On our 20th anniversary, we want to give a voice to those who have made continuous improvement a real tool for transformation.
Today we speak with Paco Carreño, Logistics Director at Masymas Supermarkets, about how the implementation of Lean has helped them face a key moment: the company’s growth and the arrival of a new warehouse management system (WMS). An evolution that goes far beyond operations.
What led you to implement Lean in your company?
We were at a point where we had grown significantly, we were heading towards a change of WMS and we saw an opportunity in the Lean world to analyze processes, work on 5S to reach the WMS implementation with as much clarity as possible, and ensure that the system could adapt to the processes in the most efficient way possible.
What was the key moment of the project?
The day-to-day makes you see processes as “normal” that, when you put on the “seeing glasses” and go down to gemba, you realize how inefficient they actually are.
In our case, the “discovery” was the system we had to identify stores in the dispatch area. We used iron plates that we placed on the pallets where the order started. These plates were heavy, bulky and also forced us to have a space to leave them after loading, not always in an orderly way.
We designed a board with the help of SGS Productivity where we “geolocated” the store, and we only had to place and remove a visual tag. It was much more practical and visual. Today, that system has been digitalized and has become an example we show on every visit, because it clearly summarizes the impact of the change.
Why did you choose us?
It seemed to me that, among all the providers offering Lean implementation, you were the most practical. You did not try to introduce a culture or “buzzwords”, but rather implemented the methodology from logic, which made me think it would be easier for it to take hold. And it was.
Tell us an anecdote you experienced with SGS Productivity.
One of the general manager’s visits coincided with a 5S workshop. When he saw the office full of post-its, he asked what “game” we had set up. We explained that each post-it referred to something that was not correct… and he immediately asked for a stack of post-its and started pointing out another 10 non-compliances. That spontaneous participation perfectly reflects the cultural change.
How have you seen your team evolve throughout the project?
The team has gained initiative, critical thinking and commitment. Today they have a different way of looking at daily work: it is no longer just about doing, but about improving what they do.
If you had to define the collaboration with SGS Productivity in one sentence… what would it be?
Getting us to see our daily work with a critical mindset and a willingness to improve.