Above: Redzone connected workforce solutions is designed to connect shopfloor employees in real time to anticipate and solve problems.
April 2024- Adaptive solutions empower workforce to lift productivity and engagement
Coaches. Team huddles. Scoreboards. Football analogies are sprinkled throughout the website of software developer QAD Redzone. Even the company name derives from a football term. “Red zone” is the last 20 yards before the goal line from where, statistically, most touchdowns are scored. As the developer’s website notes, games are decided in the red zone, the area in which the differential advantage of a team’s selforganizing, adaptive behavior wins.
Acquired in February 2023 by adaptive solutions provider QAD, Miamibased Redzone now under the name QAD Redzone offers connected workforce solutions that build frontline momentum to turn the productivity flywheel and enhance employee engagement.
“Our software, Redzone, offers the differential advantage or missing link on the plant floor between productivity goals and winning,” explains Jonathan Lane, vice president of solutions for QAD Redzone. “We give frontline employees the tools to know how they are doing in real-time and to connect with other departments, like maintenance, to add value and win the day.”
Founded in 2013 by Mark Sutcliffe, Redzone connected workforce solutions are now in use at more than 1,300 plants across North America and Europe. The products include four modules, each with a specific focus: Productivity, compliance, reliability and learning. Benchmarking results from across these 1,300-plus work sites indicate a 29 percent increase in plant productivity, a 74 percent increase in employee engagement and a 32 percent drop in employee turnover once Redzone is in use.
VISUAL SCOREBOARDS
Most plants equipped with Redzone connected workforce solutions feature closed-circuit monitors displaying dashboards along with portable tablets at each workstation. The line-side tablet allows the operator to view the overall equipment efficiency (OEE) on their machine as well as targets and milestones like quantities and time frames. Redzone soft - ware connects to sensors on each machine to display theoretical maximums compared to real-time performance. “Imagine a football game without a scoreboard. Imagine not knowing how much time is left in the game or what yard line the ball is on,” says Lane, a self-proclaimed Detroit Lions fan. Frontline employees and management are all able to see their scoreboard with Redzone.
“Some plants use large TV monitors to compare the metrics for each line in the production area, so all employees can see how their line is doing compared to others. This friendly competition helps keep employees engaged and motivated,” explains Lane. Management is able to view similar metrics, all in real time, on their computer or mobile device by downloading the Redzone app. “During the pandemic, we had customers join these huddles virtually when plants were enforcing social distancing,” he adds.
Redzone connected workforce solutions is designed to connect shopfl oor employees in real time to anticipate and solve problems.
HUDDLE UP
Founder Sutcliff e spent time studying team performance and human behavior before developing Redzone connected workforce solutions. “Mark concluded that manufacturing workflows were built around the plant manager or engineers. But there was limited focus on the operator. Industry was built around process or equipment optimization.
Redzone introduces human and brain optimization. We believe the mind is where the real potential lies,” explains Lane.
To tap into this potential, Redzone customers rely upon twice-daily huddles held two hours into and two hours before the end of the shift. Redzone benchmarking reveals that when a line or equipment is off to a good start, usually the rest of the day will be good, too. “Our blended data from over a thousand plants also suggests that chaos can happen during the end of a shift,” says Lane. To mitigate chaos, the short huddles are a way to quickly evaluate where everyone’s at and whether adjustments need to be made.
Lane, previously a plant manager for a Tier 1 automotive supplier, was inspired early in his career by a Japanese mentor who used the term tombstone data, referring to metrics from the previous day. “At the time, the Big Three auto companies would evaluate data that was a day old, while Japanese carmakers were constantly assessing productivity in short intervals throughout the day,” says Lane. Redzone does away with tombstone data, instead tapping into real-time data so adjustments can be integrated during each production shift to drive productivity every day and every shift .
Frontline employees use tablets so they can view, via Redzone, how they are performing against targets.
PLAY CALLING
Frontline employees, clearly, are the eyes and ears of the plant floor. When empowered with data through Redzone, employees can connect directly with one another to solve problems. For example, if a machine is running slow, the operator can immediately notify maintenance. “Employees are empowered to flag a concern through the software and suggest a solution well before the end of the shift,” reports Lane.
Without this power, the manufacturer may have a shift’s worth of offspec product or may have shut down a line prematurely. “With Redzone connected workforce solutions, employees and management can huddle immediately and make the next call,” says Lane. Redzone software integrates with most ERP and CMMS systems as well as MES and maintenance monitoring systems. Tablets can be linked to standard operating procedures, CAD drawings and engineering notes, and customer specifications. A number of customers have also created how-to videos specific for each piece of equipment within the learning module of the software. The videos are usually posted, then linked to the operator’s tablet. “It’s a great way to tap into plant expertise and bridge the knowledge gap between generations,” notes Lane.
EMPLOYEE RETENTION
Leveraging technology can appeal to younger generations, and one way to drive employee retention is to use Redzone connected workforce solutions. “When potential employees walk into a plant equipped with Redzone technology, the facility projects a modern image. And when employees know they are driving solutions, they are more content,” says Lane, noting another factor in employee retention. According to Lane, some employers are offering a four-day work week to att ract new talent. “When they are 29 percent more productive, they are able to offer this benefit,” Lane explains.
Initially targeting food and beverage processing, QAD Redzone’s customer base has grown organically, now reaching a wide range of manufacturers. In 2021, the company introduced a significant update to its software, designed specifically for small-run job shops, like fabricators and step-based manufacturers.
“Redzone software is optimal for any business that is using raw material, processing and people to make a product. We connect the people and empower them to have a voice at their place of work. Rather than having a solution thrust upon them by management, when employees suggest a solution they have more ownership over its implementation and success. All these factors drive up productivity, employee engagement and retention,” reports Lane.
90-DAY BURST
Productivity, engagement and retention metrics are easily measured through Redzone, with customers seeing results within a few days. QAD Redzone anticipates a 90-day window as a time frame in which the new tools and behaviors are adopted. “Redzone is not just a software. It’s a behavior. Within 90 days, we see employees becoming more empowered and starting to take initiatives. We see productivity improvements within the first week or two after install,” Lane claims.
Redzone connected workforce solutions can usually be installed within eight to 12 weeks from order. This allows time for the tablets to be purchased and installed and coaches to be identified. All Redzone coaches are full-time employees, many from similar backgrounds as Lane former plant managers, quality engineers, etc. “Our coaches have all worked in manufacturing, so they understand the challenges of a plant floor,” he says. Coaches are with the customer, on site, for four weeks half of this time during the first three weeks of deployment. Coaches return after about a month for a Kaizen activity and additional behavior/problem-solving activities. During the entire 90 days, coaches are in touch with the customer remotely as well as through the software.
“Our coaches are inspiring. Our software is empowering. I believe most people want to do a good job at work and know that they are doing a good job each shift,” says Lane. And Redzone is the tool to help employees and their employers cross the goal line.
QAD Redzone, 305/374-6278, http://rzsoftware.com/
