38 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

The entire state of manufacturing has been affect-

ed by the COVID-19 pandemic and has hurt busi-

nesses and workers throughout the world. During

this time, we can either let it destroy us or begin

rebuilding. This can be a chance to begin a reset

that is otherwise impossible during normal opera-

tion due to cost of shutting down.

It’s time to rethink 5S, green initiatives, lean principles and

processes. It’s time to consider the preventive maintenance

schedules, the capital investments and the plant layouts. This

is when we look at how we use automation, where robotics

can be input and what kind of new work in process move-

ment and staging can we devise to reshape how we handle

fabrication of our products.

The idea that this situation has been detrimental to our

economy and workforce can be turned around and used as

a time to do the things we always wanted but could not af-

ford to do. The foundation to any lean or Six Sigma system

is, of course, 5S (sort, set in order, shine, standardize and

sustain). We all know how difﬁcult it can be to clean an

area, tape and label it out all while the work cell is in nor-

mal operation. Having workers either away from the job or

spread out enough due to social distancing guidelines cre-

ates a perfect time to do this project. Just as spring cleaning

can help give you a fresh start to a year, this opportunity

can as well.

This can be the springboard to doing more lean initiatives

once things get back to normal or time to create the new

normal for your facility. New and old continuous improve-

ment ideas can be brought back from the graveyard or park-

Crisis sparks opportunity for

manufacturing reset

Pandemic shutdown provides a chance to rethink and retool processes

By Charles Sandiford

August 2020 | ISE Magazine 39

ing lot to be reviewed and put into practice. Training with

these new processes can be done as a fresh start when the

workers return.

Green initiatives and environmentally friendly manufac-

turing are always listed on posters put up throughout a facil-

ity but rarely taken seriously or as far as they can be due to

the tremendous cost of interrupting the work. LED lighting

with sensors, water reduction kits, smart power grid solu-

tions, solar panels, electric car charge stations, air/gas savers

and recycling programs can be installed and launched. This

can be a time to come out of this to get your plant at or above

industry standards in this movement and save money right

out of the gate when reopening.

This is the time to invest in your future. Whether or not

we agree on the ideas of green manufacturing, it is coming

and coming fast. Public opinion on the matter has turned

and is being pushed in all sectors. People are paying more

for more environmentally friendly services and are conscious

about how and where their products are made. Most of these

initiatives have moderate return of investment rates that are

less than the cost of the new technology needed to increase

productivity or quality but will give you a return in the social

factor as well.

A review of value stream maps and current processes can be

done to ﬁnd redundant and wasteful activities to be changed

now for the better. We can look at how we do things now

and be satisﬁed with status quo or truly go after the continu-

ous improvement philosophy we preach and print on ban-

ners. This reset can allow us an opportunity to see where

we have too high of head count and where we don’t have

enough. Cross-training for ﬂexible situations can be identi-

ﬁed and started to help this process. Ideas for automation or

robotics can be identiﬁed and plans put in place to implement

them. Machines that are worn and badly maintained can be

ﬁxed or replaced during this time and preventive mainte-

nance can be added to the regular schedules.

Speaking of schedules, this is also the perfect time to ﬁne-

tune your scheduling procedure and make tweaks that are

hard to do on the ﬂy. So much of what we do is based on

just in time, safety stocks in inventory or other processes we

have wanted to change to better react in all situations. This has

taught us that we must be able to modify what we are doing

based on the supply chain struggles of today. With the current

situation putting a public spotlight on our supply chain func-

tions, we should do the same in our own houses to ensure we

are doing right by our investors, customers and employees.

The challenges we all saw coming but have never had the

gap in time to experiment or change can be handled now.

We can implement those ﬁgures that have been modeled or

written about in textbooks and journals that we have envied

but never had the availability to try.

Instead of looking at this situation only as a bleak and un-

relenting time for manufacturing, let’s look at it as a fresh

start. This can be our time to bring the ideas we have al-

ways wanted to move forward in our organizations to reality.

Whether you are a plant manager or a junior level process

engineer, let’s revisit old ideas and think of new ones to help

bring us out of this stronger than ever.

This is the time where creativity will not only allow you

to swim with the rest of your competitors but to rise above

and become the company you have promoted in the well-

worded goals you ensure all your employees memorize. As

my favorite author Ayn Rand states in her greatest work,

Atlas Shrugged: “Live and act within the limit of your knowl-

edge and keep expanding it to the limit of your life.” 

Charles Sandiford is a manufacturing engineering supervisor for the

fabrication department at Tennant Co. in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Min-

nesota. The company produces scrubbers, sweepers and ﬂoor coatings.

He holds double bachelor’s degrees from Bemidji State University and

is halfway through his master’s degree in operations management at the

University of Arkansas. His previous work includes manufacturing,

industrial and process engineering specializing in metal fabrication, and

he has worked extensively with the business sector as well.

Webinars offer business strategies

for helpful advice in crisis

Recent webinars in the IISE Chapter 1 Crisis-Focused

Performance Excellence series address key challenges,

opportunities and strategies for businesses to address during the

COVID-19 pandemic and reopening of the economy.

“Pioneering and Engineering a New World” by Jim Dobson,

manager of business planning & industrial engineering for a

major theme park, focuses on how ISEs can take advantage of

the “perfect storm” opportunity and play key roles in thought

leadership and strategy, planning and execution.

“Resilience Re-examined: Re-engineering How We do

Business and Ensure Public Safety” by Vinny Monteiro, project

manager at Goldratt Consulting, shares strategies from Utah’s

move in Phase 2 of the economic recovery, centered on three

phases of response: urgent, stabilization and recovery.

“The Role of Data and Information (Engineered Management

Systems) in Periods of Major Disruption” by Ben Amaba, global

chief technology ofﬁcer for the industry sector at IBM, and

Jared Frederici, senior consultant at The Poirier Group, share

tips on how to “bolster,” re-engineer and ﬁne-tune engineering

of management systems, speciﬁcally the role of data and

information management.

To access recorded versions of the webinars and others in the

series, visit link.iise.org/chap1webinar_archive. For a schedule

of upcoming webinars, visit iise.org/webinars.