Explore high-paying careers in clean, high-tech Connecticut manufacturing.

Name of NGM Educator:

William Trapp, Business Math, Cheney Technical High School

Name of Host Company:

Pratt & Whitney, United Technologies, Inc.

Grade Level:

12th grade

Student Work Types:

Type One:

Show slides of various products on board. Ask class for opinions as to what can happen if any of these were defective. What would be effect on customer? What would be effect on your company? How do we go about minimizing the risk that any of the results listed can happen? Through examples of different kinds of products, get class thinking about the effects of defective products on companies they might own. Ask for responses. Once we get a list of possibilities, expand this to effects just within a company and to paperwork departments that don't produce an actual process but still have an effect on the way the company runs. (Possible examples of this: accounting making billing mistakes or billing customers late, quality control saying a product is good when it's not or saying it's bad when it isn't, advertising making false claims about capabilities or shipping using inadequate boxes damaging products. From teacher developed list, have class make a spreadsheet listing different kinds of problems that could result from defective products or processes within a business. Have them try to rank these in order of importance or severity.

Type 2

Show slide of part and 2 sets of data representing a diameter of the part. If these represent measurements of the same diameter, ask class which set of data is best and why? Wait for responses. Create list. Using TI-83's, have class calculate mean and standard deviation for both data sets. Ask opinions of what class thinks standard deviation measures. Once answers are heard, explain standard deviation is a measure of how far the data spreads out from the mean. Now ask them if anyone would like to change their minds about which set is best. Why? Who would determine this? (Customer needs). But usually less variation is better. Have students practice calculating mean and standard deviation for other data sets shown on smartboard. Then assign homework from data sets presented previously to advanced algebra class.

Type 3

Put up pictures of rejected or defective products. Ask class if they thought a new company could survive making lots of products that no one will buy because the quality is bad? Why or why not? : Remind students of previous day's work. Tell them there are ways companies can make sure processes are running well. Based on what they saw in the data sets yesterday, ask class for ideas on how they might go about doing this. List answers. Steer them toward two possibilities: making dimensions easier to produce by increasing tolerances (if possible) or making process better by fixing machinery or buying new machinery. Tell them we will concentrate today on improving process and learn a way how to measure this. Put up slide of calculating Cpu, Cpl and, Cpk. Lead them through one calculation to demonstrate that it is not difficult. : Put up slide on smartboard showing 3 more data sets (with increasing Cpk's). Have students do the calculations. Ask if they notice a trend in the answers. Ask for ideas on how a company could possibly see such an increase. Show them that widening tolerance also has a positive effect if this is possible. Some companies are guilty of overdesigning parts which can cause lots of waste.

Type 4

Put example of data on board for complaints about cafeteria food. Tell them first I'll sort data based on 3 most popular reasons for complaints. Display bar charts showing 3 most popular complaints. Tell them this is called a Pareto chart. Explain that there are usually several ways of doing this and sometimes by changing how we sort, we can see some surprises. Ask class for opinions on other way to sort the cafeteria data. Make list on smartboard. Select equipment used as the second way to sort. Go through the charting process again. The broiler will now stand out as a major source of the problems with the food. Ask class, if they could only fix one thing, based on the Pareto chart, which piece of equipment would they fix or replace? (Broiler). Hand out data on other processes class can relate to. Ask them to pick examples they want sort and, with a partner, sort the data however they want.

Type 5

Ask students if they've ever experienced a business or store where it seemed you walked all over the place to accomplish some relatively simple task. (Maybe in the shops or at CWE experience). Ask them if they didn't think this was a big waste of time for the company involved. Put slide of spaghetti chart on board. Explain that this is from a real company involving a real part. Have volunteers read off interesting data such as part traveled 2 miles and was crated and uncrated 4 times. Ask class what would result from all this moving around? (Possible answers include wasted time, damage to part, fatigue, late deliveries, wasted space and wasted time). Explain idea of kaizen and manufacturing cells. Put slide of the after condition and ask them if they see what a difference the changes made. Give class simple examples of work cells including some involving office practices. Using a clean spaghetti chart form and working in teams, have class propose ways to make improvements (possibilities include rearranging equipment, reducing or eliminating duplication or going back to same work station two or more times). Once they've decided what to change, have them replot equipment, etc. on spaghetti chart. Then they will compare the new process with the old and, using the scale of the grid, calculate the savings from switching from old process to new.

Type 6

Ask class if they will give estimates of how long a part spends in a value-added step (being worked on) compared to the time in a non-value-added step (waiting, moving or in other processes doing something customer won't pay for). Create a list on board with student's estimates. If anybody guesses real low like 3 or 4% congratulate them because that's about what the number is like in the real world. Put up slide of real example. Tell class this is from a real part at a real company. Walk them through how to do a simple value added mapping. When finished, have class total value added time and total time. Calculate percentage. : Give teams handouts detailing manufacturing sequences and other types of sequence. Have teams do the value stream mapping.

Task Abstract: Students will be led through six major topics regarding process improvements and how they are actually being done in businesses in Connecticut today. They will gain an understanding of statistics and variance and how it applies to process controls. Also they will be able to generate Pareto charts, Spaghetti charts and value added maps.

Task Objectives: Students will be able to calculate mean and standard deviation on large data sets using assists from technology, they will be able calculate Cpk's and relate these numbers to how many bad parts a process will produce. Also they will be able to analyze data and generate Pareto charts, Spaghetti charts and value added maps.

Esssential Understandings/Questions: Students should realize that large amounts of variance in a manufacturing process is usually a bad thing. By calculating Cpk's they can get an idea of the number of bad parts that process would yield. Finally they should be able to look at a process and analyze to understand where it could best be improved. They should also understand that process improvement is not static buy should be ongoing.

Task Description: After seeing examples, students should be able to calculate means and standard deviation and then compute Cpk's. They should also be able to analyze a process using some visual tools and figure out where and how to make improvements.

Resources Required: Smartboard, Excel, TI-83's examples of Parteo charts, Spaghetti charts and value stream mapping. 

Prior Learning Required: The students should have a basic knowledge of statistics and estimating from previous courses.

This work will be produced in a classroom setting. The class is called Business Management and concentrates on Entrepreneurship.

There will be ample opportunity for team work as well as individual work.

This section should appeal very well to special needs students as well as those whose learning is enhanced by other learning styles such as visual and tactile learning. The pareto charts, spaghetti charts and value stream maps are easy to understand representations of the process improvement techniques.

Educator Comments: This should be an extremely valuable unit. It will take place near the end of the year when many of the other concepts of starting a new business have become second nature to the class. With its appeal to different learning styles and concepts that make sense, it should mesh well with the class learning from the rest of the year and give them ideas about what they can do to enhance the chance of their new business surviving.