You swore that this would be the year of 5S implementation and visual management improvement. Walk around the factory floor and point them out and drive home the need to show discipline in the face of a waning 5S program. The fact that a senior executive notices such things helps teach employees to “see” the problems in the future.
How long has it been since you met with your team leaders to recognize the results of their kaizen teams and performance improvement initiatives? Take time to ask each of them for an update. Listen carefully to their results. Praise their successes and encourage further improvement. Ask them about their barriers to further success and surprise them: Actually do something to eliminate the barriers! This will not only energize the team, but it will also drive further improvement and help increase profitability.
Read about other ways to keep continuous improvement alive on IndustryWeek, an Endeavor Business Media partner site.