Singapore, 27 February 2018

SMRT Driving Practice of Continuous Improvement Organisation-wide to Improve Workflows

1. In the past, equipment like fork lifts used to be parked far away from the work site and workbench tools were not sorted out by their frequency of use. Now, yellow tape on the floor marks out specified parking areas for forklifts closer to the users. Tools that are frequently used are neatly arranged within easy reach, with each tool assigned its place on the workbench. Work benches are also tagged with names of the workers who work there. In a large workshop like a depot, such proper arrangement, marking and assigning places for every piece of equipment reduces the time to access them, improves safety and strengthen workers’ sense of ownership. These small, individual improvements add up to big efficiency gains over time, and help instil a work discipline in the depots.

2. Thanks to the teams’ efforts at improving workflow and processes, overall workplace efficiency has improved. The target is to make frequent continual improvement efforts toward efficiency gains of 50% over the next few years.

3. SMRT management, engineers and staff have been working together as a team in the past months to drive transformational projects through continuous improvement by employing the methodology of Kaizen.

Improving Work Quality through Kaizen

4. In Kaizen, which means "change for the better", continual iterations of incremental improvements in workflows are made over time. SMRT workers, supported by their work team supervisors, are empowered to make such incremental changes to their workflows and processes. This cuts waste and improves the quality of work done while concurrently delivering better work conditions and welfare for the workers. Ultimately, this effort aims to deliver a much higher quality of work through instilling a stronger sense of ownership over staff’s work processes, as well as strengthen teamwork and workforce discipline.

5. At SMRT's newest train depot in Tuas West, ‘preventive maintenance’ for trains is done. Workflow improvements are made with the goal of raising the quality of maintenance work carried out (Refer to Annex A). Potential faults are addressed before they affect trains’ reliability and availability, avoiding time-consuming ‘corrective maintenance’ and failures during operations. Over time, SMRT will put in place more efficient workflows in all its depot workshops with better equipment, tools and processes. This will also enable our entire workforce to carry out their tasks diligently, and produce higher quality work through a stronger sense of ownership and accountability. The ‘5S’ method - Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardise and Sustain - is part of the Kaizen system of continuous improvement where work tools are tidied up, arranged for users’ better flow, kept neat and clean, and standardised across the system for efficiency.

6. SMRT is also bringing the Continuous Improvement mindset to the frontline at MRT stations’ Passenger Service Centre (PSC). They are the key touchpoints with commuters who approach station staff for help and information. The team at City Hall MRT station’s PSC has started applying this Kaizen effort to enhance the journey experience, and improve commuter satisfaction. Commuters can look forward to friendlier service touchpoints, more relevant service information and an overall better designed service counter. Changes include a re-positioned counter with a lowered counter height that is friendlier for children and wheelchair-bound commuters, full-height digital screens to broadcast timely service information and multi-language translation device for visitors.

System-wide drive, ground-up initiatives

7. Mr Gerard Koh, SMRT's chief corporate officer who is driving the Continuous Improvement initiative, said: "Kaizen is a way of thinking and organising everything - from continually improving workflows to the way our teams collaborate work together. Put simply, in everything we do, at all times, we strive to always do better, while always respecting the work, craft and the people involved. The aim is to serve our customers well, while also caring for our staff."

8. He added: "One of the immediate benefits we are seeing is our teams are enjoying a deeper sense of ownership and pride over their work. Discipline is also improved as work processes are simplified and staff find it easier to carry out the work instructions. By ensuring high quality work from start to finish, our staff develop a stronger sense of fulfilment from their work which in turn keeps all of us motivated. "

9. Mr William Seah, Union Chairman of SMRT Trains Union’s Maintenance Branch, said: “All efforts that empower SMRT staff to improve their workplace are certainly welcome. Better workflows and a disciplined approach to carrying out maintenance work is certainly important to improve reliability. I am glad that staff have embraced Kaizen methodology so enthusiastically. Their ground-up initiatives have resulted in improved workflows and efficiency gains at Tuas West Depot. Our union members are working jointly with management as Kaizen is rolled-out to the whole of SMRT.”

10. Mr Aqeel Kaskhy, an Assistant Engineer from the Wheelset Unit, Rolling Stock Workshop, said: “As we work daily on the train wheels, my team often talks about how to make our work faster, easier and safer. With support from the supervisors, I am glad that my suggestions to improve my team’s workflow have been implemented very swiftly within the week. I believe with continued support and Kaizen, we can make our ideas happen and keep improving bit by bit everyday which will add up to make things a lot better over time.”

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