On this episode of Quality Time with MoreSteam, Joel Hugghins joins the show. Joel got his mechanical engineering degree at MIT. Since then, he has spent thirty years leading Lean transformations across industries as diverse as HVAC manufacturing and oil and gas. Today, Joel represents AME on the Lean Certification Alliance Board, alongside representatives from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and the Shingo Institute. Few practitioners can speak to Lean at such a high level across so many industries.
Joel and host Dan Swartwout talk about taking a Lean transformation somewhere unexpected. Like a mud plant. (If you don’t know what a mud plant is, don’t worry. Dan didn’t either.) Joel spent years in oil and gas working on the fluids that get pumped down a well. The oil-and-gas industry was built on batch thinking. But Joel helped make the shift to single-piece flow. That kind of shift only sticks when it's backed by a strong Lean Culture.
Then there are the Legos. Early in his career, Joel needed to lay out an 80,000 square foot plant. He skipped the drafters. He skipped the model makers. Instead, he went to the store and bought $250 worth of Legos. Joel built the entire plant to scale. It was a hands-on form of Visual Management that let everyone see the layout at a glance. As a result, what used to take three weeks took just two days.
Joel also shares his take on a ninth waste. He calls it misalignment. Imagine a rowing crew. One person out of sync slows down the entire boat. (Need a refresher on the original eight wastes first? We've got you covered.)
Maybe you’re interested in hearing from one of the most acclaimed Lean practitioners in the game. Or maybe you’re a Gen X’er who has nostalgia for the “Zach the Lego Maniac” commercials. Either way, this episode is for you.
In this episode, you will hear about:
0:23 - Joel's background
1:11 - Lean Six Sigma and mechanical engineering
3:11 - Process improvement in the oil-and-gas industry
4:08 - Lean Six Sigma in liquid mud plant design
7:33 - The Ninth Waste: misalignment
10:22 - Joel's association with AME
12:38 - Creating alignment on your team
14:29 - Engagement and respect for people
17:40 - Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)
21:01 - OEE outside of traditional manufacturing settings
24:58 - Joel returns to train in an operational excellence leadership role
29:03 - Changing the culture of an organization
30:36 - Effective communication with leadership about changing the culture
33:43 - Visualization as the most important tool
37:43 - The Lego story!
41:36 - Project scoping for smaller organizations
44:21 - Positive feedback after solving problems
46:43 - Congratulations Joel!
Additional Resources:
Joel Hugghins on LinkedIn
Hugghins Performance Consulting
MoreSteam's YouTube Channel
Quality Time With MoreSteam on Facebook
Quality Time With MoreSteam on Instagram
Quality Time With MoreSteam on LinkedIn
MoreSteam on LinkedIn
Dan Swartwout on LinkedIn
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