Continual Improvement Strategy

Throughout the past six months Dix Manufacturing Group has continued to engage in and abide by the Lean Manufacturing principles in a quest to become a world class manufacturing facility. Dix Manufacturing Group’s dedication to our future is evident in this commitment to the Lean Manufacturing Principles. Dix Manufacturing Group has a clear vision to be the local industry leader in steel fabrication, serving regional, state and national clients with an innovative service that fully satisfies their needs and also exceeds their expectations.

Dix Manufacturing Group has continued to expand and improve on weaknesses that were identified in the Leadership Competency Framework and Assessment that was undertaken with Manufacturing Skills Queensland earlier this year. Dix Manufacturing Group has enhanced weak elements such as goals & objectives and built on this strategic framework to create:

A Vision for our future.

  • To be local industry leaders in steel fabrication, serving regional, state and national clients with an innovative service that fully satisfies their needs and also exceeds their expectations.
  • To have a team who at all levels fully understands our philosophy and who will actively participate in pursuing our goal to provide the highest level of customer satisfaction possible.
  • To continually develop the efficiency of the business by releasing the knowledge, capability and energies of our team.
  • To offer our team a commercially sound, safe, pleasant and rewarding environment to work in.
  • To continually invest in modern industry technology and development of our team through continued training.

A mission that defines what we are doing:

Dix Manufacturing Group is aspiring to be a World Class manufacturing facility by building our capability through identifying, demonstrating and implementing World Class practices and techniques.

Performance Reviews & Management
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The initial outcome of the Performance Review undertaken with Manufacturing Skills Queensland highlighted the fact that the current employee Review and Assessment was in need of an update and expansion.

Dix Manufacturing Group has just completed the lengthy and time consuming task of assessing each position description and rewriting these to coincide with Dix Welding Works expectations of the present and vision for the future.

Once these position descriptions were finalised an updated Performance Review procedure was documented with each employee now undertaking a Performance Review once a year. This review process will begin on the first of September every year and over the duration of 30 days all employees will undertake the assessment.

From here the potential for the introduction of a Rewards and Remuneration System for successful employees can be developed. Introducing an effective appraisal would provide an opportunity to enhance long term skill needs planning, the awareness of goals, performance expectation, the employee’s attitude to self development, the employee’s commitment to the business and many more.

Skills Matrix
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Now that Dix Manufacturing Group encompasses structured and up to date Position Descriptions and Employee Performance Review Procedures, focus can now be transferred to the implementation of the Skills Matrix. An initial publication of the Skills Matrix has taken place with trials being successfully completed on a select number of employees. As Dix Manufacturing Group moves forward the goal of this Skills Matrix will be used to address many different areas such as:

  • Information to assist with the development of training plans
  • Get a better insight into how their performance is perceived
  • Identify and present an opportunity for training in areas of weakness
  • Identify good work safety practices
  • Identify information about potential promotions
  • Highlight areas of skill shortage
  • Act as a foundation for the development of a risk management plan and identify the potential for job migrations
Risk Management & Quality Control
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At present Dix Manufacturing Group has a well established Quality Management System that is designed to capture non-conformances in not only the manufacturing of in house items but also the identification of the delivery of discrepant material. By having such measures in place this allows the organisation to identify any reoccurring defects and enhance the organisations problem solving capability.

While time limitations have restricted the work on a formal Risk Management Process being published, Dix Manufacturing Group has continued to undertake customer satisfaction reports which have been used to identify not only areas of deficiency but also market trends and any future projects.

In addition to the above Risk Management the company is in the process of upgrading its current IT system that will better address areas such as shop floor data entry and off site back up to aid with disaster recovery in the most effective and timely manor regardless of the nature of the event weather it be fire, theft or server failure. Further more by implementing shop floor data entry this will ultimately aid in identifying time management issues with accuracy and efficiency being clearly documented and hence create a follow on effect of greater productivity.

5s
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Dix Manufacturing Group is continuing to unite and expand upon the areas of 5S throughout both workshops. While not all plans and activities associated to the 5S are complete, unmistakably enormous improvements are continuing to be made. The results of these improved areas are reflected and monitored monthly which aids in not only identifying below standard operations but also highlighting areas of improved practices. In addition to monthly audits, quarterly global audits continue to be conducted which capture a representation of the success of the 5S improvement within the business as a whole.

Below are some before and after pictures of recent zones within the Fabrication shop to adopt the 5S principles.

Grinding table before 5S

Grinding table before 5S

Grinding table after 5S

Grinding table after 5S

Before 5S

Before 5S

After 5S

After 5S

Visual Performance Measures
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Dix Manufacturing Group’s Visual Performance Measure Display Board is continuing to grow in strength. A solid and structured visual performance layout is now in place which addresses areas of:

  • Production Efficiency
  • Quality
  • Labour Utilisation
  • Delivery
  • 5S
  • Safety

Weekly scheduled team meetings are conducted which initiates employee interaction creating an environment to provide:

  • Easy to understand feedback on performance
  • A platform to encourage improvement and focused problem solving
  • Timely and appropriate information that can trigger corrective actions at the source and limit non-conformances in production.
  • Provide clear performance indicators that lead to ownership and transparency in the workplace.

Dix Manufacturing Group is committed to our future and our vision to become a world class manufacturing facility. Our organisation is dedicated to continual improvement with ever frequent restructuring of the practices and performance reviews against other companies within the same industry sector.

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