Machinist Words (Packaging and related industries)
Complex machines, different jobs every day, extremely high quality expectations…
This is the daily routine of these men who have leveraged our project to surpass their efficiency records. At InstaLean, we are incredibly proud to have worked alongside these exceptional professionals.
Hello, what did you think of the Continuous Improvement project in your production line and in your section in general?
I believe the project has been a step forward, as the improvements implemented to streamline production and optimize time are proving positive, and we are working in a more comfortable and efficient environment.
What personal feelings do you have about this project?
A positive feeling, since I now work more comfortably with less effort and greater efficiency.
Have you felt involved in the project? How?
Yes, because all the changes have been agreed upon with the train drivers and we have been able to express our ideas.
What are the most important improvements from your point of view?
The pallet infeed line has been a great implementation, as it positions all the pallets correctly and ready to be fed into the machine, saving time and preventing errors. Another improvement system that has been well implemented is the specific placement of tools at the different points on the machine where they are needed. This is an advantage when performing the work, as you don't need to move around to complete the task.
Words of Machinists (Print)
Good common sense is the least common of the senses applied within the company.
“There is a huge difference between someone who really wants something to change and finds the way to pass it into reality and the one who contents himself to dream about it.”
Philippe Weilerstein
Albert Vallès Rosich
Plant Production Manager at Leng-d'Or, May 13, 2020. Albert was a client of Marc
The best recommendation for Marc is the results and the pay back of his projects. Marc has endowed our organization with agile tools that have allowed us to make a difference and achieve results that at first seemed unattainable. He is not only implementing Lean but also creating a way of work that remains in the company. You feel his commitment and support from the beginning of the project to the freezing of the improvements achieved. I hope to work with him again soon!Jordi Abellán
General Manager at ABELLAN STAMPING, April 30, 2020. Jordi was a client of Marc
Powerfully efficient is the phrase that comes to mind when I think of Marc Tarral. I had the pleasure of working with Marc for a year at Stamping Abellán, where we collaborated on numerous continuous improvement projects. Marc has the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and pushes the technical team's productivity to the limit. Marc was the essential piece our company needed to efficiently bring to fruition all our three generations of know-how. I'm sure we'll continue collaborating in the very near future.Tony Batllo
CEO of Motocard, June 18, 2019. Tony was a client of Marc
Marc has done a wonderful job helping Motocard to launch its new WMS. He has fully redesigned our logistics processes to be able to cover our online demand and improve our service with achieving excellent results. Present warehouse has nothing to do with the previous one, people have been properly trained and they're excited with the new systems. Thanks for your help and congratulation for the outcome!Christian Dios Marquez
General Manager of Realplast, July 23, 2018, Christian was a client of Marc
On behalf of Realplast, who have contracted Marc's services for over a year for data collection and process automation, we thank you for all the time and help you've given us and the time you've saved us. Best regards!
Armand Baiget
Chief Financial Officer, July 21, 2018, Armand was a client of Marc
Excellent and talented professional, as well as a great colleague
Joan Nogues
Manager at NORPRINT SA, July 6, 2016, Joan was a client of Marc
Marc is an atypical engineer. Besides being specialized and having extensive experience in the graphic arts, his consulting work and productivity improvement plans, unlike those developed by other consulting firms, involve him actively participating in the project's implementation alongside the workshop operators. His work isn't finished until his plan is fully implemented in production and the actual improvements achieved can be verified and measured. He is an excellent professional who brings significant value to his clients.
Director of operations
Veripack
Marc has led two Lean implementation projects at Veripack with great professionalism and excellent results. His vision, work ethic, professionalism, and extensive knowledge of Lean consulting have enabled us to improve as an organization and achieve highly satisfactory results.
I would definitely count on Marc for any other lean project; moreover, I believe Marc has the ability to lead not only projects, but also teams of people.
Oscar Gea
Industrial Director at Grupo Miralles, April 25, 2016, Oscar was a client of Marc
Marc's best advertisement is the results of his projects. A prime example is the project we hired him for. His results-oriented approach is undeniable, and his methods focus directly on eliminating significant organizational losses. Furthermore, he adds extra value that sets him apart through the implementation of agile management tools. Highly recommended.
José Antonio Fernández Gonzalez
Human Resources Director, March 27, 2016, José Antonio was a client of Marc
Some people possess a great deal of knowledge. Marc, in addition to his knowledge, provides the necessary tools for all staff to participate in the improvements to be implemented. In this way, he empowers people to take ownership of these improvements, leading to excellent results for the organization.
Toni Batalla
Managing Director, CTO at Freudenberg, July 15, 2014, Toni was a client of Marc
Marc showed a good competence in project management, integration of all the partners of the project as well as high knowledge in the implementation of Lean tools. The success of the project is highly linked how it was implemented.
Enric Peradejordi
CEO of RTC, May 25, 2014, Enric was a client of Marc
Marc is an excellent professional, a promoter and implementer of change and continuous improvement in industrial environments. In addition to his extensive knowledge, he possesses the ideal skills to help and collaborate with management teams, middle management, and employees at all levels to achieve seemingly unattainable goals. He sees challenges not as barriers but as motivation for achieving business objectives. He enjoys teamwork, promotes training and communication, and values interpersonal relationships. Therefore, beyond being an excellent professional, he is also a wonderful person.
Joan Subirats Soler
Associate Professor at UB, October 29, 2012
Marc is a methodical and hard-working professional with relevant experience in continuous improvement processes and tools. He has successfully carried out projects in France, Germany and Spain, being able to add significant value to “Lean Management” initiatives and efforts. It's been a pleasure to run as a team and share experiences working for ALPLA IBERICA, SA
Abel Alvarez Fernandez
Finance and Sales Director at Grupo Godó, January 1, 2012,
I had the opportunity to know Marc while he was leading the continuous improvement project at CRE-A. Marc showed from the beginning the ability to work closely with both managers and operators in order to analyze in depth all processes and propose ways of improvement that could be successfully implemented. He managed to gain people's confidence, which was one of the key factors of his success. As a result, he delivered excellent results for which the whole company is still grateful.
Etienne Bourasseau
Quality Director at CLAAS, March 10, 2011
I knew Marc at Claas. As Logistic assistant manager and after lean project manager, I was very impressed by Marc. He was able to drive deep lean project and to go to essential substance of lean concept even though he was a simple trainee. In addition to that, he was able to change worker mindset and to transform unsatisfied worker in strong force of improvements.
Marc was identified as a strong potential manager but unfortunately, his studies were not finished. I hope I will have to work with Marc soon!!
Joaquim Casas
CIO – IT Director at Sorigué, On February 18, 2011, Joaquim was Marc's boss
Marc did an Excellent work to improve Helpdesk and Systems department, his attitude was very positive, and his knowledge about improvement increased all team performance.
José Antonio Pérez, Head of the Offset Section:
1. Have you felt involved in the project? How?
We've felt very involved overall. During the creation of a software program to automate factory planning, we worked like this: "Look Marc, I need this, or change this in the program." We'd give him the requirements, and he'd implement them directly. We've covered a lot of ground as we went along. We've done a really good job with the planning and the organization of machine maintenance.
The only thing he has done more independently is the implementation of the tools (5S), which was already quite good in principle, there has been nothing to object to, so let's move forward.
Getting the guys I manage involved in my section was another story. At first, it was difficult because of that mentality of, "I've been doing things this way for 30 years, how can someone from outside come in and change it?" But Marc had the ability to make people see that they weren't on the right track. You can spend your whole life doing the same thing, not badly, but just okay. He somehow refined all the procedures we had. They realized it in the end; of course, at first you think, "I've been doing all this, and now this guy comes along and asks us to speed things up." Totally false: with the same resources, you get more work done, because it's not just the operators' job, there was also a maintenance issue, we were lagging behind. Now, let's say, the maintenance team is more involved in repair tasks.
If you have the least broken-down machine, with fewer repairs, you end up working better. The operator works better. I think that in the end, with a few exceptions, their overall feeling will also be good.
Like I said, at first there was some apprehension, especially from key people in the section, machine foremen and such. Some complained, "This guy's going to mess things up for us..." But then I think it turned out fine. Obviously, not everything he's done is perfect; I think we've even improved and made some progress, but overall we've absorbed everything.
2.- Regarding your section, how do you think the contributions of Marc Tarral's 'Continuous Improvement' method are bearing fruit in the company?
Yes. In a word, organization. I'm not going to say we were disorganized, though; there was a pretty decent structure here. Marc has told us stories about other companies, and I've seen them in much worse shape than we were. What do I mean by this?
Well, it's organized everything much better. For example, in terms of planning, I used to have to spend a lot of time in the office. Now I have more time to organize the machines; if there's a problem, I can be at the machine... It's basically automated the work planning and reporting process. There weren't any tools here to track the numbers. The staff had to manually write down what they'd done each day to discuss it in meetings with their superiors. Now, I just press a button and everything's there.
So, all that time you can be at the machine, solving problems. This isn't working, so from now on we're going to change this.
3. Do you think these improvements and contributions can remain indefinitely, or will Marc leave tomorrow and you revert to what you had before?
No, because it's a solid change. Marc has left us with something quite solid and has instructed us very well. I think that now, depending on how things are, we wouldn't be able to work anymore, because if we continue as we were before, we'd go back to doing everything by hand. Of course! In the end, it all comes down to production and optimizing the machines, all of that.
On a personal level, I want to add that I've been very comfortable working with Marc, who has been a great support. I've learned a lot from him because sometimes there are days when everything seems bleak, and he comes along and says, "No, this is going to be alright." That helps a lot, and I'm going to miss him, because when you no longer have someone guiding you, you might get a little down.
But hey, there's a world beyond Marc. But I really liked his perseverance and optimism, and that's a great thing about him.
Human Resources Director: José Antonio Fernández:
1. I understand there was some tension and demotivation among the staff before the Continuous Improvement project began. Why was this happening? How do you think it affected the normal production flow at the factory?
The thing is, we're a very old company. A family business, so there are some habits and customs that the staff had, and anything we already had before Marc arrived, people were a little reluctant to adopt, although not all of them. The advantage we've had with Marc is that he has a great understanding of the entire continuous improvement system and makes the tools we lacked available to the employees. This helps people see that things work, and Marc also has a great ability to motivate; he's a great motivator. Besides being very knowledgeable about the tools, since they're his own creations, what's most important to me is that he's not only a great motivator, but he also involves all the staff, making them see the importance of things.
This fosters ideas at both the individual and team levels. His expertise was crucial, because when you have a group accustomed to long-standing habits, the "I've always done it this way," the ingrained vices, the bad habits, the "we've been doing this for a long time, what are you going to teach me?" attitude—Marc reversed all of that.
Apart from the tool we didn't have, we had another system, but he has now given all the staff, and especially the middle management, very easy-to-implement tools, which has generated a very positive change in the Offset section.
2. I understand there have been cases of absenteeism. How did you deal with this?
Yes, I would say everything is connected. Let's say we had some people who were "very frequent users of sick leave," and here it's "a medical issue, where we can't get involved." I think people have become more aware; the company has been working on prevention for over a year, holding meetings and making them understand the importance of prevention for their health. Health is important, but so is knowing that we have to come to work.
We also have a couple of new people who haven't developed the habit of saying, "I don't feel well, I'm staying home." Generally, that's not the case; those were isolated incidents, but they've improved.
3. In terms of staff motivation and efficiency, how do you think the contributions of the 'Continuous Improvement' method that Marc Tarral has implemented in the company are bearing fruit? Do you think you will be able to maintain this high level of motivation for as long as possible?
Yes, absolutely. On a personal level, people are now aware of what's happening to them, why things are happening, and they're analyzed. This encourages people to participate in everything, whereas before there were only summaries at the end of the month, and the numbers were explained every two weeks, depending on the situation. Now they have it, if they want it, every day. That's important, not so much as a form of criticism, but to find solutions. That's the positive aspect.
That's why the tool Marc implemented allows people to understand in detail what's happening, so middle management can focus on those problems and analyze them with employees on a shift and machine-by-machine basis. This way, everyone is also aware of what's going on.
There has also been a lot of investment in machine maintenance, which, between one thing and another, was already needed.
4. Do you think these improvements and contributions can remain indefinitely, or will Marc leave tomorrow and you revert to what you had before?
No. We are aware that Marc has done an excellent job, and therefore it is now up to us to maintain that level and ensure it doesn't drop. If at any point, and we are certain of this, we need Marc to return to advise us on any matter… well, we will contact him.
From the first moment the industrial director and I saw it at a presentation at the Guild, we decided. “This is what we need. And we weren't wrong.”.
We are generally satisfied with their tools, methods, and their excellent communication and staff motivation skills, which is very important because it's not easy. Especially in a production system where people have been there a long time and have developed habits; changing those habits is difficult, and it's not because people are bad, but because they've developed bad habits. Even we, who have been there for so many years, are somewhat influenced by them.
So, when someone from outside comes in with a clear mind, it makes these changes happen, and I can tell you, with all the years I've been in this business, Marc has been the person I've met who best knows how to motivate and implement tools that get everyone involved.
