Global Zero Loss Culture Leader at General Mills [NYSE: GIS]

Evelyn Watson

I believe in Zero. I believe in the capability of all employees. I believe that the “Power of culture” and the “Power of zero” are two areas leaders should continue to focus on to grow and transform their organization. The Power of Zero helps set the stage for team culture. Waste or loss (what we refer to as zero) is attainable through process rigor and increasing employee’s capability to eliminate the need for team intervention. This mindset empowers teams to identify, address and resolve issues on their own. The Power of Culture creates a sustainable team that is inspired to strive for Zero, engages all team members to activate the Zero Loss strategy and holds each team member accountable. The combination of both powers will elevate the transformation of a standard manufacturing site to a world class manufacturing site; it will optimize a supply chain network and meet the demands of customer needs.

The world is in crisis and customers need our products more than ever.  To meet the demand, we are not only tracking to produce, but finding ways of working differently and more efficient.  We know we must tap into total employee engagement, in conjunction with building capabilities to ensure we continue to be a leader in the industry. Zero Loss culture is our organizations version of Continuous Improvement, Operational Excellence, TPM and Lean Manufacturing combined. The mission of Zero Loss Culture is to create a competitive advantage through a Zero Loss Culture that cannot be duplicated (by others) and deliver repeatable results (can be duplicated by us).The Zero Loss Culture vision is for every global supply chain team member to have an undeniable belief and passion for driving zero loss to create an on-going competitive advantage for our businesses.

"The world is in crisis and customers need our products more than ever.  To meet the demand, we are not only tracking to produce, but finding ways of working differently and more efficient"

In the mist of a global pandemic we have been able to leverage out Zero Loss Culture processes, tools and strategies to accelerate our performance to meet business need. I say with confidence, that making Zero Loss Culture a priority has created stability and/or operational gains in performance across our global network. Our China and Latin American regions particularly have accelerated performance significantly, enabling business growth.

                “The implementation of Zero Loss Culture in Guangzhou plant in China has tremendously contributed to delivery of record high SU at 76.2 percent, which has enabled 26 percent incremental cases and $6MM incremental RNS YTD.”

                                                                                — Thomas Chen, China Manufacturing Director

                “Zero Loss Culture tools have provided us structure to support the operations and improving our team engagement and the retention of our talents. In addition, we have seen an increase in System Reliability, reduced waste all while ensuring the safety of our people and food.”

                                                                                — Evandro Privatti, LATAM Supply Chain Director

In these difficult times, our manufacturing sites have met the challenge and are continuing to strive for manufacturing excellence, utilizing Zero Loss Culture tools and methodology and building the capability of their teams to ensure future sustainability.  Manufacturing is critical to our world; efficient and effective manufacturing is critical to our businesses. Through my career, I have learned the value of investing in your people to develop a culture where the rigorous processes we will deploy can be sustained. The tools and processes are no secret in the industry, you can read about them in several books or websites, those alone will not lead to Supply Chain optimization. It has been proven to me that the critical factor to driving change is your people, your culture! Take the time to develop their belief in Zero, their capabilities and their desire to win and your competitive edge will be elevated.