Month: April 2011

Implementing TWI – Part 5 – Tips for Conducting the JI Workshop

Posted on by Roger Bilas

In Part 5 of our series on implementing the Training Within Industry program, we will focus on conducting your first TWI workshop.  In an earlier installment we recommended starting with Job Instruction or a combination of Job Instruction and Job Relations workshops.  We’ve discussed where to start and how to set goals to provide guidance and motivation for the target area.  We gave criteria on determining who to include in the training and scheduling the first workshop.  In this post we will focus on some tips to make your training go smoothly and be most effective.

When training any of the TWI J-programs, the first session should be kicked off by the senior Continue reading →

Implementing TWI – Part 4 – Scheduling the Initial TWI Training

Posted on by Roger Bilas

In our previous posts we discussed which TWI J-program to start with (we recommended JI or JI and JR, concurrently), where and how to focus your efforts in a target area, and who to select for the training.  In this installment we’ll talk about the scheduling options for your JI workshops.  If you are starting out with only JI, one of the best scheduling options is to have a JI workshop first thing in the morning and another one late in the day.  Our preference is to try to maintain natural workgroup integrity.  You’ll be able to have between 6-10 participants Continue reading →

Appliance Maker Uses JI to Smooth New Model Transition

Posted on by Roger Bilas

A manufacturer of consumer appliances used JI training to help train its people on updated procedures in one of their value streams.  The result was a model update on the line without any productivity loss.  Normally, when the production procedures and instructions are updated, productivity is negatively impacted as people learn and become practiced in the new ways of doing the work.  This loss during train-up was avoided by their use of JI and off-line training.  Prior to the changeover, the organization called The Bilas Group in to conduct a JI training workshop.  After receiving the initial training, they designated primary trainers for Continue reading →

Appliance Maker Uses JI to Smooth New Model Transition

Posted on by Roger Bilas

A manufacturer of consumer appliances used JI training to help train its people on updated procedures in one of their value streams.  The result was a model update on the line without any productivity loss.  Normally, when the production procedures and instructions are updated, productivity is negatively impacted as people learn and become practiced in the new ways of doing the work.  This loss during train-up was avoided by their use of JI and off-line training.  Prior to the changeover, the organization called The Bilas Group in to conduct a JI training workshop.  After receiving the initial training, they designated primary trainers for Continue reading →

Implementing TWI – Part 3 – Who should I train first?

Posted on by Roger Bilas

Implementing TWI – Part 3 – Who should be in the TWI training?

Now that you’ve picked a TWI component or components to initially implement and a target area (or in reverse order) it’s time to select people for the training.  We normally require between 6-10 participants – participants perform a demonstration during the five 2-hour sessions, and allow up to an additional 10 “observers” – people who can watch the training, but who don’t participate in the discussions or perform a demonstration.  Having more than 10 participants requires more than the time allotted in the five sessions.  Having less than 6 people reduces the interaction, and doesn’t afford enough repetition of the demonstrations for effective skill development.  An “observer” will see all the training and demonstrations just like a participant, but will not have the opportunity to perform a demonstration Continue reading →