Total Door

As part of our ongoing efforts to create continuous improvement in our company, our process and our product, we have recently worked with the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC) to run a couple of Kaizen events.

The first Kaizen event took place in August focusing on our aluminum fabrication department. The second one took place in October, focusing on shipping and receiving. A third one is scheduled to go over our quality process. Eventually, we will do one for every part of the plant and even some departments in our home office.

Kaizen is a Japanese word meaning “good change.” Toyota referred to it as “continuous change” and used it in the 80s to improve quality and efficiency. Today, it’s part of lean manufacturing. It helps a company find and eliminate issues, shorten lead times and eliminate waste – both in materials and process. It is not a tool for eliminating people or demanding more without providing tools and strategies to do so.

A Kaizen event involves all of Total Door’s area experts, the plant manager, members of the executive team and the people who actually work in the area we are focusing on. It begins with a brainstorm outlining the things we want to address and areas that are of concern. Then we go into that area of the plant and start mapping out the processes involved.

For instance, in the aluminum fabricating area, we used the Kaizen process to look for where there was waste, including waste of movement. What does overproduction add into the process? How much waiting time is there and what does it add to the process? How does the layout affect it? We did a spaghetti diagram to see if there was too much time walking around in the process and adjusted the work flow.

Once we had the data and a plan of action, we went to work. We cleaned the whole area and got rid of old and outdated materials that no longer added to the process or needed to be there.

When we were done, we had 15 items to follow up on. It took us 30 days to achieve them. But it was well worth it. The department before this struggled to get a good score in our weekly 5S (Sort, Set In Order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain). Since our Kaizen event, it has consistently gotten 100% in their 5S. They are doing a great job following the new processes and keeping everything in it’s place.

By the time we have completed an event for every department, we will not only see improvement that everyone has been involved in, but we will have documented, sustainable, repeatable processes and procedures that will help when something new comes our way.

This is important since our business is all about creating customized doors. Things change every manufacturing cycle. Having processes in place that everyone is familiar with will keep us creating new and better products, no matter what your clients need in the future.

If you or your distributors haven’t fully embraced our DoorBuilder tool yet or if you’ve just gotten out of the habit, we’d like to remind you it is the fastest, easiest way to configure Total Door Systems and deliver a quote. It saves time and money. Plus, you can do it from just about anywhere, at any time.

DoorBuilder has been updated to include our new SafeFrame product. Using DoorBuilder you can quickly and easily quote and submit an order from any device with an internet connection – your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. It also gives you instant access to all projects quoted by your distributors.

If you need a refresher, review the DoorBuilder webinar. It’s a quick and easy tutorial, giving you an overview on how you can use this powerful tool to make processing sales easier and getting leads faster.

You can also review the tips we’ve shared this past year. In tip #1, we shared how to add, subtract and organize the columns in your DoorBuilder tool. In tip #2, we showed you how to search the tool by keyword. Finally, tip #3 showed you how to view a quote from one of your distributors.

If you have any issues, questions or suggestions about the DoorBuilder tool, please let us know.

Patricia Yulkowski, President and CEO of Total Door Systems was recognized with the “Soaring Eagle” award by a group of her Vistage Michigan peers during its virtual summit held Friday, September 25.

The prestigious award from Vistage, one of the largest and oldest executive coaching organizations in the nation, is presented to the member of a collection of executive groups that exemplify the leadership, problem solving, and service to other members that the organization works to foster among its members.

“In service to others would best capture the frame of mind of Patricia,” commented one executive member during the recognition event.

Patricia Yulkowski is second-generation CEO and President to the privately held, American-owned and operated Total Door Systems.

For nearly a half century, Total Door Systems has custom designed, built and installed fully integrated door systems that lead the industry in performance, innovation, and fire and smoke safety.

Under Yulkowski’s leadership, Total Door Systems in 2009 moved into a new facility and over a three-year period remade the company around LEAN manufacturing and continuous improvement principles focused on quality, sustainability and local sourcing. Their results: a 250 percent increase in capacity, 30 percent increase in efficiency, 40 percent consumption of natural resources, 50 percent reduction in emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), and 99 percent on-time delivery.

Local sourcing and sustainability are achieved with 98 percent of materials locally sourced, 25 percent recycled steel, 80 percent post-consumer content and 20 percent post-industrial recycled materials.

Yulkowski has directed heavy investment in team learning and education, as well as innovation and product development to ensure continuous relevancy and engagement. Employee engagement has increased by more than 40 percent during the past six months, and the investment has resulted in Total Door Systems being recognized for its manufacturing excellence and leadership by both the MMTC and the Society for Manufacturing Engineers (SME).

Yulkowski is a current member of the American Institute of Architects Michigan. She serves on the board of the American National Standards Institute/Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association Subcommittee (ANSI/BHMA), where she was also the immediate past president of the organization. Yulkowski also serves on the International Code Council, the primary, global organization that develops and establishes the model codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process. Yulkowski was also tapped by Oakland County Executive David Coulter to serve on the county’s Covid-19 Economic Recovery Task Force.