How do you reduce total instances of spoilage (rework/unplanned waste) even while sales are growing? During last June’s CI Ready! virtual event Steve Kirk and Kathy Osterberg (vice president of operations and quality manager, respectively) revealed how their company, ENPOINTE (formerly GLS / NEXT Precision Marketing), did it. Remarkably, during a 13-year span the marketing technology and printing company was able to reduce spoilage instances by over 400%. Spoilage has been under 1% as a percentage of sales for the last five years and is still trending downward (0.77% in 2020).
Kirk and Osterberg stressed that having a system to reduce mistakes is vital for long-term survival. Putting a system in place, however, takes dedication, perseverance, resources, and acceptance that accumulating small improvements makes a big difference over time. If done smartly, a system focused on spoilage reduction will create accountability within the workforce and alter behaviors.