Workplace Sciences - Manufacturing and Distribution Operations - Systems Design and Improvement

Accelerating operator proficiency with a customized "Make Sure" workshop

Workplace Sciences helps Celestica accelerate the certification of production operators in support of a growing demand for quality circuit boards.

After acquiring the high-tech circuit board manufacturing operations from Hewlett-Packard, Celestica's growth was skyrocketing. Celestica realized that in order to maintain such growth it needed to accelerate its internal training. Added production capacity required new employees. These employees had to be trained in the various aspects of the production process. But Celestica did not have enough trainers to teach the new employees on how to assemble circuit boards utilizing complex production equipment. Celestica decided that their supervisors and lead production employees would provide on-the-job training. But these supervisors and production leads, although knowledgeable in the production techniques, were not skilled trainers and lack the knowledge of how to effectively train employees, especially for such complex operations. Celestica decided to bring in training experts to develop a “train the trainer” workshop and program.

Celestica embarked in obtaining proposals from various training companies. After a highly competitive bid process with many training companies Celestica rejected all proposals stating that none of the training companies had the understanding of manufacturing processes nor the experience in the circuit board manufacturing industry. One of these training companies approached Workplace Sciences and asked them to develop a curriculum that reflected the true training needs of Celestica. Having experience in the printed circuit board manufacturing industry and “reality-based” production training, Workplace Sciences developed a workshop that addressed the true learning needs of supervisors and production leads. Celestica reviewed the new training proposal and approach. They felt it addressed their needs and the training contract was awarded.

Meeting the Training Objectives

The workshop not only included the production specific points but it also addressed the social and psychological aspects of the training environment, especially for training to be conducted on the factory floor. During the design of the workshop Workplace Sciences took into consideration various factors:

Corporate vision & goals

Quality specifications

Knowledge of the trainers

Safety & ergonomic issues

Corporate culture

Training location & environment

Experience profile of the new employees

Corporate reward & recognition program

Complexity of the processes

Technical manufacturing support

Employee pool diversity

Performance improvement initiatives

Product technology

Supporting process documentation

All these factors were taken into consideration in the design of the workshop. The result was a comprehensive and thorough training program that complemented and enforced the current workplace environment and corporate objectives.

The workshop designed by Workplace Sciences showed how to train operators effectively by using a systematic “experiential” learning approach. The workshop was divided into two major on-the-job training development segments:

	Interpersonal training skills
	Technical process training skills

Students not only learned the key training points in a classroom setting but also got to practice the techniques among each other on the production floor. Included in the course was a one-week application of the lessons learned on a previous “graduate” of the workshop. Each trainer received a certification only when they completed the two and a half day workshop in its entirety, received an endorsement from a workshop graduate (their practice trainee) and obtained the “passing” approval of the instructor.

The "Make Sure" Workshop

The workshop was named the “Make Sure” training. It later became a corporate slogan. The main objective of the workshop was to train the trainers to “make sure” all new employees understood:

	the correct manufacturing method and tool use
	the safety and ergonomic practices
	the uncompromising quality requirements of the product being produced
	the production output standards
	where to seek help for exceptional problems
	the technical requirements of the operation
	the proper conduct of a team member within the work cell
	the “big picture” regarding their immediate internal suppliers and customers
	the acceptable quality parameters of the materials used in the process
	the overall performance metrics of the work cell team

The “Make Sure” workshop allowed Celestica to quickly deploy trained and certified operators on to the production floor. The workshop was so successful it became a requisite for supervisors and production leads. The workshop was later adopted and offered by a local community college.

About Celestica

Celestica is a world leader in the delivery of innovative electronics manufacturing services (EMS). With 2001 revenues in excess of US $10 billion, Celestica is a global operator of a highly sophisticated manufacturing network, providing a broad range of services to leading OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) in the information technology and communications industries. Unrivaled in quality, technology and supply chain management, Celestica provides competitive advantage to its customers by improving time-to-market, scalability and manufacturing efficiency. Celestica has more than 40,000 employees in over 40 locations in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Celestica maintains a high-caliber workforce by:

	Attracting and retaining people with the best qualifications, skills, aptitudes and attitudes that match their long-term requirements and work culture.
	Training and qualifying people to be proficient in their jobs.
	Developing appropriate technical, interpersonal and team skills to allow shared responsibility between Celestica and each employee.
	Being responsible for effective knowledge transfer, skills development and succession planning.
	Developing job opportunities that are known and accessible to all employees.
	Committing to continuous learning.
	Having a flexible workforce in which employment arrangements may differ.
	Committed to making employment a rewarding experience for both Celestica and the individual.

Facts and Figures

Company: Celestica
Location: Fort Collins, Colorado
Key personnel: Glenn F. Gray - Learning Technology Developer
Product handled: Printed Circuit Boards: Single & double sided through hole and surface mount.

Training Company: Access/Ability Inc., Englewood, CO
Industrial Trainer: Rolando Garcia - Training & Organizational Development Consultant

Workshop Curriculum Design & Delivery: Workplace Sciences, LLC, Longmont, CO