RR Donnelley -- Giant Transformation
Continuous Improvement
"Part of the process work we've been doing is significant investment in continuous improvement," he states. "We're striving to become a world-class manufacturer, and our continuous improvement focus will allow this to happen. It's a way of life at RR Donnelley; part of our culture. The continuous improvement methodologies we use include Six Sigma, process variability reduction, 5S and total productive maintenance," Pyzdrowski adds.
"We're also investing in ISO (certification) to ensure we have well documented processes. Continuous improvement is involved in just about all of our cost improvement initiatives, including Web-enabling the company, standardizing business processes and defining information requirements."
On the supply chain management end, RR Donnelley has been a leading participant in driving industry standards for digital file management, postal requirements and the paper supply chain.
RRD has been a leading sponsor for papiNet, an organization that has defined industry standards to manage the messages and transactions of the paper supply chain between the mills, printers and customers. For digital file management, it has been the leading driver for the DDAP PDF X1a standard, which results in additional flexibility and time savings for customers. And, in terms of postal reform, the printer is strongly advocating the need for reform on the behalf of its customers. As a charter and current member of the Mailing Industry CEO Council, Davis promotes the critical role that mail plays in business and commerce.
The industry standardization initiatives have gone relatively smooth, Pyzdrowski says. "It's getting people aligned around common goals, objectives and methodologies. We're also focusing on creating a safe workplace environment," he adds. "We've reduced our OSHA lost time accidents by 80 percent in the last four years. We're quickly heading to world-class levels in safety."
RR Donnelley is also a true believer in Six Sigma. "There aren't that many companies in the country that are truly Six Sigma companies," Pyzdrowski says. "We are the first one to bring Six Sigma into this industry, and we're also requiring our key suppliers to develop Six Sigma skills and competencies.
