All employees at the 2009 Assembly Plant of the Year adhere to the “Manchester Guiding Principles,” a philosophy that strives to cut costs, improve quality, boost productivity and improve time to market. The 10 basic principles that form the backbone of all manufacturing activity at Batesville Manchester are:
- Never Compromise on Safety.
- Treat People with Dignity and Respect.
- Diamond Standard Quality.
- Lean Manufacturing Principles.
- Creativity Before Capital.
- Repeatable, Reliable Processes.
- Eliminate Unreliable Equipment.
- Make Fact-Based Decisions.
- Keep It Simple.
- Make Tomorrow Better Than Today.
“We live by the attitude of treating people with dignity and respect,” says Mary Jo Cartwright, director of operations at Batesville Manchester. “Our production philosophy utilizes lean manufacturing principles, creativity before capital and fact-based decisions to generate repeatable, reliable processes, diamond standard quality, and the safest work environment. Keeping our eyes on these guiding principles will continue to make tomorrow better than today.”
Benchmarking also plays a key role in the plant’s success. As part of its lean journey, Cartwright and her colleagues have visited assembly plants in other industries. “In the past year, we have visited Toyota, Calsonic and other facilities,” she explains. “Each of these companies is on a journey to improve their business. We try to adapt and get concepts of safety, material flow, quality, technology and productivity. We also ask questions about their implementation processes and systems.”
