The 27th International 20 Keys Conference in Bulgaria was organised by our Bulgarian 20 Keys Partner, Next Consult – www.next-consult.com

This is the first of a two part series of the conference.

On Tuesday 22 October 2019, we had 8+ world-class speakers sharing their business excellence. Below follows a brief summary of the presentations delivered on the day.

All delegates were welcomed by the Managing Partner of Next Consult, Mr Orlin Dochev

The first speaker at the conference was the owner of the 20 Keys Trademark, Dr Yoshi Kobayashi.

Yoshi gave an interesting history of the 20 Keys.  He also referred to where all 27 conferences have been held to date.

Yoshi spoke about his father, Iwao Kobayashi, who was the developer of the 20 Keys programme in 1982. 

He developed the programme, after his retirement from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, based on his extensive experience as an original methodology. Iwao Kobayashi worked regularly until the age of 85, and passed away, aged 93, three years ago. Yoshi explained that he himself has worked within industries using the 20 Key programme, for the last 24 years. In Japan, the 20 Keys programme is referred to as PPORF (Practical Program Of Revolutions in Factories). The first 20 Keys book was published in the USA in 1990, and this was when the name 20 Keys was chosen for the programme. 

Yoshi highlighted that Practical Programme, emphasising the fact that it is not just theory. When implementing this programme, one must expect results in Quality, Cost and Delivery. It helps to improve productivity, as well as quality. It is also a programme that encourages all employees to participate. The programme started off as a programme for factories, but it has since been developed to include many other industries such as banks, service industries, mines, agriculture, and many more.

Yoshi spoke about the implementation of the 20 Keys, and how all the Keys influence one another. He highlighted the importance of visual management, and multi-level meetings. He also visually explained the journey of the 20 Keys in Japan. He ended off by saying that when a company realises the value that the 20 Keys programme brings, they don’t stop using the programme, as they see continuous results.

Yoshi closed his presentation by thanking Next Consult, and by asking the delegates to contact Next Consult, so that they can assist them in their Continuous Improvement journey.

The second speaker at the conference was Toshko Petkov, Partner Consulting, Next Consult

” Engaging People Through Lean”

Toshko highlighted the importance of engaging people on your lean journey. 

• Companies can be successful only with happy people. 
• Customers can be satisfied only by motivated people. 

The biggest motivator for people is self-development, and the 20 Keys programme is an excellent opportunity to learn and develop. He focused in particular on the Keys that support an energised workplace, i.e.:

Key1: Cleaning and Organising to Make Work Easy

The main objective of Key 1 is to make work more safe, easier, and more productive, by creating organised and clean workplaces that all people are proud of. This leads to energised work teams, improved motivation, and improved productivity of people and machines. It is a very powerful Key, and creates the foundation for many improvements to follow.

Key2: Rationalising the System/Goal Alignment

Key 2 focuses on having an effective organisation structure, with goal alignment at all levels. Within the structure, the various work groups are organised as “mini-businesses”, or MBs. Each MB is guided by Quality, Cost, Delivery, Safety and Morale performance indicators (QCDSM measures).

In order to find, supply and keep customers, the organisation must provide products and services at a competitive price (cost), highest quality, shortest delivery time, AND they must provide excellent customer service. This is also the goal of the internal supply chain. The relationship of the different mini-businesses in the supply chain must, therefore, be a partnership. In a partnership, suppliers and customers work together to achieve a common goal. The partnership must benefit both partners at the end of the day.

He indicated the relationship between the first-line manager, mini-business customers, suppliers, team members and the manager, as per the diagram below.

In the mini-business, the aim is to empower all team members, in order to encourage their involvement, and to strengthen their ability to make decisions. It must be very clear to all what is expected from them, how it must be done, and where to get help from, if needed. 

Key3: Small Group Activities

Key 3 involves forming small groups, who get together to solve problems. These problem solving groups are called SGAs (small group activities). An SGA consists of a small group who “brainstorm” specific problems relating to quality, cost effectiveness, delivery, safety, etc., and who then addresses identified issues by using the SGA methodology, and various tools and techniques. Key 3 also engages everyone with thinking about improvements, which might not necessarily require a small group for improvement (suggestions and innovations)

One of the most powerful ways in which to engage people to improve performance, is through the CAPDo cycle.

Toshko shared examples of the strength of this cycle, and the importance of using it in the workplace. He discussed the process of motivation, as well as how you can motivate your people through empowering them. 

Key10: Workplace Discipline

This Key focuses on the creation of a positive atmosphere, maintaining a high level of commitment in the workplace, and respect amongst people. Attitudes that are promoted include adherence to values, organisation policies and rules, safety, Key 1 discipline, and time discipline. The emphasis is on the application of self-discipline by all.

Key15: Skill Versatility and Cross Training

Skill versatility and cross training is about ongoing implementation of learning and development as part of the business strategy, to develop individuals to have more skills, and higher levels of competencies. Apart from individual development, the aim is also to have flexible teams, with a high level of skill versatility within, and between all teams; in production and supporting functions.

Toshko is a very engaging speaker, and his presentation was thoroughly enjoyed by all delegates

The third speaker at the conference was Huibie Jones, Managing Director, ODI, South Africa – “Produce Better”

Huibie sent greetings from the South African team, and informed everyone that ODI has just celebrated 30 Years of Excellence at a national conference. 

She spoke about first meeting Iwao Kobayashi, the developer of the 20 Keys programme at the 5th International 20 Keys Conference in 1997. 

Huibie focussed on the Keys that support Quality, in order to Produce Better in the workplace.

How to measure the cost of Quality was discussed, as well as all the critical concepts of these Keys. The importance of doing things right the first time was emphasised.

Focus was also placed on the importance of SGAs (small group activities), to find the root causes of quality problems.

Extracts from several case studies were shared, and the presentation was ended with a wish for all to have a To-Do list, with lots of actions on how to do things better.

The fourth speaker at the conference was Shereen Mosallam, General Manager, Symbios Consulting Group – “Deliver Faster”

Shereen has been a senior 20 Keys consultant since 2017. She shared the journey of the 20 Keys in Egypt, as well as several case studies from different companies. They have to date supported over 400 companies in 12 different countries. 

She spoke with specific reference to the Keys employed to Deliver Faster

Shereen spoke about the frustration of trying to squeeze the same orange over and over again, when there is already no more juice in it.

She challenged people to think differently, and to, with the help of the 20 Keys, start achieving different results. She illustrated this with some fun graphics.

Shereen emphasised that we do all of this in order to become better companies, and at the same time, to deliver faster. By implementation of the relevant Keys, we will reduce inefficiencies, thereby streamlining all processes. 

The importance of several other points was also discussed, such as:

• Reducing inventory.
• Using value stream maps.
• Proper planning.

Shereen truly captured the attention of the audience, and below are some of the recommendations that she shared with everyone:

• Keep Moving, and Keep Improving.
• Use an infinity cycle.
• Be Better–Faster–Cheaper, and Energise your people.
• Learn from failures, before you learn from successes.
• Fail in a smart way.
• Start by strengthening your operational excellence strategy, before choosing technology; not the other way around.
• Your people are your biggest asset.

Author: Huibie Jones: MD at ODI

To view more images of the recent 27th International Conference in Bulgaria, click here. Keep an eye out for the second blog about the recent conference.

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The 27th International 20 Keys® Conference is a 4-day unique experience with success stories of leading Bulgarian and international companies, 5 hours of exciting content with 8+ world-class lecturers, and visits to companies in Bulgaria with leading lean practices.

On Thursday 26 October 2019, we visited HL-TopMix in Sliven, Bulgaria.

HL-TopMix was established 18 years ago and a leading manufacturer of a wide range of feed products for all types and categories of animals for each stage of their development. Their mission is to become a preferred supplier and trusted partner to their customers, .

From the beginning HL-TopMix’s aim was to give their customer a high quality and innovative product. They made sure that their suppliers were carefully chosen. With time they realised the need for 20 Keys, for which they partnered with Next Consult to help with the challenge of maintaining equipment and the correct involvement of people.

HL-TopMix started introducing 20 Keys® in early 2019 which is a great example for companies who are hesitant about the choice to implement a management improvement system or want to learn how to start a similar process.

Within just a couple of months they can already see how 20 Keys are making a difference.  The benefits are visible and many ideas are generated on a daily basis.

All employees have the measurement system on their phone. Ideas for improvement are captured digitally and stats are automatically generated. All data is automatically collated and all results are captured. Material availability is accessible for all employees in the company, online. Blue: Generated ideas Red: Approved ideas Yellow: Implemented ideas. Captured pictures of all improvements.

Action plan

QCDSM in Bulgarian

Production Manager presenting:

“We are very positive about the results we are already seeing from implementing the 20 Keys.”

• Very advanced technology used to mix their feeds
• Quality and safety of products are vital
• More than 350 different products

HL-TopMix values their customers and for that reason they are following the 20 Keys Programme.

To read more about the recent 27th International 20 Keys Conference in Bulgaria, click here.

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