Fresenius Hemocare: Lean Six Sigma a way of living

Why Symbol?

“We wanted to make LSS a way of living within our organization. For this we looked for a partner and training institute. Symbol examines in collaboration with the University of Twente. We also thought size and professionalism were important. We wanted enough knowledge under one roof so that for certain issues other colleagues with that particular expertise could be used. That’s why we chose Symbol.

We also achieved these goals in one of the Green Belt projects with Symbol’s support. The lead time was improved and machine availability increased, while the amount of waste and rejects was reduced. What has made the whole process a success with us is the fact that we approach it integrally and roll it out in full. That integrated approach, I sometimes see other companies looking at that with a certain envy.

“For our Lean and Six Sigma processes, we were looking for an organization with solid training and certifications and experienced consultants.”

Says Bart Groeneveld, organizational change & continuous improvement manager at Fresenius. At Fresenius’ production site in Emmer Compascuum, blood collection systems, systems for confectioning blood and systems for autotransfusions are produced for customers such as blood banks and hospitals.

New Eco

Several years ago, Fresenius started the “New Eco” project, which stands for New EmmerCOmpascuum. The goal of this project is to take the plant to the next level and prepare it for the future. Within Fresenius’ global organization, there is ultimately room only for efficient companies. Fresenius Kabi Netherlands is playing a leading role in this. “An integrated strategic plan, consisting of six modules, was initiated in 2012 with the goal of reducing cost while building a robust state of the art organization,” Bart says.

Major VSM and Kaizen improvement projects

Last year we organized a major improvement pilot using Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and Kaizen on the APS- AT product lines. In it, we mapped the current-state and future-state and “mapped” the entire process. We then defined ten areas for improvement in that process. We wrote a Kaizen action plan for that, which we implemented with a rhythm of one week every 3 weeks. Upon completion, we improved as much as 89% in inventory on the floor, thus a WIP (Work in Progress) reduction. Furthermore, we reduced the distances walked on the work cells by 50% and improved ergonomics on several work cells from middle severity to easy severity.

Green Belt project bears fruit

That Green Belt projects are also successful, we saw with our APS AT1 line, the Verseiler as we call it, where the hoses are automatically glued into the chamber. This one had an OEE (overall equipment effectiveness) of around 70%. The goal was to achieve an OEE of 90%. We had a high failure rate of 9%. That had to be reduced to below 3%. These goals were actually achieved and we are now significantly lower.

The Lean Six Sigma organization

LSS is a broad concept that requires a certain way of approach so that people are moving in the same direction and speaking the same language. That’s why we created an organization for this purpose. We have divided the entire organization into teams and courses. All engineers, production leaders, QA managers and HBO staff positions, totaling about 48 employees, have received Green Belt training. Right at the start of this training, we gave them an improvement project. Parallel to the Green Belt training courses, we also organized Orange Belt training. Each team included two Green Belts and two Orange Belts. In addition, an MT member is champion and project leaders have been appointed. Employees lower down in the organization have received Yellow Belt training, so they too are familiar with Lean Six Sigma thinking.

A trainer and consultant with outstanding knowledge and who speaks the language

The success factors? The look of Symbol, the institute, the university exam and the thorough teaching materials. That just stands, you taste that in everyone. Also, Symbol’s trainer / consultant, he is very structured. But he also has a solid track record in engineering and good content knowledge of LSS tools and statistics. So both the trainer and consultant and Symbol’s entire working methodology are success factors.

Together we create a ‘Way of Living’

When I look back on the whole journey I can say “there is a lot to celebrate,” when I look into the future “there is much to be done. As you use the LSS tool kit and through reflection and observation of reality, you become aware of things you were previously unaware of. Reflection makes change happen. And change comes step by step. What has made the whole process a success with us is the fact that we approach it integrally and roll it out in full. That integrated approach, I sometimes see other companies looking at that with a certain envy. They think we handle that well. I would then only say that this is possible for everyone. Approach and roll it out across the board. Because otherwise it is a temporary tool. And then it doesn’t become a way of living. And a way of living comes slowly. You have to grow into that, into maturity. So give yourself time and don’t copy. Within the Toyota and Symbol philosophy, we started looking for our own language, our own way of shaping with each other.”