As a manager, you have a seemingly endless list of things to get done. There are people to talk to, paperwork to fill out, line problems to address, calls to make and so much more — not to mention the production goals and quotas you’d like to meet, which will require some serious planning and process management. Everyone and everything is fighting for your time, but does it all need your attention? The thing that separates good managers from great managers is that great production managers know how valuable their focused time is. Let’s explore that idea more and see what Frain can do to help you with that struggle.
If you are constantly tied up in the routine tasks of the plant, you won’t be able to get above the everyday to see how things could be improved, to anticipate potential issues, or to solve problems on the macro scale. Ultimately this hurts your plant’s overall productivity as you run into issues which could have been avoided had you been able to better focus your time on what only you can do. Your ability to create time and space to focus on the bigger picture and processes is key. But how do you do that? Here are a few ideas.
Delegate The Tasks That Don’t Need Your Full Attention
One easy way to begin to protect your focus is to delegate the daily tasks that don’t need your full attention. Just because you’re the manager doesn’t mean that it’s your job to be involved in every piece of your plant’s work. Often managers will think that because they are responsible for the plant, they need to be a part of every process, but that simply is not true. Hopefully, you’ve hired a team of competent and qualified people who are able to work together to solve problems. Trust them to do what you’ve hired them to do.
Your role as a manager is to train and empower them to be able to make smart decisions which reflect your company’s values and meet or exceed your production goals. By empowering employees and supervisors to handle the bulk of the daily tasks and problems that arise, you free yourself to focus on the bigger picture and more complex needs of the plant. As an added bonus, you also create an environment for your team to become even more capable and productive as they look to solve their own problems. The more empowered, competent and productive they are, the less you need to be involved.
Schedule Time For Big-Picture Thinking
Because so many people and things are fighting for your attention, it can be easy to fill your week and leave little to no space for big-picture thinking. This is sometimes called “sacrificing the important for the urgent.” If you spend all your time on the urgent, you won’t be able to tend to the important parts of your job. Instead of letting things fill your schedule, start your week by scheduling time for big-picture thinking. Block it off in your calendar and fight hard to protect it. If you had an important meeting with the bigwigs and a client, you wouldn’t miss it. Why? Because those kinds of meetings are important. In the same way, making time for big-picture thinking is important.
If you’re not thinking about the future, anticipating needs and problems and making plans to address those future goals and issues, who will? The only way to reach future goals and avoid incoming issues is to make a plan to address them.
Make Sure Your Team Has the Equipment They Need to Get the Job Done Well
An empowered and well-trained team can make the most of whatever situation it finds itself in, but eventually, your machines and tools will become a bottleneck. The better your team, the more productive and efficient it will be. But if your machines are dated, constantly breaking down, or otherwise not up to snuff, all the team efficiency in the world can’t speed up production. Eventually, you’ll reach a point where your machines are distracting you, keeping you from meeting your goals and pulling you from your role overseeing the big picture. It might seem like a good business move to cut costs on equipment, but if you take that gamble and you lose, it can cost you millions in potential profit. Getting to market consistently and quickly is crucial to meeting and exceeding your company’s profit goals. The right tools can help you do that.
At Frain, we understand your struggle well. Getting the equipment you need in a timely fashion is important. Knowing that the equipment you ordered is ready for use may be more important still. We’ve worked hard to develop a process that takes the stress off your shoulders, and to meet your needs — however large — so that you can focus less on equipment issues and more on reaching your goals.
Discover How Frain Industries Can Help You Focus on What Matters Most
We have worked hard to provide unique solutions to your production problems. Our business is your success. We pride ourselves on being able to solve your production issues more effectively and quicker than any of the alternatives in the market space. We are able to provide this service because of our thorough processes, an expansive team of experts and our rich history in the industry. Check out how we helped a leading yogurt company get up and running 75% quicker than any of our competitors.
Whether you are looking to rent, buy or lease new or like-new equipment, we’re often able to deliver a better product quicker than any of our competitors. All of our like-new equipment is exhaustively reconditioned and can be calibrated to fit your specific needs. You can learn more about that process here.
Or maybe you’re looking to spin up an entirely new line. Why not let us handle all the planning and details? You’ve got a plant to manage. From idea to complex production in no time, we’ll work closely with you to make sure you’ve got everything you need to get to market quickly. You can learn more about our complete integration services here.
You see, we’re not just interested in selling you equipment, we’re interested in your success. We understand your problems and want to enable you to worry less about the details so you can focus more on developing an incredible plant.