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March 2020

Scheduled chaos creates calm

Unforeseen urgent tasks can be one of the biggest sources of chaos in a manufacturing business.

We at Hjerno try to take care of this by simply setting aside time for chaos - scheduled chaos, mind you. A fixed amount of time each day is simply reserved for the unexpected tasks that suddenly pop up. For example emergency repairs of tools.

“We know that chaos is part of everyday life. So we might as well plan for it. In fact, it also generates a more stable production with shorter lead times. Because in this way, we can get the urgent jobs done quickly and the employees can then dedicate the rest of the day to the more long-term tasks,” explains Production Manager Kristian Jessen Hansen.

Must reduce lead times

The scheduled chaos time derives from Hjerno's overall production strategy, which aims to reduce lead times and standardise processes. At the same time, the demand for repairs has made it necessary to increase the focus on handling such orders.

However, Kristian Jessen Hansen emphasises that not all Hjerno's 11 departments have chaos time in their schedule. Primarily the assembly and some of the larger production departments have implemented this.

“But it gives us a better balance between urgent tasks and scheduled tasks. We become more efficient at handling the scheduled tasks because we squeeze them in in less time. On the other hand, we encapsulate the urgent tasks so that they do not attract undue focus,” says Kristian Jessen Hansen.

“And it has been so good to see that the employees in the production have received this initiative so well. They have been on board since day one,” he adds.