Where do Good Ideas Come From?

This topic was explored at the EIA Annual Conference last month in Nashville by Larry Truax, Grote Industries. Successful Employee involvement programs include employees who are

•Involved
•On the Scene
•Doing the Work
•Working Hands-on
•Trained to Use Analytical Tools
•Experienced in the Process

And who have

•Been Asked
•Been Empowered
•Been Coached
•Been Engaged in the Process
•Used Analytical Tools
•Are Provided Incentives

Here are three ways that employees can look at your company's current procedures and processes to generate good ideas:

Competitive Benchmarking
•Examine the product
•Dissect the product
•Examine Materials
•Look at product features
•Determine production methods

Price or Cost Targeting
•Examine Bill of Materials
•Look at Alternative Materials
•Look at Alternative Processes
•Automate

Problem Solving
•Customer Complaint
•Warranty Issue
•Product Quality Issue
•Scrap Reports
•Product Rework
•Process Improvement

For more information about employee involvement, go to www.eianet.org.