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We all know: Effectiveness is key. To keep an organisation’s production running, it is crucial that all stakeholders frequently exchange information about delays or outages in the workflow in an effective, time-saving, and straightforward way. Here is not the time to risk misunderstandings because it will delay what is critical to the business: manufacturing.
Yunex Traffic, the global leader in intelligent traffic systems originally founded under the Siemens umbrella, recognised this challenge and took a proactive approach to revolutionise their manufacturing meetings with the help of Conceptboard, the Online Whiteboard solution for data sensitive organisations.
This case study highlights how Yunex Traffic transformed their daily stand-ups in manufacturing, resulting in maximised efficiency across many various departments, streamlined decision-making, and ultimately, a significant boost to their overall productivity.
Mastering the art of keeping daily meetings effective
Picture this: During Covid, Yunex Traffic found themselves grappling with a common predicament faced by many companies – the struggle to keep production up and running, although working remotely. This mainly influenced daily stand-up meetings where a large group of stakeholders talk about the current status of every production line with the goal of keeping production running smoothly. Formerly held in person, sitting side-by-side in a meeting room, using a large physical whiteboard, they now faced the challenge to keep these hybrid meetings informative and as simple as possible, although conducting them remotely. But how can you create a proper overview of multiple production lines for a variety of stakeholders from different departments working remotely?
Conceptboard enables seamless collaboration
Recognizing the need for a solution, Yunex Traffic looked for a tool to bring people together, solve large-scale projects, ensure effective decision-making and in the end, manage implementation.
Head of Global Manufacturing at Yunex Traffic, Simon Martin had worked on other major projects with Conceptboard before and remembered them being a real success. “It is quite a nice solution because it is real-time collaboration and it works seamlessly”, he says. So, they decided to try Conceptboard for this challenge, too.
With the implementation of Conceptboard, Yunex Traffic’s manufacturing meetings underwent a remarkable transformation. Before, the team was often caught in a cycle of lengthy discussions and lacked transparency since so many teams participated in the meeting. They would use walls and lots of sticky notes without diving into each topic, although taking more time in sum. “Daily meetings should be quick”, asserts Simon Martin.
One board, one single source of truth
Conceptboard solved these challenges and provided them with a user-friendly interface that enabled real-time collaboration, easy agenda management, and seamless knowledge sharing. It became the central hub for all information concerning production, allowing team members to stay aligned and accountable. “In our lean manufacturing environment, breaking down targets to individual areas and providing real-time information to everyone is essential for hitting our goals”, explains Simon Martin. With the help of Conceptboard, focus is maintained, transparency is promoted and time is saved.
Conceptboard as visualisation and documentation for the daily stand-ups in manufacturing
The board for the daily meetings is created monthly. It is set up as a grid, where each production line fills a row and each day a column. Each daily meeting has a different focus. On this day all production lines (boxes from top to bottom) are viewed from a certain perspective, for example safety on Monday, quality on Tuesday and so on.
Next to every topic is a traffic light showing the current status. If the traffic light is green, there is no need to discuss, if it is amber or red, it needs to be reviewed.
Before the meeting, each team prepares their slot and puts the information in the sections provided.
“Conceptboard is great because anyone can access it, so we have a common view on things. When working in such large-scale projects with many different people, you tend to find that everyone has their own report format. In this case, Conceptboard created consistency and uniformity.” – Simon Martin, Head of Global Manufacturing
Every day a different person takes the moderation and therefore keeps the focus on what is currently being discussed. This way, the meeting gets even more effective because no one strolls all over the board and loses focus. “It offers valuable knowledge that holds people accountable, ensuring transparency and preventing anyone from escaping their responsibilities”, states Simon Martin. On top of that, the board is shared globally between all stakeholders and offers all you need to know at one glance in real-time.
Pushing efficiency in manufacturing to new heights
With Conceptboard, Yunex Traffic production teams can go into more depth than before without spending more time in the meetings. The traffic light system provides additional transparency, so dependencies become visible: when a traffic light in the process turns red, you only need to look at what comes before and after it for teams to understand the impact it has on what they do.
Also, in case of vacation or sickness, it’s easy for everybody to moderate the meeting because all information is on the board. “That’s the way it should be, everyone is able to present it”, Simon Martin conveys.
After Covid times have passed and most people are working on site again, it was decided to keep the board. When working from home now, people don’t have to come to the office for one single meeting. This helps the new way of working efficiently and as a large organisation Yunex Traffic recognised that Conceptboard contributes to offer a good work-life balance for their employees.
“You should learn from every experience. Embracing emerging technologies that enhance your capabilities is essential.” – Simon Martin, Head of Global Manufacturing
The journey of Yunex Traffic showcases the positive impact that effective meeting management can have on a company’s overall productivity and success. By embracing Conceptboard, they have elevated their manufacturing meetings to new heights, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and streamlined decision-making. The scheduled 20-minute daily meetings are now met without requiring staff to walk around the site after the meeting for necessary updates, ensuring all questions are addressed and resolved.
The story of Yunex Traffic is a testament to the organisation’s commitment to continuous improvement and their proactive approach in leveraging technology to enhance their operations.
If you want to discover more about how Conceptboard has empowered other organisations to boost productivity and efficiency, explore our customer success stories.
