Procter & Gamble Crailsheim: The Management Quality Heptathlete

Abstract

In a country where engineering and machines are revered, and where labor costs are the highest in the world, automation is a ubiquitous strategy to reduce labor content in manufacturing. Procter & Gamble’s Crailsheim plant is no exception: the plant is committed to a goal of increasing revenues with a constant headcount. But what makes it special is that this strategy is explicitly built on increasing the skills and capabilities of its workers. Automation plays a crucial role, but it is the workers who are the center of it all. This is a textbook example of how Management Quality across the board unlocks knowledge and initiative in people’s hearts and minds.

“I have three tasks: training, taking initiatives, and supplying the market.”

Herbert Grad, Plant Manager

“I truly believe that people development and delegation is one of the major strength of this organization. When I speak with old college friends about the companies they work for, I am amazed by the number of decisions I (as well as my workers) am allowed to take here. What you should take home with you is the feeling for the culture, the openness, and our deep wish that the technicians decide.”

Oliver Geuther, Ultimate Supply System & Materials Operation Group

Manager

“No idea is ever rejected.”

Suzanne Minkwitz, Process Engineer