S.H.E initiatives: Sulphites

world class manufacturing | total productive maintenance | six sigma | kaizen suggestion system | 5S activities | quality of life clubs | quality circle

The sulphites division of Aditya Birla Chemicals is committed to its safety, health and environmental initiatives. The division is recognised as a World Class Manufacturer (WCM). It operates on two functional levels, with one, the business perspective, providing value to customers, shareholders, and employees. The other level is its commitment to the nations in which the company operates, to society, and to the global community. The division emphasises that its duties to the nation and the world include appropriately managing environmental issues in its industrial environment. The sulphites division is ISO 14001 certified, demonstrating its compliance with international standards. It is committed to sustainable development and the continual improvement of safety systems to address the new challenges posed by globalisation which is demonstrated by its OHSAS 18001 certification.

Behaviour-Based Safety Programme
BBS at Aditya Birla Chemicals is a commitment that helps companies create injury-free workplaces. Aditya Birla Chemicals launched a behaviour-based safety programme across all chemical units in 2009, aimed at helping to reduce occupational injuries, improve organisational functioning, and develop a strong safety ethic. BBS “focusses on what people do, analyses why they do it, and then applies a research-supported intervention strategy to improve what people do”.
Behaviour-based safety is based on four key components:

• A behavioural observation and feedback process
• A formal review of observation data
• The improvement of goals
• Reinforcement for improvement and goal attainment
  

World Class Manufacturing (WCM)
WCM is a unique strategy for attaining enterprise excellence by focussing on manufacturing. This strategy encompasses the essentials in the world of managing manufacturing. It is a long-term structure approach that is a cyclical (PDCA — plan, do, check, act), comprehensive and systematic business tool. The process involves a cultural transformation, leading to organisational change, better management processes and organisational learning. It focusses on people, process, and results on a continuous basis. WCM is, in itself, a competitive strategy that aims to realise stakeholders', including customers and employees, delight by focussing on sustainable and superior quality, cost, delivery, innovation, productivity and pride (QCDIP). WCM helps achieve this sustainable, superior performance by putting in place the "art of manufacturing for consistent excellence". It is diagnostic in nature, as it enables abnormalities to show themselves.

The sulphites division of Aditya Birla Chemicals is looking to solidify its place as a WCM. We employ business tools like Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), Total Quality Management (TQM), the Kaizen Suggestion System (KSS), Six Sigma, 5S improvement principles, quality circles, and quality of life clubs.


Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a strategic shop-floor approach that primarily aims at building a corporate institution that enables the maximisation of overall plant effectiveness through the involvement of everyone, across all levels and functions of the organisation. The goals of TPM breaks down to, simply, zero breakdowns, zero accidents, and zero defects. The sulphites division initiated the implementation of TPM in 1999, inaugurated by the TPM consultant of the Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance (JIPM). TPM implementation includes eight pillars of activity that encompass all business processes. Although we were able to achieve the TPM Excellence Award in 2002, we understand that TPM is an ongoing initiative and that strict adherence through total employee participation is the road map to zero breakdowns, zero accidents, and zero defects.

Six Sigma
The goal of Six Sigma is to increase profits by eliminating variability, defects and waste that undermine customer loyalty. Six Sigma is a rigorous and a systematic methodology that utilises information (management by facts) and statistical analysis to measure and improve a company's operational performance, practices and systems. Defects are identified and prevented in manufacturing- and service-related processes to a level that exceeds the anticipated expectations of all stakeholders.


Kaizen Suggestion System (KSS)
To ensure the involvement of each individual, the sulphites division has implemented the Kaizen Suggestion System (KSS), which motivates employees to come out with innovative suggestions for improving the organisation's performance in terms of quality, safety, work efficiency and cost reductions. The benefits of KSS include improved worker pride and employee morale, an improved working environment, improved working conditions, work efficiency and quality of work, and overall reductions in cost and increases in workplace safety.

5S activities
A disciplined improvement, 5S activities have been in place at the sulphites division since 1996. Based and developed in Japan, 5S is a process of workplace organisation and housekeeping that is carried out gradually and systematically. 5S improvement principles consists of:

Quality circle
A quality circle is a movement, or a 'way of life'. Each member is committed to ensure the success of the quality circle programme. Launched in 1997, the programme has 100 per cent active employee participation, which has enhanced creative thinking, leading to tangible as well as intangible results. The division believes that the employees are underlying assets and strives to continuously develop and provide them with opportunities to share ideas for the improvement of their organisation.