Side-By-Side Training: Helping Management Step into Production’s Shoes Since 2005

Side-By-Side Training: Helping Management Step into Production’s Shoes Since 2005

A handful of times a year, A.Y. McDonald’s management team throw on their A.Y. McDonald t-shirts, place safety glasses upon their heads, and mentally prepare to step outside of their comfort zone. From there, each participant spends a number of hours shadowing a first, second, or third shift production employee. By the end of the training, A.Y. McDonald’s management team not only look the part but they have also gained more of an understanding as to how much effort and teamwork it takes to make the product and get it out the door in such an efficient manner.

The above scenario accurately describes one of our Side-By-Side Trainings. This program, which originated back in 2005, was introduced as a means of improving and increasing the lines of communication between co-workers. As it turns out, that is only just the beginning as to what a Side-By-Side Training actually achieves. For example, back when the program was new, A.Y. McDonald’s current President and CEO, Rob McDonald (then Vice President of Sales), shadowed a Coremaker and shared the following statement: “I learned that core boxes can take up to a half hour to warm up before production can be run and that when the run is done, the core box is taken down while still very hot. This surprised me. More importantly, I got to know the person I shadowed and got a taste of what the challenges of his job are.” Even thirteen years later, revelations such as these lead to an overall added appreciation, extra perspective, and help shorten the communication gap between production and management.   

You know that old saying, ‘step into someone’s shoes’? Quite literally, it means to take on a particular role or task that someone has been doing. By taking a step back from their own day to day job duties and, therefore, stepping into the shoes of those who mold the brass, paint the metal, inspect the part, and ship the product, A.Y. McDonald’s management team can see how the operation of a manufacturer comes full circle. Whether one works in Accounting, Product Management, IT, HR, or the foundry, everyone’s job holds a particular impact on the entire operation of a company. At the end of the day, Side-By-Side Trainings get A.Y. McDonald’s management team closer to the product and the people who create them!