Team Wilson: A Shingo Award-Winning Approach to Golf Ball

Manufacturing Excellence

Pamela Wrigbt

In 1985, the Wikon Humboldt faility, a gorf ball manufacturn, was considered to be one of the kast eflatiueplants within the cotporntion. l%ere were sarere &flciencies in quality, safety, morale, productiuity, and housekeeping. Theplant ma-w, A1 Scott, spent thejhtyearassessing the situation and deueloping a game plan.

In 1987, a major component of Wilson’s recotmy began with the implementation ofJw key operatingphilosophies, with one of these being total quality management. QM allowed the empowerment of em#loyees at all levels and muck continuouspvces improoement in daily operations a reality. Teamwork man&fkt in Team Wikon led to OurStanding gains in pductivity, quality, and customer satisfaction.

ven if you are an avid golfer, you’re probably not very interested in how golf balls are made. You’re more likely to be concerned with E taking strokes off your golf game. Yet, at the Wilson Sporting Goods

Golf Ball Plant in Humboldt, Tennessee, golf balls are the main concern. To remain competitive in the golf ball market, Wilson Humboldt must continue its journey toward world class manufacturing. With the imple- mentation of several programs, the plant has celebrated these successes over the last few years:

An increase in volume of 650 percent. 0 An increase in market share from 2 to 18 percent.

An increase in inventory turns per year from 6.5 to 91. An increase in dozens of golf balls manufactured per employee of 104

A decrease in standard codunit of 18 percent. percent.

These great strides toward world class manufacturing enabled the plant to capture three national manufacturing awards. In 1992, the Humboldt plant was selected as one of America’s ten best plants by I n d w Week magazine. In 1993, Wilson was awarded the prestigious Shingo Prize for

Pamcla Wdgbt, an indushial engineer at the W h Sporting ~~~d comPatrv H,,&&, T ~ - ne.uee, p&, &yed a dpi$mt patt h the fm’lity’s Shingo application procedure.

Manufacturing Excellence and Clemson University’s Organizational Excel- lence Award.

All these accomplishments could not have been achieved without the

National produttiviry RcviewMinter 1993194 79

effort of the plant's employees, called associates, who accepted the challenge to improve their workplace through a type of quality circle program.

HISTORY OF THE ?lUMBOIDT PLAN" Wilson's Humboldt plant manufactures a variety of performance and

range golf balls, The 182,OOO-square-foot facility is the only golf ball manufacturing plant in the Wilson Sporting Goods Company. The Humboldt plant has 650 employees and operates three shifts a day, five days a week. Serving both domestic and international markets, Wilson Sporting Goods customers include country clubs, resorts, driving ranges, and retailers, as well as the end consumer, the golfer.

Founded in 1977, the Humboldt plant originally manufactured rubber and leather basketballs and cut the leather for softballs. In 1982 and 1983, the plant began to manufacture a limited number of golf balls. During 1984, approximately 300,000 dozen golf balls were produced in the Humboldt plant. From 1977 to 1985, rubber and leather basketballs were phased out and the production of golf balls became the main focus of the plant.

Al Scott, manager of the Humboldt plant, joined the facility in 1985. It had been losing money for the previous several years and employee morale was low. Scott decided that a change had to be made. With the support of Wilson's upper management, he formulated the golf ball plant's goal: to be a world-class factory with a world-class product. The fmt step taken to obtain this goal was to revise the mission/vision statement to reflect the five guiding principles or philosophies to be used in everyday actions:

1. Continuous process improvement 2. Associate involvement 3. Just-in-time manufacturing

The charm of these five philosoph€es is that each one mquires the support of the others to succeed.

4. Total quality management 5. Lowest total cost manufacturing

The charm of these five philosophies is that each one requires the support of the others to succeed. Each of these philosophies has significantly contributed to the plant's success in pursuing world class manufacturing.

THE FORMATION OF TEAM WILSON In 1987, the plant embarked on a quality circles approach to problem

solving with the implementation of Team Wilson, a formal corporate-wide program that allows associates to participate in problem-solving groups that attack issues concerning quality, productivity, housekeeping, and safety. The quality control department was made responsible for imple- menting the program. Representatives from the QC department were sent to various training seminars and to area plants to learn about other versions

80 National produttivity RevieW/winter 1993/94

of quality circles. Then the program was introduced to all the plant's associates and coaches. At its introduction, Team Wilson was defined as follows:

Our Team Wilson Program will play a major role in determining our destiny. This program provides a vehicle for quality improvement, cost reduction, efficiency improvement, safety, housekeeping, product de- sign, etc., by associate involvement. This program is not intended to replace current programs but to supplement them. Team Wilson is a formal program that allows associates to participate in problem-solving groups that will deal with issues concerning quality, productivity, housekeeping, and safety. Participation is voluntaxy.

Team Wilson assodates will be asked to focus their attention on problems that, if corrected, will have a positive impact on any of the following four goals.

1. Reduce operating expenses 2. Improve cash flow 3. Reduce inventory 4. Miscellaneous: safety, housekeeping, etc.

It is perhaps even more important to identify what Team Wilson is not.

1. It is NOT a progmn to make everyone happy. 2. It is NOT a program to bypass regular organizational procedure

3. Wages will NOT be Team Wilson topics. 4. Benefits will NOT be Team Wilson topics. 5. The Associate Handbook and policies will NOT be Team Wilson

topics.

or structure.

The team members were excited, yet they viewedtheirteam activities as separate firom their day-- activitie!s.

The program is designed to allow interested associates to participate in problem identification and solutions that will enable us to achieve the four goals mentioned previously.

After two years of the program, there were ten teams with 20 percent of employees participating on them. The team members were excited, yet they viewed their team activities as separate from their day-today activities. Many people deemed Team Wilson as "something else to do." Further- more, they believed that once they joined, their involvement would be "for life." Shifting from an "every man for himself" environment to a team environment proved difficult for many of the associates. Furthermore, most associates were still struggling with the definition of empowerment and were still learning how to take the initiative in their area.

In 1989, the Team Wilson purpose and process were reemphasized to revitalize the program. To begin, another Team Wilson rollout was

National produrtivty Review/Winttr 1993/94 81

presented to all manufacturing associates. The guidelines, reward systems, and other aspects of the program were all reviewed. The concept of Team Wilson was sold to the associates by pointing out the successes of the present teams. Part of the refocus of the program was to transfer the ownership of Team Wilson to manufacturing, that is, to the associates themselves. Unlike in the past, coaches (managers and supervisors) were now required to belong to or lead teams. Coaching positions were filled only with people who were team players and who felt comfortable with and could excel in leading a team.

In the beginning, there were two teams. Today there are Over thirty formal teams, with Over 75 percent employee participation (see Exhibits 1 and 2). There are teams representing every department on every shift. Hundreds of projects are completed each year, resulting in millions of dollars in cost savings a year.

TEAM-BUILDING BASICS Forming a team is simple. Associates make the decision to form a team

and then begin their Team Wilson training. During the training, the team answers these questions:

Exhibit 1: Team Wilson Teams

a u I-

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

..................................................

..............................................

...........................................

.........................................

......

1 2 3 4 1 2 5 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 5 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 I 1987 I 1988 I 1989 I 1990 I 1991 I 1992 I 1993 I

QUARTERS, YEAR

TEAMS

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Exhibit 2: Team Wilson Assodate Partidpation

80

* 20

0 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 I1987 I1988 I1989 I199O'I 1991 I1992 I1993 I

QUARTERS, YEAR

% PARTICIPATION

What will be our team name and logo? How long should our meetings be? When? Where? How should we establish the agenda? Who is going to chair the meetings, take minutes? How are we going to get feedback and measure our performance? What is our goaVpurpose as a team? How can we best accomplish our mission? What ground rules do we

What are our expectations for the team? How will we make decisions? How will we resolve problems, handle conflicts? How do we make sure everyone is listened to and everyone has a say? How will we prioritize our work? How will we measure our productivity, quality? What type of culture do we want for our team? How can we build the

How can we constantly improve what we do? What skills do members have and which do they want to learn?

all agree would help us accomplish our goals?

kind of culture we want?

Nationul Froductivity ReztinU/wnter 1993194 83

Theteamsalsohavea facilitator, the area superintendent, who observestheteam closelyandgives advice when needed.

What other kinds of operating guidelines do we need to formulate (attendance, tardiness, vacation, etc.)?

After the team have frnished the six-to-seven-hour team building/ leadership training, they are ready to begin problem solving for continuous improvement.

Teams generally meet three to four times a month. The teams have a leader (or leaders) who is elected by the team and is responsible for conducting the meetings. The leader may be the area supervisor or an associate. The teams also have a facilitator, the area superintendent, who observes the team closely and gives advice when needed.

To ensure that no time is wasted, the team comes to each meeting with a prepared agenda for the meeting. Meetings are usually spent brainstorm- ing new projects, preparing for presentations, or performing project research. Generally, each member will walk away from a meeting with a specific task that is to be completed by the next meeting. These tasks, which might include researching a particular topic of interest, collecting data, or talking to a specific person about a project, are done on the associate’s own time, such as during breaks or before or after a shift. After each meeting, the team secretary generates minutes and posts them for all to see on the Team Wilson board. This allows teams to see what other teams are doing and keeps the competitive spirit strong.

Team members are trained on problem-solving skills by a training facilitator. Each team member is given a “Problem Solving for Continuous Improvement“ booklet that provides several questionnaires to help in brainstorming and explains several TQM tools in detail, such as cause-and- effect diagrams, Pareto charts, and scattergram charts. The booklet also describes the &en problem-solving steps used by Team Wilson teams:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Brainstorm problemshnprovements. Select probledimprovement. Analyze causes and collect data. Brainstorm solutions. Implement actions. Measure and standardize. Celebrate improvement and go back to Step 1.

Teams are required to categorize the projects they complete. This helps team members understand how the organization will benefit from their efforts. At the end of the quarter, teams are required to submit a categorized list of their completed projects for the quarter to the steering committee. This pushes the teams to learn about the diverse areas of the plant as they complete several different types of projects. The categories for Team Wilson projects are

SE - Safety/Environmental Projects

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Althoughteams are not given direct monetary rewards for the& efforts, there are manywaysinwhich they are rewarded for a job well done.

QI - Quality Improvement CR - Cost/Scrap/Rework Reduction IC - Increase Capacity (Reduction of Production Cycles) MP - Methods and Procedures/Layout/Material Handling MQK - Maintenance Quick Kills JIT - JIThIousekeeping TR - Training

The guidelines for Team Wilson spending are as follows:

projects under $5&Any time a team wants to complete a project that costs under $500, management empowers it to complete the project without authorization from outside the team. So far, this method has worked well.

projects o w $500, but less than $1,000--Projects that fall into this category require the approval of the area superintendent (facilitator) and the plant engineer. It is the responsibility of the team to provide an estimate for the job and justify the expenditure.

projects o w $1, 000--These projects require approval of the steering committee before they can be executed. This usually involves a presenta- tion by the team justifying its request.

Teams are well aware of the fact that their efforts will allow the Humboldt plant to become more competitive in the marketplace, and thus will lead to job security. Although teams are not given direct monetary rewards for their efforts, there are many ways in which they are rewarded for a job well done, When a team forms, its members create a team name and logo. For example, one team consists of people from the seam buffing department. The team is called "The Buffarms" and its logo is a kangaroo- type character. The plant's graphics artist makes a large billboard of the team's name and logo to hang in the team's area. Team members are also given a new shirt each year with their team name and logo. Anytime a team makes a project presentation to the steering committee, several members of the steering committee treat the team members to a meal.

Each quarter the teams submit a completed project list to the steering committee. The committee then votes on the "Team of the Quarter" based on the complexity and creativity of the projects completed by each team. As a reward, the Team of the Quarter receives a plaque to hang in its area and each member receives a gift certificate from the company store. All members are treated to a meal at an area restaurant by several members of the steering committee.

At the annual Team Wilson Awards Banquet, "Teams of the Year" are announced. These teams also receive a plaque to be placed in their area and the team members receive jackets with their logo embroidered on them. Their picture is placed in the local paper and the plant publication, "The Pro Reflection."

National productivig ReviewWinter 1993/94 85

Allteamsare given the same opprtuni~es for tddng.

Team Wilson makes up the formal team structure at Wilson. Informal teams are generally temporary task forces that form to solve a specific problem and then disband after the problem is solved. Another type of informal team is created during internal customer weeks. During these weeks, production associates, coaches, and engineers meet to solve any internal customer issues that might be occurring in the production areas. This type of team helps each department understand the wants and needs of the other departments. These meeting$ are also a great way to generate new Team Wilson projects.

TRAINING AND TQM TOOLS PAY OFF The focus of Team Wilson training is to give an associate the tools to

have a more rewarding life at work and at home. All teams are given the same opportunities for training. Teams can choose when and if they want the training. Frequently, teams will ask other further developed or more active teams for training on a particular subject.

A full-time training facilitator conducts much of the training for the teams and has a vast library of books, videos, and training material for the teams to use as resources. In 1992, the plant added a training complex to provide associates with a professional environment to accommodate training sessions and presentations. Training is offered in the areas of empowerment, peak performance, time management, interaction coach- ing, communication, .employee empowerment, goal setting, attitude, safety, basic statistics, and other topics.

The use of TQM tools is heavily integrated into the Team Wilson training. Cause-and-effect diagrams, flowcharting, histograms, and Pareto analysis are some of the tools introduced to teams during training.

To attack the problem of downtime, one team set up a TQM data center to supply the following information: (1) a downtime chart; (2) a downtime cause-and-effect diagram; (3) a downtime Pareto chart; (4) a QC hold chart; (5) an internal customer complaints Pareto; (6) an absenteeism chart; and (7) safety charts. Members of the team are responsible for supplying and updating a particular chart, in addition to their other duties as team members.

Another team conducted a project in which statistical process control (SPC) techniques were used to examine the three-piece golf ball size variation. The team thought this project could be useful in determining whether the current process was in control, and if so, how much size variation should be expected from it. The study was conducted using histograms and X-bar and R charts. From this study, recommendations were made that put the team in a better position to (1) quickly spot special causes of variation; (2) know when to adjust sizes; (3) see when the process improvements actually work; and (4) reduce the overall ball size variation.

Many teams use cause-and-effect diagrams. For example, one team completed a project to keep oil, flash, and product off the floor. To do so, it used cause-and-effect diagrams to find root causes of problems.

Operator, materials, methods, and equipment causes were all analyzed and charted. The findings resulted in the installation of special press side shields and ram boots, which reduced scrap and contaminated product.

Another Team Wilson project involved improving the X-Y coordinate adjustments on the Special Order Pad Printers. The intent of the project was to make the registration of the ball logo more accurate and to simplify operator setup procedures. The team chose materials, safety, process, and time as the elements for its cause-andeffect analysis. The completed project found the toot causes to be equipment- and technique-related. Special alignment fixtures were purchased and standardized techniques were established. The result of the project was a reduction of setup time and increased production capacity of 3,744 dozen balls a year.

One pmject of particular relevance w a s presented last spring by a maintenance team called The Leading Edge. The Leading Edge found a mold coating for injection molding presses that replaced the past method of spraying molds every ten rounds. The most significant benefit of this project was the elimination of the use of 1,1,1 Trichloroethane, a toxic solvent, in this area. Other benefits were increased yields, increased volume capacity, reduced direct labor, and reduced material cost (mold spray). Furthermore, the coating has proven to strengthen the mold cavities, resulting in fewer cracked cavities. The team did its own research on the coating and conducted its own experimental testing of the coating’s performance in relation to internal and external customers.

Another team, The Precision Painters, made a presentation to manage- ment consisting of several housekeeping projects. The members described one of their projects thus:

Many-- cause-and-effa -0

Keeping in line with our focus on housekeeping, paint filter storage was one of our main concerns in topcoat painting. There was no designated place for paint filters. They were kept open on the floor in each of the two paint moms until they were all used and another box was ordered. We kept hearing the phrase ‘A place for everything, and everything in its place,’ but when it came to paint filters-there was no place. The storage cabinets in use at the time were far too narrow and shallow to house the filters. With the help of purchasing, we were able to choose from Werent size cabinets and order one that was both cost- effective and would meet our needs. The cabinets were installed and then organized by labeling each shelfwith the name of the product to be stored. The cabinets hold two boxes of filters and eliminate needless trips by the warehousemen to deliver filters to each shift. The smaller cabinets that had been in use are now holding empty paint liners. After the project was completed, we designated one monitor in each room to ensure that the cabinets stay neat and are serving the purposes for which they were purchased.

Another team, The P.M. Molders, a second-shift injection molding

Nationul hdudvity ReviewMmter 1993/94 87

A juSt-in-caSe mentality was r e f d t o a just-in-time approach.

team, worked with the maintenance department to install automated doors on four trim presses. This project reduced the required operator motions to allow more time to inspect the product.

coMMfiMENTBREEDsTEAMsuccEss Team Wilson is successful for two r e a s o n d e commitment of

management and the commitment of associates. Since implementing the operating guiding principles, management has continued to decentralize decision making and has empowered the teams to implement the decisions they make by allocating resources for idea implementation. The coaches take an active role in the formal teams at Wilson, either as team members or in visiting team meetings regularly. The management staff is required to visit a set number of teams a month. Many times, this requires attending third-shift meetings in the middle of the night. This management visibility shows the team members the commitment that everyone has to the teams.

Wilson's management philosophy emphasizes the team approach. Managers remain highly visible and do not wear suits and ties, thus reducing the barrier between management and employees. Associates are made to feel that they are part of a team and that their opinion is valued and respected. Furthermore, associates are aware of their importance by the hours of training invested in them and the opportunities they are given. This type of philosophy encourages happy employees to feel that their efforts toward quality, productivity, and customer satisfaction are appre- ciated and make a difference.

One of the biggest issues to address with the implementation of TQM was getting the right quality and quantity of people in each department. All employees were asked to change their old ways. Rather than conform to the notion that, "We have always done it that way," all associates were empowered to find new solutions to old problems. A just-in-case mentality was refocused to a just-in-time approach. A "We can't afford to do it" response was changed to a "We can't afford not to do it" approach.

The net result is that the team effort has saved the plant more than $25 million over the last seven years. Furthermore, Wilson's share of the golf ball market has increased from 2 to 18 percent while lead times have been reduced by 75 percent. And lastly, the Wilson Humboldt plant contributed 60 percent to the total gross profit of the Wilson Golf Division in 1992.

Wilson Humboldt is on a mission to become the biggest and best golf ball manufacturer in the world. The Team Wilson program has been essential in guiding the plant toward world class manufacturing status. As a result, this team-driven location has become not only the flagship plant for Wilson Sporting Goods Company, but also a recognized leader in its industry. 0

88 Nationul Productivity Revim/Winter 1993/94