After a visit to the Kama automobile plant, employees of United Automotive Technologies, part of KAMAZ PTC, started a new phase of their work on the Production System.
The managers of United Automotive Technologies that had merged with the auto giant in February paid a three-day visit to KAMAZ. One of the fully canvassed issues is the arrangement of work in regard to the Production System (PS). The use of lean principles in production processes and development of labour productivity were studied by the guests at the Factory of Processes located at KAMAZ's engine plant.
All general directors and top managers of OAT Group companies were among the first to visit the KAMAZ Factory of Processes. At the end of the training, each director was given a task to open and implement pilot projects to improve labour efficiency at all work sites. The main goal is to build their own Production System OAT.
OAT Group started developing the PS and introducing lean tools in November 2017. Then the director for the PS of the management company initiated the first practical training for the top managers of Tolyatti's enterprises of the Group – AO Motor-Super and AO VIS.
Motor-Super has already implemented a project on development of labour productivity at a mirror assembly site. PS projects are also opened at neighbouring sites. Tolyatti's pilot site shared its experience with other enterprises of the Group: a project was implemented at the rear suspension arm machining site of Dimitrovgrad's plants, underway are projects at the sites of ignition locks and cables.
"We had known a lot before the visit to KAMAZ, but practical work helps to better understand many methods and tools: we've mastered a technique of production system optimization, tools of flow building, a Yamazumi chart, many lean tools at the training," shared his impressions Sergey Lysenko, Operational Director of AO Motor-Super. "We visited not only KAMAZ's core production, but also joint ventures. Impressions of what we have seen is the most important thing. We continue working with new knowledge and renewed strength."
OAT Group has got its methods, tools of performance analysis, set up four principles of the PS, principles of flow building and logistics. Besides, each enterprise created and formed groups to develop the PS – there is a strong team of skillful and interested experts.
The production system embraces all business processes therefore training at KAMAZ is planned for personnel and logistics directors of the management company and enterprises of OAT Group in May. Artyom Gruzdov, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Development of Production System KAMAZ, who organized the training, said that during a year such trainings would be held for several groups of the company's new subsidiary. In order to develop the most efficient training program, KAMAZ experts are staying with a business visit at OAT sites on these days, studying the "bottlenecks" on which they will have to work on primarily.
"We'll start working at the most time-consuming points – these are sites in Tolyatti and Dimitrovgrad, including several enterprises. We'll get familiarized with a situation in order to create a number of pilot projects and working groups which will include KAMAZ experts too," told Artyom Gruzdov on the eve of the visit to OAT enterprises.