MCP: achieving breakthrough efficiency with Kaizen

The chemical industry is a cornerstone of global manufacturing, playing a critical role across sectors such as construction, automotive, consumer goods, and healthcare. In today’s highly competitive and regulated environment, companies must continuously improve operational efficiency, product quality, and safety standards. The sector is under constant pressure to reduce costs, enhance productivity, and innovate in order to meet growing customer demand for sustainable, cost-effective, and high-performance solutions.

Setting the stage for continuous improvement

Mallard Creek Polymers LLC is a leading manufacturer of emulsion polymers, providing high-performance solutions for industries including construction, coatings, adhesives, packaging, textiles, and nonwoven materials. With over 60 years of expertise, the company has built a strong reputation for delivering customized polymer solutions tailored to meet the diverse needs of its global customer base. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Mallard Creek Polymers is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of product quality, safety, and operational efficiency.

The company’s success is driven by its commitment to a culture of continuous improvement, focusing on waste reduction, productivity enhancement, and operational sustainability. Embracing Kaizen and Lean principles, Mallard Creek Polymers has embedded a culture of continuous improvement across its operations, empowering teams to actively participate in process optimization and problem-solving.

In recognition of its achievements in fostering operational excellence, Mallard Creek Polymers LLC was nominated and awarded the reputable Operational Breakthrough award at the Kaizen Awards North America in the Continuous Improvement category. This recognition highlights the company’s exceptional success in optimizing its production processes and the significant impact of its continuous improvement efforts on operational performance and company culture.

Project background: challenges and objectives

Mallard Creek Polymers LLC faced a series of operational challenges that were impacting productivity and efficiency, especially in their batch changeover process. The company needed to improve its operational efficiency to remain competitive, reduce downtime, and meet customer demands for faster delivery. The primary objective of the project was to reduce batch changeover time by 40%, aiming to streamline the process, increase throughput, and optimize equipment utilization.

To achieve this objective, the company identified several key challenges that needed to be addressed:

Inconsistent batch changeover times

One of the significant challenges was the variability in batch changeover times across different reactors. Without consistency in these times, the company experienced unpredictable downtime, hindering production capacity. This lack of standardization in batch changeovers led to inefficiencies and delays, directly affecting overall productivity.

Manual and time-consuming processes

The batch changeover process relied heavily on manual tasks, such as rinsing the reactors, which was both time-consuming and prone to human error. These manual processes added unnecessary complexity and lengthened the overall changeover time, resulting in significant inefficiencies and reduced production throughput.

Lack of standardized procedures

Another challenge was the absence of standardized procedures for batch changeovers. With each shift adopting different approaches, the process lacked consistency, further increasing inefficiencies. The lack of uniformity across shifts made it difficult to track performance and ensure each batch was processed optimally, leading to additional delays.

Pressure to improve operational efficiency

Mallard Creek Polymers faced increasing pressure to improve operational efficiency to remain competitive in a demanding industry. The need to reduce downtime, increase production capacity, and respond more quickly to market demands became critical. The inefficiencies in the batch changeover process were a key barrier to achieving these goals.

Communication and coordination gaps

The lack of standardized processes also created communication and coordination challenges between the teams involved in the changeover process. Without a unified approach, different teams were working with varying levels of efficiency, leading to delays, errors, and inconsistent results. These gaps made it difficult to align goals and workflows, further hampering productivity.

Overcoming operational obstacles: a journey of problem-solving

At the start of the Kaizen journey, Mallard Creek Polymers LLC identified over 20 potential improvement projects. Batch changeover was selected as one of the top priorities for the company’s first Kaizen sprint. This sprint approach allowed the team to focus on a limited number of high-impact projects, aiming to achieve rapid improvements in a short time frame. The decision to prioritize batch changeover was made because it had the potential to immediately impact productivity and operational efficiency. By focusing efforts and resources on this specific area, the team made measurable progress that could be scaled to other parts of the business.

The following actions detail the methodologies used to address specific challenges, leveraging Kaizen tools to optimize the batch changeover process:

Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and future state mapping

The first step in the project was conducting a Value Stream Mapping (VSM) of the entire batch changeover process. This tool helped identify waste, bottlenecks, and areas for improvement. The team then created a future-state map that visualized the ideal process with streamlined steps and minimal waste. This map served as a guide for the improvements needed to reduce changeover times.

Spaghetti diagram

A spaghetti diagram was used to visually track the movement of materials and personnel during the batch changeover. By mapping the paths operators took and the flow of materials, the team identified unnecessary movements and inefficiencies that could be eliminated. This helped in reducing time spent walking between tasks and contributed to a more efficient changeover process.

Figure 1 – Example of a spaghetti diagram

SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Die)

The team used the SMED methodology to reduce batch changeover times. They identified 15 different types of changeovers and reduced them to just 9 by standardizing processes and eliminating unnecessary steps. SMED allowed the team to categorize tasks into internal and external tasks, streamlining and separating the work that could be done while the equipment was still running.

Root cause analysis

To further optimize the process, a root cause analysis was conducted to identify the true causes of inefficiencies and downtime in the batch changeover process. The team found that issues such as clogged hoses or filter bags were causing significant delays during the changeover. A chart was created to visualize each step of the process, highlighting potential problems and providing solutions to address them quickly and efficiently.

Automation of manual tasks

Several manual processes, such as reactor rinsing, were automated to save time and reduce human error. Previously, operators had to manually open valves for each batch. Using the control system, the team automated these tasks, significantly reducing time spent on manual interventions. The new automated processes were integrated into standard work procedures, ensuring consistent adherence across all shifts.

Creation of standard work and target times

To ensure the new processes were executed consistently, a Standard Work procedure was developed for the batch changeover process. Each task was assigned a target time, and operators were trained to meet those targets. This helped ensure that every changeover was completed efficiently, and any deviations from the target times were noted on batch sheets and addressed in follow-up meetings.

Kaizen workshops and continuous improvement

Throughout the project, Kaizen workshops were held to engage employees at all levels in identifying additional improvement opportunities. These workshops provided a platform for employees at all levels to contribute their ideas and collaborate on solving problems. The team also created a culture of continuous improvement, with regular reviews, real-time performance tracking, and follow-up meetings to ensure improvements were sustained.

“The team is now speaking the same language, which interestingly improved efficiency and continuous improvement.” – Paul Winkley, Plant Manager

Figure 2 – Follow-up meetings at MCP

Breakthrough results – achieving more than expected

The implementation of Kaizen principles and Lean tools led to measurable improvements in Mallard Creek Polymers LLC’s batch changeover process. These results not only reflect significant quantitative gains but also fostered a qualitative shift within the organization, creating a lasting impact on both operations and company culture.

Quantitative results:

• 56% reduction in batch changeover time, surpassing the target of 40%.
• Reduced the number of changeover types from 15 to 9, representing a 40% reduction and enabling greater standardization.
• Increased equipment utilization and improved production throughput, leading to higher overall efficiency.

Qualitative results:

• Enhanced consistency across shifts through standardized procedures.
• Cultural shift towards continuous improvement, with employees actively engaging in problem-solving and process optimization.
• Increased employee engagement and empowerment, fostering a stronger sense of ownership.

“The completion of this and the results of this project shifted the culture of MCP, as I believe all employees recognized the value of what we were doing and where we were headed down our continuous improvement journey.” – Nicholas Hartsell, Project Engineer

A cultural shift towards sustained success

The success of this project at Mallard Creek Polymers LLC stands as a testament to the power of continuous improvement and the transformative impact of Kaizen. Despite the team’s experience with continuous improvement tools, the collaboration with Kaizen Institute marked a turning point. What made this project different was the alignment of all levels of the organization. The Kaizen methodology didn’t just provide the tools—it fostered a culture of collaboration and empowered employees at every level to take ownership of the improvements. The team’s commitment to excellence and continuous learning drove them to not only meet the initial goal of a 40% reduction in batch changeover time but also to exceed it, achieving an impressive 56% reduction.

Figure 3 – The Mallard Creek team with the operational breakthrough award

This project was more than just a technical achievement—it was a cultural shift. The team learned to work together more cohesively and efficiently, breaking down silos and aligning on common goals. The success of this project helped solidify the idea that continuous improvement is not just a set of tools, but a mindset that can lead to remarkable results when embraced across the entire organization.