Microfiching For A Solution
How Output Technology Solutions Discovered Their Future
Through the Eyes of Teamwork
It would be great if we could waltz through life
without feeling the undeniable stress and anxiety large
problems can cause. Like water off of a duck’s
back, these strenuous issues would just fall to the
wayside—never to bother us again. We would all
have movie star smiles pasted on our faces and
unwavering confidence in ourselves. Reality just
doesn’t work that way. In order to realize
greatness, you have to fight. That earned
value—whether in victory or defeat—will
have a lasting, positive effect.
Some organizations choose to take the
duck’s role and ignore problems—treading
water until they are forced into an even more taxing
situation. Only a special breed of company grabs the
bull by the horns and searches for the difficult
answers. When Output Technology Solutions realized they
were struggling with a problem that had affected major
photographic film manufacturers for years, they took
charge. Cathy Burgess and her team never gave up and
ultimately reached their goals. The result of their
journey demonstrates that those who stand up and face
the ugly truth can come out on top.
As Thomas Edison once said, “If we all did the
things we are capable of doing, we would literally
astound ourselves.” The problem for many people
in today’s organizations is finding that outlet
to show their capabilities. For the lucky people at
Output Technology Solutions (OTS) in Kansas City, Mo.,
the opportunity was there for the taking.
As national director of archival and
retrieval for OTS and manager of their technical
services team, Cathy Burgess understands the power of a
working unit of people. She gave that team the
authority to do what they thought was right and watched
the empowered group solve a problem that not only
changed an industry, but saved their company over
$500,000 in one short year.
Mission Impossible
For years at OTS, the microfiche equipment and hardware
on the machine lines failed. As the problem
persistently worsened, the organization took action,
and the team of five engineers who had worked 15-20
years together—officially formed. “They
were meeting every day, continually working on the
problem,” states Burgess. “I met with them
twice a week to find out if they needed more money, my
signature of approval, financial support or any
additional resources.”
Originally they thought it was a problem with
parts, only to find that a few weeks later, equipment
was failing again. Unfortunately the new parts did not
solve the problems, but their measurement of those
results did save them time and money. “We are
proof in the pudding that you have to measure,”
says Burgess. “We realized the ‘parts
problem’ wasn’t the root cause—there
was something else.”
That “something else” was
discovered by chance, and only an enabled group of
workers could have taken the risk to follow-up. As they
pulled the circuit boards out of the microfiche
equipment, one of the team members happened to notice a
film on the board—a slight coating, when caught
in the light, could be noticed. They called the
manufacturer and tried to rub it off with alcohol, but
it remained.
“They really weren’t sure at
that point,” says Burgess. “They just knew
it wasn’t supposed to be there.”
Ultimately, the team found the substance was
amine—a water-soluble chemical. To remedy the
problem, they decided to take water-soluble soap out of
a dispenser and scrub each expensive circuit board with
a soft brush. After the cleaning, they dried the boards
with compressed air and popped them back in their test
machine. One of the team members worked all night,
staying after his regular shift to clean the 10 circuit
boards. They knew they had found the solution. Burgess
now jokes, “When the sun came up the next
morning, so did the machines.” All of the error
messages and problems simply went away. The boards just
needed a good bath. The team kept measuring, and sure
enough, they solved the problem. Their measurements
also found that the chemical would build back up in as
soon as one month. Although not as heavy as before, it
can still cause problems. Cleaning the boards on a
regular basis is now part of their preventative
maintenance—saving them from going through
further costly downtime.
The Triumphant Outcome
When the group’s results told their story of
victory, happy stakeholders, both internal and
external, lined up to give thanks.
OTS has a very large microfiche business,
and when the equipment was not working properly, it
meant that late product deliveries to customers were
possible. “It just meant we had to work harder
with other machines and spend more on overtime
pay,” says Burgess. The organization’s
goals of high quality and customer satisfaction went
hand in hand. “We had to keep customers happy,
but they wouldn’t be unless the quality was at an
extremely high level. That’s what they had become
used to.” As they fixed the problem, the process
became more streamlined. When the overtime became less
frequent, morale went up and they saved
financially—creating a positive effect.
Throughout the team’s progression,
they held regular conference calls with their
manufacturer in California, Fuji and Kodak.
“Those calls kept regular lines of communication
open with vendors and really helped to brainstorm and
gain confidence to go back and look for something
else,” says Burgess. Not only did they solve a
problem for themselves, but also for companies like
Fuji and Kodak who can now offer the knowledge to other
clients. Additionally, the manufacturers have already
sent out notification to their customers to inform them
of the problem and recommend the solution.
“The whole industry really benefited
by what the group did,” states Burgess proudly.
“The team knew it, too.” Ken Kopald, the
head of Fuji Micrographics North America, a leader in
the film industry, arrived on April 26 to give the
group an award for their efforts. The recognition was
unexpected. “The group was very humbled by the
fact that they had been recognized for something they
felt was their job,” says Burgess. “As a
team they needed to find out what the root cause was,
so when they were rewarded for that, it made them feel
really good.” As satisfied as the outside
appreciation made them feel, the intrinsic joy of
actually solving the problem outweighed any
award.
“I’ll never forget the day
they told me they had found the answer and how excited
they were,” says Burgess. “After going
through the whole process once and finding out the test
results weren’t getting them where they thought
they should be, coming back and finding the root cause
the second time was amazing. The awards were just icing
on the cake.”
The How and the Why
After watching her team come together and work smoothly
and successfully, Burgess reflected on the overriding
factor that figured in the outcome. “Teamwork.
Absolutely teamwork,” says Burgess. “That
was by far the most important contributing factor to
the achievement of this goal.” The team worked
worked various hours and various shifts; their
department had to be covered 24/7. In order for this to
work, they had a variety of people in the
group—one who works different days and hours than
anyone else, one who covers at night, one who leads the
group, etc. Teamwork came from knowing and trusting
that the person at night was testing and relaying what
he or she found to the morning group to carry on that
work throughout the day.
“Our team and department are like a
family and that was definitely part of their
success,” says Burgess. Of the approximately 75
people in the group, the majority touched on the
project, demonstrating effective communication within
the group and allowing all to share in the glory of a
job well done.
“We celebrated with the entire
group—not just the people who helped solve the
issue, but all of those who assisted with the testing,
those who allowed their associates to come over and
support the project, those who came to the meetings and
helped with the buy-in and those who covered for
everybody else—each one of the 75 people in the
department had a part in this and knew what was going
on,” says Burgess.
That sense of family coupled with the
feeling of responsibility and empowerment helped make
this a successful team. “They had worked so
closely together for so many years,” says
Burgess. “For me to come in and micromanage would
have stalled the project.” The team wanted to
take the risk because they knew they were correct. This
responsibility meant something to them.
That responsibility has carried outside of
the workplace as well. “When we travel to
conferences together, we wear matching outfits,”
states Burgess. “We like to look like a
team.” One night while having dinner in Chicago
during conference, the team met with an unexpected
visitor. “We went to Mike Ditka’s
restaurant, and unbeknownst to us, Mike was actually
there,” says Burgess. Ditka, head coach of the
1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears, was attracted
by the teams look. “He saw us with our matching
vests on and came over to our table specifically to
talk to us,” states Burgess. “His first
question was, ‘Wow, you are all wearing the same
uniforms. Tell me what your team is here
for?’” After chatting for a while, he
congratulated the team and wished them continued luck.
It was one of many fun times the group has shared
together.
The fun times have also taken them into
the surrounding community. “This group has done a
lot of community work with me and has really enjoyed
it,” says Burgess. “We’ve taken it
one step further into the Kansas City area.” It
carries on whether in the office or in the community,
they continue to be a very tight team.
It has been said that “the family
that plays together, stays together”, and that
adversity builds character and strength. Coming out
successfully only adds to the satisfaction—and
this group knows how to be successful. The members of
this team are now part of a distinguished group of
individuals that have been able to truly astound
themselves. Perhaps their determination and dedication
teamed with Burgess’ open management style will
give others the opportunity to travel the trail they
have helped blaze.
June 2001 News for
a Change Homepage
Issue Highlight —
A Sad and Grateful Remembrance
