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Profle 14 MoldMaking Technology April 2015 Standardizing processes is important in part because it provides a valuable frame of reference, Bartl says. Each depart- ment operates essentially like its own business, closely tracking progress toward scheduling and due dates worked out at the kickoff meeting. Consumable costs, uptime/downtime and other metrics are likewise broken down by department and tracked via the shop's ERP system. With everyone following a predetermined process, the source of any discrepancies from initial estimates is far easier to determine. As a result, initial cost and time estimates are more accurate, mistakes are rarely repeated, and the most efficient strategies can be identified and incorporated on future jobs. Bartl points out that this structure has benefits beyond just improved workflow. Holding each department account- able for its own portion of the work fosters a greater sense of camaraderie and teamwork. Employees have a clear under- standing of where they fit into their respective teams and where those respective teams fit into the overall organization. That's a contrast to the previous system, in which people didn't have much incentive to look beyond their own individual tasks. Further, a system in which a team's mistakes and triumphs alike are visible to the rest of the organization contributes to a sort of "friendly competition" that helps keep everyone on track. A Critical Foundation Granted, the years-long evolution toward this structure certainly isn't the only major change at AMT during the past decade. Moving from moldmaking to mold manufacturing, for instance, also depends on new technology, par- ticularly machines that limit the need for polishing (a task that is manual and, as such, subject to a high degree of variation). Cutting tools and CAM soft- ware have also advanced significantly, and the shop's hybrid homegrown/ market-based ERP system continues to evolve. Yet, the structure described above stands out as particularly important because it lays the foundation for a higher level of visibility that, in turn, helps determine where such invest- ments are needed. Just as importantly, it has laid the foundation for devel- oping the right sort of culture. That is, a culture that values the inherent problem-solving skills that individual moldmakers bring to the table, but also recognizes that those skills are best applied toward developing stan- dardized processes that are rooted in science as much as craftsmanship.