Manufacturing game casts staff in new roles

When the Rio Tinto and Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation-owned company started to make the transition from a smelting and casting plant to a re-melt and casting operation, a corresponding change had to be made in the roles and responsibilities of the workforce. 'Manufacturing Game' workshops were organised for the entire workforce as part of an intensive and integrated two-week training programme. According to the change management consultancy Reliable Manufacturing which devised the programme,, the workshops were a curtain-raiser for the training programme and central to preparing staff for their new roles. Anglesey Aluminium cast house manager Elfyn Hughes said: "The manufacturing game is integral to establishing the right attitudes and behaviours from the outset. It gives people a broader understanding of the business, and their role within it. The language of the game is now in constant use right across the company it has helped the team recognise the importance of immediately removing bugs and they have a relentless focus on defect elimination." Hughes reported that since the transition the company has met 100% of its delivery dates, on time and in full.