Update: Our shop's scrap rate went from 8% to under 2% in a year, and it wasn't the machine

A year ago, our floor manager started a new rule: every scrapped part gets a five-minute huddle at the machine it came from. We'd all stop, look at the bad part, and the operator had to explain what they think went wrong, no blame. At first, I hated it. Felt like public shaming and wasted time. But after a few months, I noticed something. People started catching their own mistakes before hitting cycle start. We'd ask each other for a second look on a tricky setup. The scrap pile got smaller, and the real change was the talking. It wasn't about newer tools or a faster CNC. It was just us paying more attention because we knew we'd have to talk about it. Some guys say it's micromanaging and slows us down. I think it built a habit that saves more time than it costs. What's your shop's culture like around mistakes? Do you think calling them out openly helps or just makes people hide them better?

2 comments

2 Comments

casey_fox689d ago

Hot take: Talking fixes more than machines. That's a solid way to handle it. Making it a normal group talk without blame is key. If you just yell at people, they'll sweep mistakes under the rug to avoid trouble. Your floor manager turned a problem into a team check, which builds way better habits. My crews work better when we just fix the issue instead of finding who to blame. Does your team still do those huddles now that the scrap rate is down?

the_ivan9d ago

Totally agree. We kept our huddles going even after our numbers got better. It felt weird at first to meet when things were fine, but that's when you can talk about small stuff before it blows up. Now the team brings up little issues they see without waiting for a big problem. How do you keep that open talk going on your crews?