Process optimisation

Throughout our 120 years of company history, Mohn Media has focused on the constant further development of our working processes, our materials, our machines and our communication. This was the background against which we established VIP management at Mohn Media in 2014, VIP being an acronym for “Verbesserung im Prozess” (“improvement to the process”).

The basis of VIP management is Japan’s kaizen philosophy: each employee contributes his or her own ideas to improve the company and actively implements these ideas during day-to-day work. We perform VIP at the site where it takes place (gemba) based on a comprehensive analysis of actual processes (gembutsu) with the aim of eliminating all forms of waste (muda). Our independent VIP team supports employees in the planning and realisation of all improvements.

We laid the foundation of VIP in our bindery plant. Mohn Media employees there developed their own rules and standards to lay the basis of process optimisation in their work. Due to the successful process, we were able to develop VIP into today’s modern, individual programme of excellence. The multi-layered, modular structure allows us to classify each area of work and to highlight the current VIP progress in each case. Our colleagues also continue to develop step by step – to this end, we have developed our own in-house training programme that every employee in our VIP areas undergoes. These qualification measures are complemented with workshops that take place directly in the working areas in question.

The six stages of the excellence programme

A change in culture

Our corporate culture makes Mohn Media unique and successful. For this reason, all employees follow our five guiding values and work on constantly improving them.

Cleanliness and tidiness

For more cleanliness and efficiency, each team follows these four steps: Triage. Create cleanliness and tidiness. Set standards. Follow and improve the standards.

Autonomous maintenance

To prevent machine downtime, the machinery team looks after preventing maintenance and regular care of the systems.

Surface and materials organisation

In order to make optimum use of Mohn Media’s capacity, a well-thought-out tidiness concept was established with marks, an ordering system and a storage system.

Set-up time optimisation

To ensure an effective set-up process, everyone follows the four-stage analysis with a review of the current situation, joint evaluation, derivation of what the target process should be and implementation of the optimised process.

Office organisation

A finely tuned system for document organisation in the office makes work simpler and faster. Furthermore, all colleagues follow meeting rules for positive mutual communication.

We transparently apply ourselves to the qualification and motivation of all colleagues, the maintenance of our machines, the optimum design of our workplaces as well as the efficiency of our working processes. The guiding values that we delivered together are an important component of VIP. They are the foundation of our VIP culture in which a collegial working atmosphere is at the forefront and in which new ideas can be drawn up for process optimisation.

The guiding values of our VIP culture

Good co-operation means that colleagues of all levels communicate with one another with respect, openness and honesty. This means that decisions are not only developed together, but taken together. Should these or other decisions turn out to have been incorrect, it is time to show a healthy level of  pragmatism. Mohn Media pursues a policy of being open about mistakes, so that defects can be seen as a chance to improve and are dealt with systematically. If a problem should arise, it is time to take responsibility : Everyone takes an active part in realising our improvements and contributes his or her own ideas. The solutions we develop are not intended to result in short-term success. Rather, we like to focus on the sustainability of our ideas. New means of optimisation are decided on in standards and everyone takes the initiative to address any deviations immediately. Mohn Media promotes the creativity of all employees and actively disseminates new ideas actively throughout the company. This allows all of us to secure continuous improvement from which we can all benefit.

In a company like Mohn Media, it is important to overcome challenges on a regular basis, and also to optimise processes together. Furthermore, VIP management offers us the chance to face future tasks with greater efficiency. This allows us to improve our working processes, materials, machinery and communication on a continual basis.