Case Study: Global Fortune 500 Manufacturer
With a portfolio of iconic brands, this leading Fortune 500 manufacturing organization produces power and hand tools, industrial and outdoor equipment, and digital solutions. With a global workforce of more than 50,000 operating in over 60 countries across more than 100 manufacturing facilities, there was a critical need to standardize and digitize manufacturing training and skills.
Challenge
A global manufacturing leader for tools, storage, digital solutions, and industrial equipment needed one centralized skills management system to retain and develop critical skills and build the workforce of the future. Without validated skills data, they lacked insights to determine manufacturing training and staffing needs to meet operational requirements and business goals across more than 50 of their plants.
Objectives
Standardize and Streamline Skills Data and Processes
This manufacturing organization sought to eliminate the traditional processes of manually tracking skills and training requirements through spreadsheets and disparate systems. They needed one streamlined platform that provided access to granular data for employee capability, machinery requirements, and operational needs at the plant and corporate levels.
Make Critical Staffing Decisions Based on Skills Data
Skills management software was needed to quickly identify qualified individuals, backfill roles, train quickly, and mobilize resources between machines for unplanned staffing shortages caused by injury, physical limitations, turnover, or employee absence.
Deliver More Targeted and Consistent Manufacturing Training
With limited bandwidth on the plant floor, taking a lean approach to resource training and allocation is essential. Operational leaders needed a system to identify gaps and highlight training and development opportunities related to specific machinery and operational processes.
Boost Employee Satisfaction and Retain Critical Knowledge
Frontline technicians, plant managers, and supervisors needed a platform providing validated skill insights to guide development conversations and help support individual and organizational goals.
How Did Kahuna Help?
- Provided visibility and standardization across all skills, training, and compliance data in one digitized platform to eliminate disparate spreadsheets across each plant.
- Automated the tracking of safety training, expirations, and reminders to mitigate lapses in certifications. Assured adherence to manufacturing safety and regulatory requirements, such as IATF 16949, to lower incidents and increase EHS completions.
- Enabled a more robust on-the-job training program to upskill, reskill, and cross-skill technicians based on proficiency gaps relating to job role requirements, operational needs, and regulatory compliance for more effective people development.
- Minimized time to identify qualified individuals and backfill resources for a job role, machine, or production line in the case of unplanned staffing shortages.
- Reduced operational expenditures by strategically augmenting plant processes, and quality and training programs with validated workforce skills data.
- Reduced turnover and retained critical skills of the workforce with more engaged technicians, plant managers, and supervisors throughout skill assessment and development processes.
MANUFACTURING TRAINING & SKILLS MATRIX
Build Robust Manufacturing Training Programs Informed by Skills Data
A high-functioning training and development program is essential to achieve resiliency in the ever-changing manufacturing industry. Use Kahuna’s skills and training capability matrix to determine organizational readiness for smart manufacturing initiatives.
