NEW WORK RULES

[AC Tynker]

Awesome Post Frank

 

[Strake]

the problem is.....the clueless one's have decided to outsource your job. And, as long as they see a bunch of slackers sitting around and playing domino's......sitting at the internet cafe or "doing nothing".....good amt jobs will be lost to MRO's.

Outsourcing our jobs was decided long before this mess. The point is to go to work everyday and do your job. Welcome to the real world. No big deal.

Nice Glen Beck impersonation Twu Informer. Get a life.

 

[AA89]

Last airline domestic airline doing in-house maintenance?

US Airways does 50% of its heavy maintenance in-house, it is accomplished in CLT and PIT.

Since the trend is to outsource all widebody OH that makes sense.
As of 2010 USAirways fleet was 7.7% widebody vs 19.4% at AA, 22.5% at United and 21.9% at Delta. Having a much larger percentage of narrowbody aircraft is probably the reason you have been able to accomplish this.
I guess you guys outsource your widebody work like everybody else?

 

[Frank Szabo]

Awesome Post Frank

I brought nothing to light but the techniques put in place during Japan's reconstruction after WWII (late 40s to early 50s). The Japanese elevated Deming to an almost god-like status during that period. Unfortunately, the USA ignored the man's wisdom in favor of easy money until after his death (1993) and still only use his techniques on a short-term basis and when it suits bonus season.

We've always said the company had the right to mismanage their business should they choose to do so and AMR is not the only corporation that chose to exercise that right to the fullest measure possible.

 

[700UW]

They did after the second bankruptcy, but some of it has been moving back in house, some 757s HMVs have returned as well as the 767s and especially the 330, they had been sending them to Air Canada, then ST Mobile Aerospace had been doing the widebodies, but some are moving back in-house.

Its more like the West planes are the majority of the narrow-body outsourcing, but now some east are also. With the 737s going they have to in-source more to comply with the cap. So I would guess why that's why the some of the widebodies work coming back to CLT.

 

[Kev3188]

Japan managed to implement these rules while American business laughed at Deming. Can I get a "HARUMPFF"?

Harumph!

I've studied Deming quite a bit. To anyone else reading Frank's post, I'd highly recommend checking out his work. as well as that of Joseph Juran, and Phillip Crosby.

 

[WorldTraveler]

Frank,
the following are just as much a part of Deming's beliefs.... and most certainly some here will resonate with Deming's beliefs.

Seven Deadly Diseases
The "Seven Deadly Diseases" include:

1. Lack of constancy of purpose
2. Emphasis on short-term profits
3. Evaluation by performance, merit rating, or annual review of performance
4. Mobility of management
5. Running a company on visible figures alone
6. Excessive medical costs
7. Excessive costs of warranty, fueled by lawyers who work for contingency fees

"A Lesser Category of Obstacles" includes

1. Neglecting long-range planning
2. Relying on technology to solve problems
3. Seeking examples to follow rather than developing solutions
4. Excuses, such as "our problems are different"
5. Obsolescence in school that management skill can be taught in classes[sup][27][/sup]
6. Reliance on quality control departments rather than management, supervisors, managers of purchasing, and production workers
7. Placing blame on workforces who are only responsible for 15% of mistakes where the system designed by management is responsible for 85% of the unintended consequences
8. Relying on quality inspection rather than improving product quality

 

[High Speed Steel]

W. Edwards Deming's "Work Rules"​

1. Create constancy of purpose toward improvement of product and service, with the aim to become competitive, stay in business and to provide jobs.
   
2. Adopt the new philosophy. We are in a new economic age. Western management must awaken to the challenge, must learn their responsibilities, and take on leadership for change.
   
3. Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. Eliminate the need for massive inspection by building quality into the product in the first place.
   
4. End the practice of awarding business on the basis of a price tag. Instead, minimize total cost. Move towards a single supplier for any one item, on a long-term relationship of loyalty and trust.
   
5. Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service, to improve quality and productivity, and thus constantly decrease costs.
   
6. Institute training on the job.
   
7. Institute leadership (see Point 12 and Ch. 8 of "Out of the Crisis"). The aim of supervision should be to help people and machines and gadgets do a better job. Supervision of management is in need of overhaul, as well as supervision of production workers.
   
8. Drive out fear, so that everyone may work effectively for the company. (See Ch. 3 of "Out of the Crisis")
   
9. Break down barriers between departments. People in research, design, sales, and production must work as a team, in order to foresee problems of production and usage that may be encountered with the product or service.
   
10. Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the work force asking for zero defects and new levels of productivity. Such exhortations only create adversarial relationships, as the bulk of the causes of low quality and low productivity belong to the system and thus lie beyond the power of the work force.
    
11. a. Eliminate work standards (quotas) on the factory floor. Substitute with leadership.
    b. Eliminate management by objective. Eliminate management by numbers and numerical goals. Instead substitute with leadership.
    
12. a. Remove barriers that rob the hourly worker of his right to pride of workmanship. The responsibility of supervisors must be changed from sheer numbers to quality.
    b. Remove barriers that rob people in management and in engineering of their right to pride of workmanship. This means, inter alia, abolishment of the annual or merit rating and of management by objectives (See Ch. 3 of "Out of the Crisis").
    
13. Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement.
    
14. Put everybody in the company to work to accomplish the transformation. The transformation is everybody's job.

Japan managed to implement these rules while American business laughed at Deming. Can I get a "HARUMPFF"?

W. Edwards Deming's "Work Rules"​

1. Create constancy of purpose toward improvement of product and service, with the aim to become competitive, stay in business and to provide jobs.
   
2. Adopt the new philosophy. We are in a new economic age. Western management must awaken to the challenge, must learn their responsibilities, and take on leadership for change.
   
3. Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. Eliminate the need for massive inspection by building quality into the product in the first place.
   
4. End the practice of awarding business on the basis of a price tag. Instead, minimize total cost. Move towards a single supplier for any one item, on a long-term relationship of loyalty and trust.
   
5. Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service, to improve quality and productivity, and thus constantly decrease costs.
   
6. Institute training on the job.
   
7. Institute leadership (see Point 12 and Ch. 8 of "Out of the Crisis"). The aim of supervision should be to help people and machines and gadgets do a better job. Supervision of management is in need of overhaul, as well as supervision of production workers.
   
8. Drive out fear, so that everyone may work effectively for the company. (See Ch. 3 of "Out of the Crisis")
   
9. Break down barriers between departments. People in research, design, sales, and production must work as a team, in order to foresee problems of production and usage that may be encountered with the product or service.
   
10. Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the work force asking for zero defects and new levels of productivity. Such exhortations only create adversarial relationships, as the bulk of the causes of low quality and low productivity belong to the system and thus lie beyond the power of the work force.
    
11. a. Eliminate work standards (quotas) on the factory floor. Substitute with leadership.
    b. Eliminate management by objective. Eliminate management by numbers and numerical goals. Instead substitute with leadership.
    
12. a. Remove barriers that rob the hourly worker of his right to pride of workmanship. The responsibility of supervisors must be changed from sheer numbers to quality.
    b. Remove barriers that rob people in management and in engineering of their right to pride of workmanship. This means, inter alia, abolishment of the annual or merit rating and of management by objectives (See Ch. 3 of "Out of the Crisis").
    
13. Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement.
    
14. Put everybody in the company to work to accomplish the transformation. The transformation is everybody's job.

Japan managed to implement these rules while American business laughed at Deming. Can I get a "HARUMPFF"?

Great post Frank. I think an area of improvement for piece part repair would be to have the Machinists be the ones to work find, schedule piece part repair, do piece part inspection, and do the functions of running the CMM in the Overhaul Bases. This would improve current processes of piece part repair as well as piece part flow and turn times but would require a higher premium for the Machinists to do this work. The only set back would be folks with the A&P only as Inspectors mindset would have issue with it, but they are not Machinists and hinder our performance.

 

[Real tired]

They did after the second bankruptcy, but some of it has been moving back in house, some 757s HMVs have returned as well as the 767s and especially the 330, they had been sending them to Air Canada, then ST Mobile Aerospace had been doing the widebodies, but some are moving back in-house.

Its more like the West planes are the majority of the narrow-body outsourcing, but now some east are also. With the 737s going they have to in-source more to comply with the cap. So I would guess why that's why the some of the widebodies work coming back to CLT.

According to the contract, the widebodies ARE included in the 50%.

 

[Real tired]

In other words in 2002 we outsourced a lot more than USAIR. Our oursourcing actually decreased after 2003, prior to that we were the leaders. Overspin leaves that out when he cites how many mechanics jobs were lost at competitors . We've been losing jobs for 30 years that your guys kept, we lost them when we lost Recieve and Dispatch back in the eighties. When did your mechanics lose recieve and dispatch? We lost them when the shops went to low paid SRPs. And we lost them when we allowed other carriers to come on to company property with their own mechanics and work on airplanes. Sure some of these may still be TWU jobs, but they are no longer A&P mechanic jobs.

Is the 50% an absolute number or does it include exclusions that arent counted as part of the spend? For instance with us if the partnership with RR goes away they can outsource the work, and eliminate the jobs, which would bring us pretty close to your 50% by the time AA outsources the widebodies overseas. Other things that are not clearly defined are excluded as well so even though it says 35% of maint spend its not.

We lost receipt and dispatch sometime prior to the 2005 contract. As I remember, it was never a black and white thing. At one time, Mechanics did all the R&D work. Then the company allowed the Utility to help with R&D at a one to one ratio. We lost Utility on 3-2005, so then the Mechanics were doing most of the R&D by themselves. They proceeded to cut so many positions, the Mechanics couldn't be in two places at once, it was then the ramp started pushes and parks.

Maintenance still park, push and move most of the maintenance aircraft, but there is talk now of having the ramp people do the maintenance moves as well.

The contract states ANYONE can park and push.

 

[Frank Szabo]

Great post Frank. I think an area of improvement for piece part repair would be to have the Machinists be the ones to work find, schedule piece part repair, do piece part inspection, and do the functions of running the CMM in the Overhaul Bases. This would improve current processes of piece part repair as well as piece part flow and turn times but would require a higher premium for the Machinists to do this work. The only set back would be folks with the A&P only as Inspectors mindset would have issue with it, but they are not Machinists and hinder our performance.

Deming's "rules" would step on far too many toes, bruise egos, and irrepairably damage empires, irrespective of how much better the company would run and how much more profitable the corporation could be.

Neither Centrepork / corporate nor your social club (the twu) would allow the implementation of common sense on this scale, nor would the workers be willing to trust such an arrangment, based on their previous experiences with the two entities over the past 20 years.

I can't say as I'd blame them for not believing, and I can't think of a thing that would lend any credibility to either the company or union - excepting, of course, mass ritual sepukku on the steps of Centrepork in an attempt to regain honor.

 

[High Speed Steel]

Deming's "rules" would step on far too many toes, bruise egos, and irrepairably damage empires, irrespective of how much better the company would run and how much more profitable the corporation could be.

Neither Centrepork / corporate nor your social club (the twu) would allow the implementation of common sense on this scale, nor would the workers be willing to trust such an arrangment, based on their previous experiences with the two entities over the past 20 years.

I can't say as I'd blame them for not believing, and I can't think of a thing that would lend any credibility to either the company or union - excepting, of course, mass ritual sepukku on the steps of Centrepork in an attempt to regain honor.

Common sense has gone ignored for too long Frank, its time to make some changes for improvement. With the introduction of new Fleet types that signifies our future we should take the opportunity to re-invent ourselves to produce a World Class product. We should be proactive and make steps now to secure our futures in Overhaul.

 

[odie01]

Common sense has gone ignored for too long Frank, its time to make some changes for improvement. With the introduction of new Fleet types that signifies our future we should take the opportunity to re-invent ourselves to produce a World Class product. We should be proactive and make steps now to secure our futures in Overhaul.

Your skinney jeans are way too tight! and I think its effecting your thought process.

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

W. Edwards Deming's "Work Rules"​

1. Create constancy of purpose toward improvement of product and service, with the aim to become competitive, stay in business and to provide jobs.
   
2. Adopt the new philosophy. We are in a new economic age. Western management must awaken to the challenge, must learn their responsibilities, and take on leadership for change.
   
3. Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. Eliminate the need for massive inspection by building quality into the product in the first place.
   
4. End the practice of awarding business on the basis of a price tag. Instead, minimize total cost. Move towards a single supplier for any one item, on a long-term relationship of loyalty and trust.
   
5. Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service, to improve quality and productivity, and thus constantly decrease costs.
   
6. Institute training on the job.
   
7. Institute leadership (see Point 12 and Ch. 8 of "Out of the Crisis"). The aim of supervision should be to help people and machines and gadgets do a better job. Supervision of management is in need of overhaul, as well as supervision of production workers.
   
8. Drive out fear, so that everyone may work effectively for the company. (See Ch. 3 of "Out of the Crisis")
   
9. Break down barriers between departments. People in research, design, sales, and production must work as a team, in order to foresee problems of production and usage that may be encountered with the product or service.
   
10. Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the work force asking for zero defects and new levels of productivity. Such exhortations only create adversarial relationships, as the bulk of the causes of low quality and low productivity belong to the system and thus lie beyond the power of the work force.
    
11. a. Eliminate work standards (quotas) on the factory floor. Substitute with leadership.
    b. Eliminate management by objective. Eliminate management by numbers and numerical goals. Instead substitute with leadership.
    
12. a. Remove barriers that rob the hourly worker of his right to pride of workmanship. The responsibility of supervisors must be changed from sheer numbers to quality.
    b. Remove barriers that rob people in management and in engineering of their right to pride of workmanship. This means, inter alia, abolishment of the annual or merit rating and of management by objectives (See Ch. 3 of "Out of the Crisis").
    
13. Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement.
    
14. Put everybody in the company to work to accomplish the transformation. The transformation is everybody's job.

Japan managed to implement these rules while American business laughed at Deming. Can I get a "HARUMPFF"?

You are starting to sound like part of the solution.

Kaizen brother. It is refreshing to see that philosophy posted on these boards by members of the AA team. If AMFA could get elected and approach AA post BK with a partnership approach to turning the organization around (after a wholesale AA leadership change), great things could happen.

"The idea is to nurture the company's human resources as much as it is to praise and encourage participation in kaizen activities."

Small steps make for great strides.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaizen

 

[Frank Szabo]

You are starting to sound like part of the solution.

Kaizen brother. It is refreshing to see that philosophy posted on these boards by members of the AA team. If AMFA could get elected and approach AA post BK with a partnership approach to turning the organization around (after a wholesale AA leadership change), great things could happen.

"The idea is to nurture the company's human resources as much as it is to praise and encourage participation in kaizen activities."

Small steps make for great strides.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaizen

Kaizen is what the Japanese called what Deming had taught them during their reconstruction/occupation after WWII. American business would have no part of it as the elite would lose their "eliteness". The simple thought by American execs then, as it is now, is that working with those lower on the food chain is demeaning for them and because of that, rejected his method outright until near Deming's death in 1993. W. Edwards Deming was the inventor of this, not the Japanese. Kaizen is their word for "improvement" and refers directly to Deming's teaching. American execs like its exotic sound (buzzword material) and, being a Japanese word, they needn't acknowledge its origins were American and that they were offered it first.

What we invented (Rand Corporation, 1950s) was the Delphi Technique. It was a tool to manipulate outcomes or opinions. It's the tool still used by many so-called "management consulting firms" - RLG, on the Tulsa base, used a modified version of it to influence production levels and identify "troublemakers" to the company. Deming's methods had no tolerance for this kind of manipulation - and I have no tolerance for false praise.

Part of the team and solution, indeed.