Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/570520
TEEL experience Teel Plastics has forged a relationship with the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership that has lasted more than a decade. "The WMEP is a resource we can bring into Teel and make us a better company. We can present a problem to them and they can help us solve it," Teel president Tom Thompson said. Projects have included value stream mapping, improved plant layout, various lean programs, ExporTech, Six Sigma Green Belt and, most recently, involvement in the Profitable Sustainability Initiative (PSI). Teel operates three plants in Baraboo and specializes in extruded plastic tubing and profiles. Teel has been owned by the Smith family since 1999 when Jay Smith and his two children, Jason Smith and Brynna London, purchased the company. The three plants employ nearly 250 workers. Teel entered the PSI program in late 2013. Teel management and the WMEP determined that the biggest opportunity was improving the company's project selection and management process, since as a high-growth business it sometimes had more than 100 open projects with shifting priorities that lengthened completion dates. The PSI effort focuses on project management, a non- traditional option, because the company already had implemented many traditional "green" initiatives in its plant operations. The first step of the PSI project was to design a project management system. Teel formed a cross-functional team in early 2014 and worked for about four months to create a lean project management process to select and manage projects based on alignment with the company's strategic plan and those that would generate the highest return on investment. "We implemented a way for different groups within the organization to get together and communicate what the tasks are within a project," said Joel Lischefski, quality manager at Teel. "It allows the groups to communicate better and more effectively and focus on the tasks that needed to be completed." Teel piloted the project management process for several months and incorporated feedback from project managers and its senior leadership team. It automated the process with smart systems and smart boards. A company-wide rollout took place at the end of 2014 with a series of six training classes. "The project management system has been a great improvement," Thompson said. The new process has allowed for appropriate prioritization and has led to projects being completed more rapidly. Unnecessary projects are cut off earlier. It also keeps projects such as new product initiatives, market opportunities and capital projects to a manageable level. Project managers and upper management are enthusiastic about the new process. They recognize that being more responsive to new customers and new markets is a key competitive advantage. "Before, everybody had their different lists of projects. Now we have it all on one system," Thompson said.