“Lean [Management] is a mindset.”
– Mr. Marciano B. Hermo IV,
Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt Holder Entrepinoy Volunteers Foundation, Inc.
(EVFI) Consultant
Involving best practices such
as the 5S System (Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain); the
identification and, ultimately, elimination of waste in a business process; and
the key concepts of Cost Reduction Principle and Toyota Production System among
others, the Department of Science and Technology-National Capital Region
(DOST-NCR) together with the Entrepinoy Volunteers Foundation, Inc. (EVFI)
drove the completion of the three-month long Lean Management training to
selected SETUP adoptors from food processing, leather goods, pharmaceutical,
printing services and office fixtures and furniture sectors in the region.
The ongoing series of training
is being conducted to six batches of participating firms which was grouped
accordingly to accommodate representatives from firms who were mostly company
owners and/or employees with supervisory positions from the CAMANAVA,
PAMAMAZON, PAMAMARISAN and MUNTAPARLAS clusters. Meanwhile, the three phases of
the training for each includes a two-day seminar, Coaching and Mentoring and
Presentation of Results or Best Practices.
Moreover, to get a grasp of
the lessons taught, the participants were involved in various activities such
as assembling a set of ballpoint pens repeatedly done for three rounds to
identify possible wastes in each group’s processes; drafting of each firm’s
Project Charter for goal-setting purposes; and generating a Process Map and
Cause and Effect Diagram to visualize each firm’s current process flow,
potential problems encountered and their corresponding actions. Firms who took
part in the said phase conducted at Philippine Science High School-Main
(PSHS-Main) in Quezon City, Kapatiran-Kaunlaran Foundation, Inc. (KKFI) in
Manila City, ALERT Center in Valenzuela City, Kapitan Moy Galleria in Marikina
City and Philippine Textile Research Institute in Taguig City for Batches 1-5,
respectively, were comprised of those involved in food, printing, metals,
personal, home care and institutional products and leather goods sectors.
In the Coaching and Mentoring or second phase of
the training, individual firms were given the chance to have a one-on-one
consultation with Mr. Hermo to tackle the critical choke points from the
financial aspect of a business and, consequently, amend them using best
practices through Lean Management. During the training for the first batch of
participants held at the Kapatiran-Kaunlaran Foundation, Inc. (KKFI), the
mentoring activity was participated in by EVFI Chairman Mario Gatus, Consultant
Fernalyn Palacpac, Trustee Sonia Tiong-Aquino, and Trustee Maret F. Bautista
who each gave their insights regarding the ongoing finalization of the
participants’ individual Project Charters. For the third batch of participants,
Panther Electrical Industries’ showed notable improvements in their companies
through the following ongoing root causes and corresponding solutions:
establishing an incentive-based scheme to address lack of employee motivation
and communication especially regarding issues involving faulty equipment and/or
raw materials; and cleaning up of work space for experiencing inefficiencies in
movement and lack of work space.
During phase three of the
training for the fourth batch of participants, representatives of TJ Milky
Mushroom Co. presented the impacts of Lean Management to their business and
highlighted how they were educated on the proper inoculation procedure and
process mapping. “Mas lalong napadali ang pagraramify namin ng mushroom
after namin natutunan ang maayos na inoculation [process].
Kung dati umaabot siya ng 30-45 days, ngayon [after] 10-15
days na lang pwede na namin siyang i-harvest,” said their
representative. On the other hand, Xyzco Foods Corporation shared their
achievements in terms of financial growth. They were able to sell all of their
products bound for one month which paved the way to increasing the salary of
their workers and even the regularization of some of them. In the process, they
also realized their potential savings if they acquired raw materials directly
from the farmers who also serve as their suppliers. Clearly, applying Lean
Principles to one firm’s existing operating processes leads to a favorable
impact for practicing companies. Evidently, VES Dessert Food, Inc.’s
representative stated, “Lean transformation cannot happen overnight. At times,
it requires abandoning many of the principles that have gotten us to where we
are.”
Since its implementation in
July 2019, the Lean Management training has garnered a total of 49 invited
firms equivalent to 84 participants. To date, DOST-NCR and EVFI has concluded
the three-phase training for four of the six batches, achieving a total of 10
graduated firms (18 individuals) and garnering an average projected monthly
savings of PhP 38,250.04–PhP 422,100.00 and average
projected annual savings of PhP 459,000.48–PhP
5,065,200.00. The two remaining batches are expected to complete the training
by March 2020.
