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DEFINING A WORLD CLASS FOUNDRY.Pages

There are several Questions:
What is ‘World Class?’
Is the term ‘World Class?’ fuzzy?
What is a ‘World Class Organisation? ‘a ‘World Class product?’ ‘a ‘World Class Institution?’
‘a ‘World Class system?’ ‘a ‘World Class Essay?’ etc or a ‘a ‘World Class Foundry?’

infact have we/ any one been able to define World Class?
Would you contribute todefining world class?
Following is Excerpted from the journal ‘Foundry’ :

“Thareja P, (2006), ‘A Total Quality Organisation Through People: (Part 4), Building a World Class Foundry, Foundry, July/Aug, Vol XVIII, No 4 :37-43″

Please Quote Reference, and please answer the Ten Questions, write your esteemed observations and comments. Best comments shall be considered for inclusion in a future issue of Foundry (under your name), and you will earn due copy(ies) of FOUNDRY -the esteemed Indian journal of progressive metal casters.
Questionare:
Let us see how a World Class Foundry may be defined as:
{when you read please rate them as per the importance (Strongly agree (5) to Strongly disagree (1))}

i) Foundry which employs the latest generation equipment to produce most globally competitive product (at lowest price) : 5 4 3 2 1

ii) A foundry who has the wherewithal to make every casting, first time right.
5 4 3 2 1

iii) A Foundry which is a blend of a criteria of Men, material, machines, and Systems to produce most exquisite product and sustain highest amount of SHEQ
5 4 3 2 1

iv) A Foundry which can emerge stronger at each or what ever Quality/ competence criteria one may evaluate them against. Be it Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award of USA or Sword of Deming Application Award, Japan Medal or Golden Peacock award of India: 5 4 3 2 1

v) A Foundry which produces castings (for the same quality, productivity, cost) with half the resources including men, equipment, infrastructure, materials and means.
5 4 3 2 1

vi) A fully devout Foundryman, who would want to convert each castable product to a new casting form, and if and when that is functionally found befitting, can proudly assume a competence of being WORLD CLASS: 5 4 3 2 1

vii) A foundry which is Green, serene and lean, with an imperative of lowering the returns to environment at its lowest behest.: 5 4 3 2 1

viii) A foundry which has hitherto developed (manufactured), transformed and nursed world class foundrymen: 5 4 3 2 1

ix) A foundry which keeps Customer Satisfaction on top agenda, and may be suffer a loss at times to uphold the motives: 5 4 3 2 1

x) A foundry who continually attempts to cast a new product which looks aesthetically better, reducing apartheidism, functionally superiaor and aspects greener. 5 4 3 2 1

In order to rate one’s appraisal of aforementioned situations, or so called investiture of one’s aspirations to reform a WCF, two methods may be employed. One way is to total up the marks and proportion them for any organization out of maximum points of 10 x 5 = 50. This will compute a satisfaction criterion for transforming a WCF. This way a relative score of a specific foundry in question can be determined.
The second option rates the choicest criteria so as to determine the exact composition of a world class foundry. To broad base the efficiency criteria as many attributes as befittingly worthy can be used to determine a paradigm. The choicest criteria emerging there-from may be combined to develop an alternative criteria for a WCF.

Evidently like the definition of quality, the definition of WCF is also semantic in nature. It implies that this is subject to change with logistics, needs & attitudes, and the environment. It will change with time, technology and competition. The dynamics of the concept itself is subject to change, and this change follows a change in capacity, competence, knowledge and attitudes of people. Let us see what should emerge from a popular perception of WCF using three typical or popular attributes from above (namely definitions at Sr No i), iii) and vi) above). The following definition of a world class foundry (WCF) is what may be duly deduced from first principles:

A typical definition of a WORLD CLASS FOUNDRY (WCF) is:-
“A WCF is one who integrates latest gen-machinery with (process/ work) systems to facilitate cast products’ based business development based over a high accent on product substitution or new product development”

Well Reproducing some postings elwhere:

In reply to a Question from Andrews 9th September 2002, 11:35 AM
“This question is for the gurus.What are the characteristics of a world class company? How does a company go about achieving this?(Andrews) “:–

Replied By P Thareja On 28th November 2003, 06:32 AM
Probably because they had a sound strategic plan that was regularly revisited, measured their results, evaluated the results against others, modified/created new strategies, used innovation, created learning work environments, learned from the best and made it better or cheaper, …..

To me ‘world class’ means you are the one the world looks up to. You do not benchmark, you are benchmarked. …..

and -ve attributes

stole IP, co-erced other companies employees, paid off politicians, tricked auditors….. WHICH DO NOT MAKE WORLD CLASS?

But, the sure ingredients…..
PLANING, MONITORING & MEASUREMENT, CONTINUAL EVALUATION ( revisiting plans) INNOVATION, LEARNING ORGANISATION, CUSTOMER FOCUS. Is the recipe perfect?

Let’s gather all the attributes!

pthareja

Also:

Appended by p thareja on 31st July 2006, 10:11 AM

In my opinion, a “world class organization” perpetually drives dysfunction out of their processes.

I appreciate Sidney to have defined in terms of dysfunction; though dysfunction if taken as a defect will never converge to world class Quality. If Dysfunction is taken as a process, the tenets of world class are likely to be present.

In my article published in FOUNDRY (July-Aug 2006), I defined aWorld class foundry as:

ATypical Definition
“A World Class Foundry (WCF) is one which integrates the latest-gen machinery with (process/ work) systems to facilitate business development governed around cast products only, duly based over a high accent on Product Substitution or New Product Development.”

For I believe that the industry must pride in one’s vocation, and support the processes to excellence in product development, Quality, Safety, Environment and productivity improvement, and cost reduction.

The paper also carried a nine point questionaire and I shall be glad to share a copy.

Thareja

duly posted at “http://elsmar.com/Forums/archive/index.php/t-5228.html”

- Posted on November 26th, 2007 in Pages | 5,732 Views |

2 Comments »

2 Responses to “DEFINING A WORLD CLASS FOUNDRY”


1. Posted byPriyavrat Thareja on November 28th, 2007 at 4:52 pm

The phrase “World Class Manufacturing”.
Schonberger is often credited as originator of this phrase
Book: World Class Manufacturing Casebook: Implementing JIT and TQC by Richard Schonberger
Priyavrat



2. Posted bylean manufacturing on January 31st, 2008 at 12:33 pm

lean manufacturing…

We have very much promoted this type of business practice ourselves and am glad I came across your blog again. I have added you to our digg bookmarking account. Thanks!…



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