses how manufacturing organizations can implement continuous improvement practices to compete in the 21st century global economy. It recommends that companies train their workers to view every activity as part of a process and constantly look for ways to improve processes to increase safety, productivity, quality and maintenance reliability. Having a trained lean leader can help drive a culture of process improvement. The document provides details on how to successfully implement a continuous improvement program, including training leaders on lean concepts and having them identify improvement opportunities by observing processes firsthand. It also lists accomplishments from the author's experience leading continuous improvement projects in manufacturing and healthcare that delivered results like reduced costs, wait times and defects.

1. Taking Back Your Manufacturing Processes Through
Continuous Improvement
By Frank Donohue
frankbdonohue@gmail.com
How to Transform From Industrial Age
Foundations, Concepts, and Operations to 21st
Century Success Components and Practices
Taking Back Your Manufacturing Process
Frank Donohue 2013
1

2.  Foreign Competition
 Unfair Trade Practices by Some
Foreign Countries
 Government Regulations and
Lack of Economic Forecasting
Ability
 U.S. Has the Highest Corporate
Tax in the World
With so many
uncontrollable
problems facing
21st Century U.S.
manufacturing
organizations…
Taking Back Your Manufacturing Process
Frank Donohue 2013
2

3. 3
Taking Back Your Manufacturing Process
Frank Donohue 2013
What can we do to
Compete in our industries and actually
Thrive?

4. 4
Taking Back Your Manufacturing Process
Frank Donohue 2013
Learn, Practice, Then Train the Way We Think About the
Processes Within our Business Units
When we encourage and train our workers to learn to look at every
activity within our operation as a step in a process, and think constantly
about ways to improve our processes, not only will you see greater
successes in you operations, but you can expect them in the
following areas:
• Safety
• Productivity
• Quality
• Maintenance Reliability

5. 5
Taking Back Your Manufacturing Process
Frank Donohue 2013
Real, Tangible, Process Improvements Start with Lean Leaders
Having a Certified, Trained, Skilled, Accomplished Lean Leader on
Your Management Team can:
• Help supervisors and workers make the transition from stagnant, complacent
thinking , to Lean Thinking, and train them on the tools and principles they
Need to succeed in 21st century manufacturing
• Drive a culture of process improvement throughout the organization
• Encourage organic, “bottom up” identification and execution of cost cutting,
and efficiency improving value stream mapping project charters.
• Challenge supervisors and workers to continually challenge current metrics,
identify areas that can be improved, and find ways to realize tangible results

6. 6
Taking Back Your Manufacturing Process
Frank Donohue 2013
Frank Donohue is a Highly Skilled, Trained Professional
Who Can Help Your Manufacturing Organization Make the Transition
From a 20th Century “Wandering Generality”, to a Lean, Continuously
Improving 21st Century “Meaningful Specific” Manufacturing Machine.

7. 7
Taking Back Your Manufacturing Process
Frank Donohue 2013
Why Continuous Improvement Initiatives Have Failed in the Past
• In the early days of Six Sigma and Lean Programs, Many Senior Managers in
Organizations had False Expectations for the Methodologies. They Expected
these programs to be the quick fix, magic bullets that would solve all the organization’s
Woes in a “One and Done fashion.”
• These programs were overhyped by outside training and consulting contractors
• Too much emphasis was put on improvement projects and the work of running the
day to day operations suffered.
• The training and execution of personnel in the organization was mandated by top
management and not enough effort was put into creating buy-in and developing a
Proactive Culture down the ranks
• Process Engineers with little knowledge of the actual processes dictated changes without
understanding if the changes were actually feasible in the actual process
• Not enough value was placed on getting recommendations from the actual process experts
• Too often, politics and bureaucracy took precedence over striving for
actual results

8. 8
Taking Back Your Manufacturing Process
Frank Donohue 2013
How to Successfully Implement and Cultivate a Continuous Improvement Program
1. Start by developing Criteria for Continuous Improvement Leaders who will
be trained and lead the program throughout the organization
2. Include an “Observation Based Safety Program” (Like DuPont S.T.O.P) in your
Continuous Improvement Program
3. Train Leaders in developing a continuous improvement mindset.
4. Train Leaders in how to identify a complete process.
5. Train Leaders on the 7 types of waste
6. Train team on Value Added steps, Non Value Added steps, and Non Value but
Necessary steps and how to identify each.
7. Take leaders to Gemba (work floor) to start observing and learning the process,
Identify the process steps, have them document the steps and identify the types
Of waste in the process and where improvement opportunities may exist
8. Have the team identify all records and documents that are used in the process to
see if what should be recorded is being recorded.
9. Train team in the concept and practice of “5 Why”
10. Develop a Value Stream Mapping session plan for the entire organization

9. 9
Taking Back Your Manufacturing Process
Frank Donohue 2013
How to Successfully Implement and Cultivate a Continuous Improvement Program
11. Identify What projects in the value stream will be implemented first, and
Have those team leaders assigned to those areas
12. Have Team Leads identify team members for those projects
13. Work with team leads on training new team members for each project
14. Team leads will work with project team to define problem statement for
Project justification.
15. Project Champion will be designated. (Project Champion will be
Senior manager in the area project is being performed and will help remove
barriers and hurdles the team face
16. Meeting with Project Champion and team will be conducted to discuss
The complexity of project, project scope, type of project to be performed (ie:
1-3 day workout, Kaizen, 6 sigma or other) project goals, and project timeline

10. 10
Taking Back Your Manufacturing Process
Frank Donohue 2013
Frank Donohue has Trained Many Team Members and Performed Many
Successful Continuous Improvement Projects Since 2001
Frank’s Continuous Improvement Roles and Responsibilities Included:
• Leading and driving cross functional Lean Six Sigma projects
• Identifying areas where process improvements can significantly impact quality,
financial viability, and patient/employee satisfaction
Participating in prioritization of technology and/or business process driven projects
• Working with Process Owners and Project Champions to drive results
• Utilizing appropriate Lean Six Sigma tools such as project charter, value stream
mapping, brainstorming tools, statistical tools, and control plans to achieve project
success
• Monitoring performance and measurement through development of key metrics
• Acting as technical expert, coach and train Green Belts and team members
• Acting as a change agent to instill Lean Six Sigma culture throughout the organization
• Providing on-going communication to all stakeholders including Senior Management

11. 11
Taking Back Your Manufacturing Process
Frank Donohue 2013
Key Continuous Improvement Project Accomplishments Include:
• Facilitated a Kaizen Event and implemented changes to reduce
patient wait time from ER door to ER bed by 51%
• Facilitated a Kaizen Event and implemented changes to
reduce patient wait time in ER from time in bed to time seen by MD by 10%
• Facilitated a Kaizen Event and implemented changes to
reduce admitted patient wait time from time bed assignment received to time to
• Inpatient Unit Floor by 14%
• Facilitated a 1 day Workout to establish clinical criteria for a new 24
hour Clinical Decision Unit being constructed by hospital
• Performed Process Observations and analysis of OB Presumptive Eligibility Screening to reduce
process cycle time by 12%
HEALTHCARE PROJECTS

12. 12
Taking Back Your Manufacturing Process
Frank Donohue 2013
Key Continuous Improvement Project Accomplishments Include:
Manufacturing Projects
• Implemented 4 team leader positions to reduce front line supervision by 66%.
• Eliminated departmental boundaries to promote team work and synergy to integrate
2 business units into 1 manufacturing powerhouse.
• Identified excessive raw material costs in the melting department. Reduced the cupola
diameter from 108” to 92” and increase metal to coke ratio from 6:1 to 9:1.
• Reduced scrap loss by 2.2%, or $440,000 in casting department by decreasing ladle size,
downsizing cupola and increasing iron transfer time.
• Presented monthly operational metrics to President and CFO of company to explain reasons
for negative cost variances.
• Communicated monthly performance results to departments, congratulating employees for
meeting objectives and inspired the workers to continue the progress.

13. 13
Taking Back Your Manufacturing Process
Frank Donohue 2013
Key Continuous Improvement Project Accomplishments
Manufacturing Projects
• Encouraged, coached and developed newly appointed team leaders to facilitate and conduct
daily peer group safety huddles and production meetings.
• Assisted in developing, implementing and training all plant personnel on a new software
program, CEBOS. This assisted in conducting daily quality audits, manufacturing procedure audits,
Writing and maintaining SOPs.
• Reduced man hours per ton from 5.3% to 4.8% by analyzing weekly overtime and double-time
hours worked by Union personnel and cutting overtime hours and directing day shift maintenance
personnel to do nightly work orders during up time.
• Assessed raw material usage by product and price, and implemented most cost effective
product mix, increased yield by 4% and significantly reduced direct materials cost.
• Conducted time study of iron delivery from the melt process to the casting operation and
discovered an excessive temperature loss. Reduced ladle size to increase transfer time and
gained 60 degrees in iron temperature for pipe casting.

14. 14
Taking Back Your Manufacturing Process
Frank Donohue 2013
• Developed new standard operating procedures for the cupola operations to melt high quality iron
with good chemistry properties. Increased blast CFM and reduced oxygen usage saving an average of
$.95 per ton over previous year
• Coordinated biweekly training sessions to developed hourly personnel on job related
manufacturing procedures.
• Created user friendly operational down time reports to more accurately track down time reasons,
easily identify PMs to be put in place and determine the frequency they should be conducted.
• Developed a report for supervisors to identify mechanical or production related missed opportunities
to be presented at the daily operational meetings.
• Devised an electronic log book for maintenance supervisors to enter shift breakdown information,
parts purchased and pending issues. This improved communications between shifts and established
proper shift turn over.
Key Continuous Improvement Project Accomplishments Include:
Manufacturing Projects

15. 15
Taking Back Your Manufacturing Process
Frank Donohue 2013
Frank Donohue:
• 17 Years of Progressive Supervisory and Managerial Experience
• Certified Six Sigma Green Belt
• Trained by GE in Lean Sigma Kaizen ,and Workout Facilitation
• Trained by GE in C.A.P. (Change Acceleration Program)
• Trained by DuPont in S.T.O.P. Safety
(Safety Training Observation Program)
• ISO 9000 Internal Auditor Certified
• Dale Carnegie Course Graduate
• Former Member of Toastmaster’s International
• Former Member of AFS (American Foundry Society)
• Burlington City Chamber of Commerce
• United States Navy Veteran

16. 16
Taking Back Your Manufacturing Process
Frank Donohue 2013
If you are interested in finding out how Frank Donohue can
Help your organization start a Continuous Improvement
Program, or how to revive an existing program,
Email Frank @ frankbdonohue@gmail.com