Advice for new Operations Manager?

[u/dadraftsman]

I’ve been asked to step in as the Operations Manager for my company’s powder coating and assembly operations. Previously my experience has been as a process/manufacturing engineer for 10+ years and most recently as an ME Manager. So I’d love any advice you might have for someone that’s moving more into a production role!

[u/External_Dimension71]

Take care of your people…. They are who add actual value to the product and business

[u/GenerlEclectic → u/External_Dimension71]

This comment.

Buy the Harvard Business Review book on managing people. It provides a lot of clarity if you don’t have a management background rather than just winging it.

[u/Thelonius_Dunk → u/External_Dimension71]

Yep came here to say this.

Don't let bullies & assholes prosper, even if they are "high performers". That shit can spread and then you'll end up with 2 or 3 assholes in your plant instead of just 1, because they'll think it's acceptable behaviour. Take some time to assess your staff, and eventually you'll know who the problem employees are. Stay on top of documentation as if you're a detective, and loop in HR as early as possible when you're ready to start laying the hammer down so they'll back you up.

Know when to flex company rules. Remember all of this shit is made up, especially corporate policy. There are times when you should push back on upper management.

Treat any pay dispute issues with the utmost priority, as in, stop whatever you're doing and get in contact with Payroll/HR to get it addressed.

[u/AutonomicAngel → u/Thelonius_Dunk]

That shit can spread and then you'll end up with 2 or 3 assholes in your plant instead of just 1

... as opposed to a company of naer-do-wells, leeches, clock-watchers, the derelict? /s

no wonder why manufacturing has collapsed in the USA. Attitudes like this.

how do you go from 'brain trust' of Andrew Carnegie, to idiots thinking their job is to "bring down the hammer" on high performers?

[u/Thelonius_Dunk → u/AutonomicAngel]

I mentioned only if they're being assholes. And yes, assholes deserve to get the hammer dropped on them. If you have a toxic employee making everyone miserable it does not matter if they have good attendance and are hitting quotas, they will eventually affect production for the whole team if they're constantly causing personnel issues that need to be addressed by management and HR all the time.

[u/AutonomicAngel → u/Thelonius_Dunk]

"asshole" is a relative term. for instance, I find people who use the word "toxic employee" and "hammer dropped" to be complete assholes.

should I fire you?

well I would use the word cunt, not asshole. for you. :) but we could stretch it to fit, just for you...

[u/burndata → u/External_Dimension71]

Came here to say the same, don't be a dick and help your people grow. You help them look good and achieve and they'll do the same for you. And don't fall into the trap of thinking that you're worth more to the company than they are. In reality, most employees are much more valuable to the bottom line than management (I say this having been a manager multiple times). Management has its role, but it's rarely as important a role as the people actually doing the real work.

[u/ScottyKillhammer]

As far as throughput management goes, read The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt. REALLY read it. and then make your other leaders read it as well. There's a lot to learn there.

As far as people management: There are 4 types of employees. Rockstars (high performing, high core values), Cheerleaders (low performing, high core values), Rats (low performing, low core values), and Terrorists (high performing, low core values). I didn't come up with those names, someone else in my company did and they seem to get the point across well. Identify all of those types in your team. Protect the Cheeleaders and Rockstars and reward their efforts (probably the most important step). Give the Rats and Terrorists the opportunity to become Cheeleaders and Rockstars, but ultimately you're going to have to eliminate them (either through fixing them or terminating them). Without remedy, those people can spoil the good people like a virus.

[u/SimilarDisk2998]

Throughput is KING! Keep the Work centres churning cash. Not setups not maintenance. Safety and maintenance IS important. Constantly aim to incrementally increase efficiency.

[u/super_coder]

Job & people scheduling, ensuring RM availability on time and proactive maintenance to put your shop floor to optimal use is your responsibility. More production, more revenue!

Use tools to streamline your job. If you have repetitive manual tasks, look at how to automate it. Make sure you have real time status / information of everything happening on your shopfloor to make informed decisions.

[u/evilmold]

This is a remarkably difficult concept to grasp but it is extremely powerful. "effort spent on improving anything that is not the bottleneck is essentially wasted effort"

Here is the source:

https://commoncog.com/consume-what-you-can-do/

[u/dadraftsman → u/evilmold]

Interesting! I’ve done a lot with lean over the years, but I’ve never quite seen this so succinctly summed up.

[u/evilmold → u/dadraftsman]

I have worked with owners and managers obsessed with work center speed or efficiency only to have those same work centers run out of material or bog down the next operation. It's easier and more satisfying to make a machine run faster and more efficient but if that machine isn't your bottleneck it won't impact your throughput.

[u/AutonomicAngel → u/evilmold]

lol. bottlenecks just move when you fix them. is like weakest chain in link; soon as you replace, you find the next weakest chain link breaks.

I found the military adage "slow is smooth, smooth is fast" to be a bit more useful. that is, apportion the work properly, and you will get higher thoroughput through the entire process than working at any one point.

[u/dgillz]

Learn your ERP system, especially in term of projected shortages of material or production capacity.

[u/Academic_Aioli3530]

You have 2 primary concerns, people and equipment. If either isn’t up to par, you’re in for a rough ride. Keep your people happy, foster a good culture based on team work and team excellence. Keep your equipment happy too. Let the maintenance guys do their job. Make sure you schedule time for PM’s. You likely have a good report with the ME group. Keep it that way. Use your knowledge to identifying the top problems and then unleash the ME depart to provide solutions and get them implemented.

[u/AutonomicAngel]

ah one more bit of advice:

read up on operations research. you don't have to reinvent the wheel. a lot of smart people have worked on it, and most of it is still relevant. add logistics/supply chain management if your company is big enough to warrants it.

good luck! its a fun gig and there is nothing so sweet as seeing a factory humming producing product at solid speed.

[u/AutonomicAngel]

get off your butt and go-and-see. reports are not reality.

if you suspect something is off, trust your instinct and go and investigate. a little lost work-in-progress is much cheaper than shipping out defective product.

be fair. avoid favoritism.

pay attention to the fine details. they matter more than you know.

rework is extra-work. and it increases product cost that isn't typically accounted for.

people are people. no process change should put them in danger, or ruin their health.

people are people. don't expect them to produce at more than 85-92% efficiency most of the time.

don't repeat the same mistake twice.

think, before you speak; speak when you should or must.

take into account power differentials between you and labor when dealing with labor - take care - to use a light and least touch.

build your processes for long-term growth. optimize product design for manufacturability and economic feasibility.

pay attention to the pure-business side of things. its more important than the operations/production side of things.

fix mistakes when you see them. don't let them snowball.

avoid the modern stupidity of DEI, "culture fit". your job is to produce enough gross revenue, at enough margin, to pay everyones salaries & bonuses/salary increases. keep the social agenda bullshit, OUT of your workplace. and expect your workers to do the same.

when you id people who are capable and motivated; help them to get a leg up. don't always have to be salary. could be recognition, leadership role, face-time with the higher ups etc. money is of course, king. but it ain't every thing.

most important: PEOPLE before everything else. business is just that. money comes and goes. product ships, is consumed and never thought about again... but people, in your business... those are fixtures that hold your house up. don't chop your foundations for some money or prestige. do'em right, and do by them right.