By John Anspach, VP Operations
In a paint company, as in most companies, there are multiple departments that must work effectively together to ensure the success of the organization. In a nutshell, there are a lot of moving parts, literally and figuratively.
It is easy to become compartmentalized, or focused only on your one job in your department, while forgetting the big picture. This can quickly result in delaying or altogether missing key communication between departments – the key to success.
At Induron, we have reaped big benefits in opening communication channels. A key example lies in three distinctly different parts of our organization: Manufacturing, Technical (R&D) and Sales. These are three very different departments with specific roles in the organization, yet each one is dedicated to the same overall mission of increasing the sales and profitability of our company.
These three departments work closely with an open communication approach. Weekly in person discussions between these areas provide the most current state of the business. Through this approach, we’re able to have accurate information regarding progress on a key project. This has gone a long way toward eliminating a reactive approach, and instead we are able to collectively act together to ensure success.
Another key benefit lies in “intra-communication” within larger departments, where different areas of one department communicate with each other. Our manufacturing team interacts with the Manufacturing/Quality Control area on every production batch. This allows any process or performance issues to be quickly identified and resolved.
Daily Technical Department meetings represent another “intra-communication” example. These interactions streamline our projects, with each team member offering experience and support to the others. This daily exchange of knowledge has greatly improved product development efficiency, often saving time-consuming research that has been accomplished in the past by another chemist with a similar development project.
There is no question that opening up our communication channels has helped Induron achieve a path to success. It has enabled our key departments to pull together for the common good of the company, while meeting those goals that each department must still meet each day. Because of our improved communication (believe me – even in a small company this is NOT a given), we have improved our ability to serve our customers on a consistent basis.