Success Stories

MEP Member

Arkansas Manufacturing Solutions

Story Title

Anchor Packaging Continues Lean Journey with Training Within Industry

Client Profile

Anchor Packaging is a manufacturer of foodservice packaging for the restaurant, supermarket, and food processor industry. The company employs 250 people at its manufacturing facility in Paragould, Arkansas. Anchor also has a production facility located in Marmaduke, Arkansas.

Situation

Anchor Packaging began operation in 1963 as a converter of plastic film. In 1978, Anchor expanded its operations to include thermoforming, sheet extrusion, machine tooling and fabrication and blown film. Arkansas Manufacturing Solutions (AMS), a NIST MEP network affiliate, had been providing Lean Manufacturing training and Kaizen support for the Anchor Packaging team in the past. With continued growth and expansion over the years, the company was looking for ways to train new and existing employees to meet their ever increasing demands.

Solution

Anchor Packaging’s Continuous Improvement Business Leader Keith Gammill attended a Training Within Industry (TWI) overview session provided by AMS. Following the training session, Gammill asked AMS to implement TWI Job Instruction (JI) training at Anchor Packaging. TWI, a time-tested Lean-based program, is designed to provide a framework for employees to succeed in applying Lean Principles into their daily life. The program is three-fold, consisting of Job Methods, Job Instruction, and Job Relations. Job Methods instructs supervisors on how to best use people, machines and materials to improve how jobs are done. Job Instruction focuses on quickly training employees to complete jobs correctly, safely and conscientiously. Finally, Job Relations helps supervisors build positive employee relations, increase cooperation and satisfaction, and effectively resolve conflicts. AMS provided two 10-hour JI sessions for 20 of Anchor’s key personnel at their Paragould and Marmaduke, AR facilities. The program has reduced training time and turnover, improved quality, and reduced cost.

Results

• Anticipate 5 percent reduction in cost.
• Reduced training time by 30 percent.
• Reduced turnover by 20 percent.
• Improved quality by 15 percent.

Testimonial

“Our supervisors all agree that TWI is the most significant tool we have seen to quickly and effectively train our associates, reduce frustrations and turnover, improve quality and reduce cost. If you are on your Lean journey, don’t hesitate to contact AMS to discuss how TWI may help your effort.”
Keith Gammill, Continuous Improvement Business Leader