The Army Air Corp (AAC) needed bomber planes. They contracted Consolidated Aircraft in San Diego to design and build the ultimate fighting machine. But once America entered WWII, the AAC needed thousands of these planes. The Consolidated B-24 Liberator, an American heavy bomber, holds records as the world’s most-produced bomber, heavy bomber, multi-engine aircraft, and American military aircraft. But it might not have held that record had Edsel Ford not stepped up to help build this bomber.
Consolidated Aircraft knew how to build planes but didn’t know how to build them quickly. It would take one month to build one plane. Edsel Ford and his right-hand man, Charles Sorensen, visited California and immediately saw problems. Ford and Sorensen laid out a plan that would eventually go from one plane built in a month to 650 planes a month.
Henry Ford said he would help build the bombers if they were built in Michigan. It took Ford Motor Company one year to build the 3.5 million square foot Willow Run Bomber plant as designed by Albert Kahn. By the end of 1944, the plant was producing one bomber every 66 minutes.
What does that have to do with your dealership? Think about the differences in approaching the task. A) is how Consolidated did it, B) is how Ford Motor Company improved the process, and C) is how this applies to your business.
PLANS
A) Consolidated Aircraft built every plane from memory. There were no blueprints, and because of that, no two planes were identical.
B) Ford Motor Company sent 240 drafting technicians and engineers to California to draw 5 miles of blueprints for consistency in each plane.
C) Are you like Consolidated or Ford when it comes to training your employees? If you create checklists and training sheets for each employee’s job in your department, pat yourself on the back. What are you missing if you start your training from scratch with each new hire? How consistent is the training from one employee to the next?
Start with a plan to create your “blueprint” to train your employees. Create a list of skills and processes new employees need to learn. Some of the tasks easily crossover from one department to another – such as logging in to the DMS or “punching” a time clock, so there is no need for each department to create the same document. Creating your training blueprints isn’t all on you. Your employees can and should help.
1) Have each person bullet point their duties as they do them. (It may be over a day or week) They don’t have to put the details, just the points. They can do this while completing the task so that it won’t be overwhelming. Create a sheet with 3 or 4 of these boxes. If you need a form, email us for the form at profitblueprints@gmail.com.
TASK: ___________________________________
AVERAGE AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT ON TASK______________________
CAN THIS BE BROKEN DOWN TO SMALLER TASKS? _________________
BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR THIS TASK (do you have to wait for something?) _________________________________________________________
2) Review their lists and select one task from each person’s list that someone else could do or help with (with the aid of a checklist).
3) Once everyone has submitted their list of tasks, selected one task from each list, set aside 10 minutes during the first week for everyone to flesh out the item you picked for them to detail. Give them guidance on the best approach for each one: Screenshots, quick videos, checklists. (If it takes more than 10 minutes – the task probably needs to be broken down into smaller tasks if possible.) Keep it up throughout the year, until you have training tools for every task and job.
4) Because of potential reluctance, make it fun. You could have a weekly drawing of completed training lists (after you’ve reviewed them), and the winner gets a gift card. The small amount of the “reward” is overshadowed by the benefits the dealership will receive with the documentation of the tasks.
EFFICIENCIES
A) Consolidated Aircraft built every plane from memory with one component at a time, and the parts were crafted individually. They waited until the aircraft was assembled to install the wiring.
B) Ford Motor Company introduced the assembly line and interchangeable parts to speed up the process and improve the quality of the product. They created tools and dies to reduce the time to complete tasks. They wired the plane as it was being assembled; thus, all they needed to do was add fuel once assembled.
C) Are you like Consolidated Aircraft or Ford Motor Company regarding efficiencies? When it comes to your employees, are they cross-trained in other roles? Can someone fill in when an employee is absent, or does the work pile up? Have you invested in the right tools to get the work done efficiently?
With your “blueprints” created from the first point, cross-training and having someone fill in is more manageable. Employees with identical training will positively impact the consistency and quality of their work – from a Technician doing a multipoint inspection to a Salesperson delivering a new vehicle.
Look for gaps in efficiencies, from the speed of your internet to the length of time a Customer is in the finance department to how long it takes to produce the financial statement. Do you have paperwork or parts pre-staged for employees? If you think of your processes as assembly lines, you want to eliminate downtime as someone waits for the “part” to continue their work.
Yes, I agree, this is a lot to ask, but look at the different results between Consolidated Aircraft and Ford Motor Company. Which company do you want to be?