Nip Impressions logo
Fri, Mar 29, 2024 11:35
Visitor
Home
Click here for Pulp & Paper Radio International
Subscription Central
Must reads for pulp and paper industry professionals
Search
My Profile
Login
Logout
Management Side
Week of 27 April 15: Where to start

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

A person new to the industry was recently talking to me about a personal training plan for learning the ins and outs of manufacturing paper. Of course, the plan included a few short courses, reading some training materials and watching some videos. Then the discussion turned to self-designed on-the-job training.

I asked where in the process was the starting point. The answer was at the wet end, more precisely at stock prep, and moving through the process.
I challenged this.

I restated my mantra: the most important machine in any business is the invoice printer. Work to spin the invoice printer.

Then I pointed out that on the machine floor the element that represents the invoice printer is finished rolls of paper headed to the warehouse. These are the "invoice printer." Make it spin.

****

Listen to industry news on Pulp & Paper Radio International!

****

So, start with the rolls coming off the winder. Are they what the customers want? Are they made and protected in such a way that the customer desires them and is willing to pay "top dollar" for them?

I suggested he spend a great deal of time in the dry end testing lab. This is the first major stop in his quest. Learn every test. Learn what the testers know about building a reel of paper that will meet the tests. Challenge them and learn everything they know, but go beyond that--become more knowledgeable than the testers on what makes a great roll of salable paper.

Then, as this person swims upstream on his journey of self-education, he should challenge everything he sees against this standard: how does this element on this machine help us consistently make the tests in the dry end lab?

I submit that this is a gauntlet we should put every machine through on a regular basis. I suggest that if your machine is over two weeks old, there is some device on your machine that does not help you make the tests in the dry end lab. That device may be taking an extraordinary amount of focus and cost just to be maintained. It is a device that is useless to the bigger scheme of things.

Granted, we have elements and equipment that don't help us make tests per se, but they help with speed or fiber reduction or perhaps energy reduction. Yet, everything must have a reason to exist and the first bar to cross is quality testing: how does this thingamajig help us meet the tests required by the customer?

As for everything that does not pass the bar, so to speak, take it out and scrap it.

This is just like housekeeping; in fact, it is a subset of housekeeping. Our objective in housekeeping is to remove everything that does not help us achieve the objectives on our site. Get it out of the way, scrap it, get it off the property so we spend no more time and treasure dealing with it.

****

The mistaken idea that uptime is directly related to market conditions: Mills generally run flat out ... Check out the latest edition of Strategic & Financial Arguments.

****

The first time you do a "dry end audit" (the name I'll attach to the process described above) of your machine, it will be a monstrous task. For you will be amazed at how many things, devices, elements and items on your machine have nothing to do with making quality paper at the highest possible rate of production. Once it is done, however, life will be much better, for you will move some junk out of the way.

Then, I suggest you do it once a year thereafter. It will take less time to do, but it will still be quite valuable.

Obsolete equipment, totes, pumps, and so forth cost you money. They are in the way of clearly seeing your process. They are safety and fire hazards. They can inadvertently cause downtime. Get rid of them.

What do you think? Take a quick assessment of obsolete items in your facility and let us know what you find in our quiz this week. Be discreet--we don't want to embarrass you or cause any confidentiality breaches. You can take the quiz here.

For safety this week, I'll re-emphasize that obsolete elements and items still on site can be assured of providing one thing--a less safe place to work.

Be safe and we will talk next week.

You can own your Nip Impressions Library by ordering "Raising EBITDA ... the lessons of Nip Impressions."


Printer-friendly format

 





Powered by Bondware
News Publishing Software

The browser you are using is outdated!

You may not be getting all you can out of your browsing experience
and may be open to security risks!

Consider upgrading to the latest version of your browser or choose on below: