ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Ventana Medical Systems: Sustaining Lean
By Lea A.P. Tonkin
Commitment to “the lean journey” at Ventana Medical Systems began in 2001, and its transformation continues, thanks to the engagement of employees throughout the organization. Gilbert Valencia, operations manager, and Guru Pejavar, senior group lead, both of Global Reagents Operations in Tucson, AZ, recently recounted “lessons learned” along the way as part of their presentation during the AME Champion’s Club gathering in Tucson.
A key emphasis in Ventana’s lean initiatives is the company’s mission – to improve the lives of all patients, said Valencia. The company’s vision: Achieve global leadership in tissue-based diagnostics through innovations in science and medicine that increase testing efficiency and improve medical value.
During his presentation, Pejavar described key activities in the first phase of Ventana’s lean initiatives. The organization focused on team structure and lean basics, managed for daily improvement, lean production lines, policy deployment, and value stream mapping. Building on this foundation, Ventana created systems and metrics, later focusing on cultural transition and sustaining lean.
In its next (second) lean phase, Ventana expanded into kaizen (improvement) projects outside of manufacturing. Its manufacturing excellence efforts began to encompass customer education about lean concepts, visual management, and the culture change process (adjusting the ways people work together and interact, while building a culture of accountability). Meanwhile, its “back to basics” work included defining and implementing standard work in manufacturing, lab processes, planning, and finance.
Employee engagement in all areas of the organization powers Ventana’s lean progress, Pejavar said. He noted that engaged employees are fully involved in process improvement, tracking performance, and sustaining performance improvements. Weekly project updates, standard work audits, brainstorming project ideas and progress, and policy deployment activities support their involvement.
Engaged employees see problems and offer solutions, take ownership for change and make it happen, seek new challenges, selflessly help co-workers and customers, speak with pride about the company and its stakeholders, and are willing to go above and beyond what is expected to help the company succeed, according to Valencia and Pejavar. They shared details on employees’ improvement ideas that resulted in process improvements (automation cart line board and improvement in the process in which slides are stored for drying before they are assembled into control slide products). General employee feedback and team feedback during staff meetings with managers, quarterly structured focused feedback sessions with the vice president of Global Reagents, and cross-sectional feedback sessions with executive leadership generate suggestions for improvements and related action items.
Lean leadership, selective semi-automation solutions, and other activities in Ventana’s third lean phase paved the way for its current lean activities. The company is developing and refining initiatives in employee recognition, employee engagement, and sustaining lean. Among its recognition activities are Star Awards (peer-to-peer recognition) as well as employee of the month and new product launch recognition. Ventana’s quarterly incentive bonus for direct labor is self-funded by savings generated (no quality issues in the field and no safety-related lost work days).
Ventana uses standard work audits to support its sustainment goals. During weekly standard work audits, team and group leaders evaluate the standard work of the teams (not their own). Their reports, using a standard checklist, highlight areas for potential improvement; these results are posted on a metrics board. Standard work includes hour-by-hour charts, standard work sheets (takt time), unplanned absence and actions, and resource sharing.
Cultural Beliefs
Ventana’s eight cultural beliefs provide a foundation for its continuing lean journey. They are:
- Align to shine. I collaborate to ensure alignment in achieving company results.
- Own it. I own our results, refuse to blame others, and continually ask, “What else can I do?”
- Everyone counts. I value and recognize your contributions.
- Create balance. I own Ventana’s financial success by creating customer and employee satisfaction.
- Act on fact. I use facts to make intelligent, informed, and timely decisions.
- Involve others. I reach out across global and cross-functional boundaries to achieve results.
- Speak up. I speak up to ensure open and candid communication on all issues (the good, the bad, and the ugly).
- Improve it. I continuously look for ways to improve and innovate to achieve company results.
About Ventana Medical Systems
Ventana Medical Systems employs approximately 1,300 associates in North America. Its Tucson operations include commercial, manufacturing, and research and development, with about 200 employees. The company targets 24% annual growth. Ventana was acquired by F. Hoffman-La Roche in 2008 and is a division within Roche called Roche Tissue Diagnostics. Ventana’s core business is pharmaceuticals and diagnostics (tissue-based diagnostics used in cancer detection to assure treatment that is appropriate for the patient).
