The Manufacturing Game®
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Creating Reliable Performance High maintenance costs and less than optimum equipment and process reliability are major concerns in today's industrial facilities. Implementation of programs to improve reliability are often short-lived and expensive. Employees don't understand the programs, don't see how they fit together, and don't see how they relate to the work they do. The result is partially implemented programs that improve equipment reliability only at the expense of much higher maintenance costs. With The Manufacturing Game®, we have proven that higher reliability can be attained while lowering both maintenance costs and operational losses by addressing the need for organizational change. We have found that in order to make a significant change in reliability and cost, everyone in the organization needs to be involved in reliability and to work differently. What is The Manufacturing Game®? The Manufacturing Game® (TMG) is an interactive simulation that has been used by organizations around the world to significantly improve performance. The workshop is a two-day acceleration of the "real world" experiences of a manufacturing facility. The Manufacturing Game® teaches the principal of systems thinking—how the actions of one area impact the function of another; and the profitability of the whole. Through the "virtual world" of The Manufacturing Game®, participants are able to experience in two days what could take years to experience in the "real world." 
In 2000 the simulation was propelled into today's industrial environment through the integration of real-life manufacturing functionality including high-priority factors such as Health, Safety and Environmental considerations and a shrinking workforce. TMG highlights systemic thinking and collaborative interdependent relationships within manufacturing environments through:
Just finding skilled employees can be a challenge. This condition is incorporated in TMG. Defects can originate not only with the entry of raw materials, but also with mistakes introduced by operations personnel, as well as contract personnel brought in to supplement the core maintenance workforce. These contractors require time and training to understand how the system works. Full-time employees and regular contractors usually have already been trained to be both skilled and efficient. Understandably, more defects come in with temporary contract personnel than with the core workforce—accurately depicting a true scenario of industry today. The Manufacturing Game® gives an experience of the challenge of finding time for people to get the improvements done. This is the operational leadership aspect of becoming a learning organization. Participants have to come up with the concrete improvement ideas to eliminate the various sources of defects. Taking action is one of the most unique aspects of this workshop. The improvement activities that are launched in the workshop are focused on things that participants can do "on-the-job." These improvement activities tackle the nagging defects that cause repetitive problems and failures. This is the network leadership aspect, not included in the original version of TMG. Because of these leadership enhancements, the current game helps managers to see their roles more clearly in the improvement process. Proven Results The workshops have been used as a catalyst to launch successful improvement campaigns in a variety of industries. The Manufacturing Game® Workshops launch the action necessary to help make the strategies learned a reality, providing significant operating improvements within 90 days and substantial financial impact within a year. While the hard dollar savings of improvement activities are tremendously helpful in accelerating change, the impact of The Manufacturing Game® on the culture of the organization is important as well. The Manufacturing Game® will help build a shared vision and shared language for improvement efforts. The Manufacturing Game® workshops help to build the culture required for significant and lasting change. Playing the Game The Manufacturing Game® is a "high touch," "high tech" learning laboratory. The "lab" is actually a 4' x 6' board game with 3 roles to play: Operations, Maintenance, and Business Services. Object: The object of the game is to satisfy customer demand by producing and shipping the finished product and by doing so, return a profit to the company. Participants gain new perspectives by assuming a different role from the one they perform daily. Maintenance people become operations personnel; business services staff become mechanics; and operators become business services staff. Participants see how their decisions and actions impact each other and the overall performance of the plant. In the course of two days players see a simulated year of plant operations. The end result of this integrated perspective is UNDERSTANDING CHANGE: movement from reactive to proactive manufacturing. Roles: Maintenance - Maintains the plant by keeping the equipment running Operations - Produces the product Business Services - Sells the product and buys parts for the repair of equipment. Day 2: Taking Action The second day of the workshop applies the lessons of the Game to the "real world." Action Teams are formed to give participants a way to apply the newly gained knowledge and enthusiasm. The Teams develop action plans to eliminate defects from a system of equipment or a process. Making "real world" improvements to equipment or processes at their facility allows participants to practice proactive behavior and to develop proactive habits. Successful Action Teams provide the quick payback many companies require to move to world class operations. A Shared Vision Creating the culture to become world class in reliability requires more than a few people with a new perspective and certainly more than just a workshop for the leadership team. World class reliability requires hundreds of people doing thousands of little things correctly everyday. And, to create such a manufacturing environment requires a concerted effort and shared vision by all participants. The Manufacturing Game® is especially effective in assisting companies reach world class reliability when it is:
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Testimonials
"After playing the game myself, I saw this as a powerful tool to help change the way we think and act about our business."
Brian Johnson,
Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.
Brian Johnson,
Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.
"An Action Team of operators, mechanics and engineers found the root cause of our centrifuge problems, saving $150,000... and delivering $5MM additional throughput."
GayEllen Stulp, Eli Lily
GayEllen Stulp, Eli Lily
"Our Action Teams found and eliminated over 100 defects. The savings in our area exceeded $2 Million"
Micky Logan,
Eastman Chemical
Micky Logan,
Eastman Chemical
"The game shows that the interconnection of the functions has a bearing on how we do our maintenance.... Seeing this has changed my whole approach."
Jerry Leach,
Maintenance Planner
Jerry Leach,
Maintenance Planner
"The key thing that some of us woke up to was the idea of defects...the fact that they impact everything we do."
Tommy Fagan,
Weyerhaeuser
Tommy Fagan,
Weyerhaeuser
"The Manufacturing Game® played a major role in improving throughput by 21% without spending any significant capital."
Kirk Wolfinger,
Whirlpool
Kirk Wolfinger,
Whirlpool
"A cross functional action team modified a bracket magazine, which was shutting down the line. Their efforts produced an annual savings of $45,000."
Winston Lakshman,
PCS Trinidad
Winston Lakshman,
PCS Trinidad
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