Companies gain a competitive advantage by
partnering with Moraine Park Technical College

The words “Six Sigma” often bring to mind large companies and large industries — more than half of Fortune 500 companies rely on the methodology to improve their companies and one in eight Fortune 100 companies have followed suit — but Lomira-based Kondex Corp., a manufacturer of engineered components for the agricultural, turf care, construction, forestry and biofuel markets, is a prime example of how you don’t have to be big to reap the benefits of improving your workforce.

More critically, it can also be done locally, thanks to Moraine Park Technical College’s ability to partner with local companies in providing a comprehensive portfolio of training options to Wisconsin’s businesses.

Continuous improvement
“Any size organization can benefit from training like Six Sigma,” says Glen Thielke, a Moraine Park instructor and certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt. “The big difference is in the organization and its support structure for the methodology.”

In the case of Kondex Corp., the company identified Six Sigma as one of many tools it could use to become a leaner, more customer-focused organization, according to Kondex President Jim Wessing.

“The fundamental objective of Six Sigma methodology is implementation of a strategy that focuses on process improvement and variation reduction using defined improvement projects,” says Wessing. “The overall objective as more projects are completed will be to continue to reduce costs and waste at Kondex, thereby making us the desired supplier for our customers.”

The Moraine Park training is done on-site at Kondex by Thielke, who is working with employees from a variety of departments.

“The concepts of Six Sigma are being fed into the organization through selected individuals,” he notes of the 11 days of Six Sigma Green Belt training that are spread out over a three- to four-month span. “Each participant has a project that he or she is working on, which is really key.”

With real-world projects, and real-world implementation of what they’re learning, the attendees do more than learn. They can have a significant and positive impact on the organization.

“The payback average for a project is $15,000, but I’ve seen it go up over $200,000, and that was on a participant’s first project,” says Thielke. “Our training structure is so hands-on that companies can see immediate results. I think some of our participants — as well as their companies — are surprised at the quick return they can realize through this training.”

Kondex’s training is being partially funded by a Workforce Advancement Training Grant, which Moraine Parkhelped secure. The company has also opened its facility to four other organizations to take part in the Six Sigma training.

“I would encourage other companies to meet with their local technical school representative to review the curriculum offered,” suggests Wessing. “From there, complete an organizational training needs assessment, which will identify your training needs. Finally, select the required training and pursue funding to partially offset it.”

Companies that have partnered with Moraine Park often continue to successive Six Sigma levels, or ask Thielke to create customized training that specifically targets their needs. Thielke has worked with Brownsville-based Grande Cheese Co., to create Grande Gold Belt, a five-day, Six Sigma training program based on the methodology’s core tools.

“We did a first wave of Green Belt training with plant management and all of the plant managers completed Black Belt training,” says Thielke. “The challenge was to utilize all the tools they now had, which is why we created Grande Gold Belt. Since completing the training, Grande Cheese has done a very good job of implementing Six Sigma as part of their everyday approach to doing business.”

Skill standards and certification
Providing continuous improvement training is just one of many options available to businesses through the staff and resources at Moraine Park. Some have not only established a long relationship with the college, but rely on it to build a varied training suite.

“In 2001, Signicast began its employee learning centers through a state grant in conjunction with Moraine Park,” says Jane Weber, workforce education instructor at Signicast in Hartford.

Weber says that Moraine Park approached Signicast to see if the company would be interested in piloting its Manufacturing Skill Standard Certification (MSSC), a process designed to validate that employees have the technical skills needed to work in modern manufacturing.

“Major corporations have endorsed MSSC as a strategy to improve productivity; decrease costs related to recruiting, training and retaining skilled workers; and provide measurable quality assurance through defined stands in performance to positively impact bottom-line results,” notes Chuck Brendel, dean of continuing education and institutional quality and a continuous improvement instructor for Moraine Park.

“Our managers were interested in participating in the project for two reasons: 1) To learn more about the program and its possible value to employee training and customer quality, and 2) to help build a MSSC program that would improve workforce skills for those entering manufacturing,” she says. “Signicast is a world-class, modern company that sees great value in the future of manufacturing as a career choice for people who enjoy highly skilled, hands-on technical work.”

According to Weber, Signicast employees were challenged by the certification process, which emphasizes safety, quality practices and measurements, maintenance awareness, and manufacturing process and production. The MSSC system awards a Certified Production Technical (CPT) credential to individuals who pass each of the four exams. The roll-out of the program started with supervisors and has helped verify that frontline leaders have the technical skills needed to coach and develop teams.

“They enjoyed that challenge and felt it was a worthwhile pursuit,” she says. “They are very proud of their MSSC certifications and so are we. We would encourage other companies to contact their local technical colleges and pursue the many opportunities provided to businesses to be successful by creating a highly trained workforce.”

Leadership
An effective leader not only has the technical skills needed to do the job but also possess the soft skills necessary to develop teams, drive needed change and achieve results.

“As today’s businesses adapt to continuous change and increased competition, it’s no longer enough to have good managers in place who do things right,” says Kathy Schlieve, Moraine Park’s workforce and economic development business representative. “That model has been replaced by a demand for strong leadership skills across all levels of an organization. Strong leaders know how to work collaboratively, communicate effectively, manage time, problem-solve, deliver innovative ideas and manage change.”

Based about the idea that leaders are made and not born, Moraine Park currently offers a leadership development series that examines a number of strategies that leaders can draw on not just to improve their own performance but that of their organization as well.

The series starts by building the elements that provide a leader with a solid foundation, from establishing a collaborative workplace to improving listening skills. The intermediate series adds secondary skills, from learning coaching techniques to personal improvement techniques. Advanced participants focus on the critical elements of team building and strong leadership for the short and long term.

Though it may seem counterintuitive to think about competitive strategies and improving the core competencies of your workforce in a down economy, Moraine Park’s Thielke says that this is a prime opportunity to position your company for future success.

“Unfortunately, when times get tough, so many companies eliminate or reduce the training for people who are not part of the production process,” he says. “To me, that’s the wrong way to go. Instead, now is the perfect time to focus on training and get your company in an optimal position for when the economic turnaround happens. It’s a short-term and long-term investment, but one that will definitely put your company in the forefront when the turnaround begins.”

Above Photo: From left, Jim Bernhardt, special projects engineer at Kondex Corporation, Lomira; Glen Thielke, Moraine Park Technical College instructor and certified Six Sigma Master Blackbelt; Tana Krueger, director of emergency and risk management at Winnebago Mental Health Institute, Oshkosh; and Chris Chan-A-Sue, special projects engineer at RES Manufacturing, Milwaukee; use the catapult to practice and reinforce the use of statistics to optimize processes during a Six Sigma training class at Kondex.

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