Khari Wilder, an executive at The Clorox Company, implemented the supply chain excellence on a global scale. His strategic coaching extends to general managers, supply chain leaders and directors of manufacturing within these business units. Khari brings a wealth of expertise in total productive maintenance (TPM) pillars, process engineering, quality management and supply chain optimization. His seamless integration of these elements ensures a harmonious and efficient supply chain ecosystem.
In an exclusive interview with Manufacturing Outlook, Khari Wilder shares his valuable insights on encouraging continuous improvement and sustainable success across the organization.
As the director of global manufacturing excellence at The Clorox Company, could you describe your key roles and responsibilities?
My team and I are responsible for coaching supply chain leaders at the company's various locations in the U.S., as well as all manufacturing sites worldwide. On a daily basis, we coach VPs, directors and managers on how to effectively implement operational excellence using the methodology chosen by the company.
My day-to-day responsibilities involve ensuring that we, as coaches, are effective in our roles. I also oversee that all Business Unit (BU) supply chain squads and manufacturing sites are progressing at the necessary pace to deliver the excellent results the business requires.
What are some of the most recent challenges or trends you have observed in the manufacturing industry?
Many people assume that technology alone will solve their problems, but in reality, technology helps us become more proficient only if we execute the process with efficiency. As a result, the primary challenge in the manufacturing industry is establishing the appropriate foundational processes, tools and culture before implementing Industry 4.0 technologies.
The biggest challenge has been ensuring that we have the proper rhythms, habits and norms in place so the organization can benefit from the technology and get the best return on investment. For technology to be effective in following processes and managing daily operations, we must be disciplined.
The Clorox Company is a long-standing organization, and a significant part of the company’s journey thus far has been focusing on delivering future advancements in new technologies. The company has incorporated several new technologies, such as 3D printing and automation, into its operations. The company is also working towards becoming a paperless factory by increasing the use of iPads and improving connectivity between the maintenance activities and the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), which creates work orders automatically. Ensuring this connectivity remains a long-term goal for us. One of our ongoing projects is the implementation of SAP S/4HANA and integrated business planning, aiming to build a cohesive system.
We are exploring automatic scheduling based on skill sets. Another innovative approach we implement is using a digital platform for our operational excellence consultants. This "digital consultant" helps keep all necessary tools and information readily accessible. These initiatives are crucial steps in the company’s journey toward integrating new technologies and achieving future operational excellence.
Could you share some key insights into your approach to addressing each problem as it arises?
We have partnered with a company called CCI, which offers a technology called TRACC. This enterprise combines Lean Six Sigma, total productive maintenance (TPM) and total quality management (TQM) into a sequential system designed to drive performance, best practices and culture across the entire supply chain.
“Work with your leaders, not around them; although it requires extra effort, their full support helps to make the process dynamic and sustainable.”
The process to address a problem begins with establishing a solid daily management system, featuring a tiered management structure with effective escalation procedures. We emphasize having a rigorous project governance system focused on continuous improvement. For instance, in the daily management system, if an issue arises that can't be resolved at a certain level, our team uses the define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) method to systematically address it.
A key component is ensuring problems are addressed at the appropriate level, whether situational at the floor level, systemic at the department level or strategic at higher levels. This approach prevents smaller issues from escalating unnecessarily to higher management.
Leadership behavior is crucial in this framework. Leaders are expected to engage in leader-standard work, which goes beyond just delivering results. They need to follow the methodology, track progress and assess maturity scores using TRACC's performance, practice and culture metrics. This involves evaluating whether their practices align with expected results. If there is a discrepancy, it prompts an investigation into why the results are not meeting expectations.
The goal is to align best practice adherence with actual performance, ensuring that maturity in processes translates into desired outcomes. This systematic approach helps us identify and address gaps, encouraging continuous improvement and sustainable success across the organization.
As the director of global manufacturing excellence, what would be your piece of advice for your fellow peers and colleagues?
My biggest piece of advice would be to remember that while technology is exciting and often gets the spotlight, the fundamentals of day-to-day management are crucial. Focus on executing business operations systematically and rigorously that deliver results. This process starts with leadership. It is essential to work with your leaders, not around them, to ensure they are fully on board. From my experience, once leaders are on board, the process becomes more dynamic and sustainable. This may require extra effort initially, but without leadership support, the journey becomes much harder.
My team has been on this journey for two years and has re-launched our efforts. Initially, we made the mistake of not establishing a strong daily management system and leadership behaviors upfront. Without these foundations, success is difficult to sustain, especially when leadership changes. Now, with the fundamentals in place, people are asking for the system and it’s no longer an uphill battle.
The power of fundamentals lies in leading and managing change, aligning the value chain across the end-to-end supply chain and connecting processes to business needs and results. These processes help deliver sustained business results. It is crucial for long-term success to become effective before becoming efficient.
As a company, we have found that focusing on results, rather than processes, has proven to be invaluable. In order to achieve desired outcomes, we use processes. If a process fails, either the execution was flawed or the process itself was incorrect. The goal is to ensure processes deliver the intended results.
Another important principle is to emphasize the right intent, not the right way. We have learned to prioritize the intent behind the process over the specific methodology. Whether we use DMAIC or another process, the aim remains the same–effectively defining problems, identifying root causes, implementing action plans and sustaining improvements.
At last, we have adopted an approach of working with our customers, not for them. Our team has reorganized itself to partner with internal customers, owning the results alongside them. Our coaching and support are integral to their success, ensuring a collaborative effort to achieve and sustain desired outcomes.
By focusing on these fundamentals, we can drive sustainable improvements and align our efforts with organizational goals, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
