Lean management meeting at the KATEK company
- 29.01.2024
- News Study Program
The team from the Grassau-based company KATEK was able to take away new ideas for improvement from the feedback of the experience group through the Gemba Walk.
An experience group of ten participating companies from Bavaria and Tyrol visited the Grassau-based company KATEK and toured the workplaces and production areas in the form of a Gemba Walk. The aim is to observe, understand and improve work processes.
The 19th meeting of the Lean Management & Six Sigma Experience Group (ERFA LSS) took place at KATEK in Grassau. Since 2013, the ERFA LSS, an association of 20 Tyrolean and Bavarian companies, has been meeting once or twice a year to analyze and observe workplaces and production processes during a Gemba Walk. Gemba Walk is an important part of lean management and aims to observe, understand and improve work processes. The term Gemba Walk is derived from the Japanese word Gemba or Gembutsu, which means the actual place.
THE ADVANTAGES OF A GEMBA WALK
“The exchange with other companies as part of the ERFA LSS is a good opportunity to discuss your own successes and receive feedback from outside,” said Prof. (FH) Dr. Martin Adam from FH Kufstein Tirol. After a short company presentation and introduction of the current lean management activities, the participants visited the production areas in small groups as part of the Gemba Walks. Using checklists, they assessed cleanliness, tidiness, maintenance measures and store floor management, among other things. In the subsequent discussion, moderated by Prof (FH) Dr. Martin Adam, and the get-together, there was a lively exchange of impressions and ideas.
TO THE COMPANY KATEK IN GRASSAU
With over 3,700 employees at 19 locations worldwide, KATEK develops and manufactures electronic assemblies. The customers for the products from the plant in Grassau are mainly found in the industrial and lifestyle sectors. Efficient production processes are a prerequisite for the company's success.
For over ten years, Marc Rohleder's lean management team has been supporting the production areas in setting standards, ensuring stable delivery performance, reducing inventories, achieving ergonomics in the workplace and reducing set-up times, among other things.