7 Micro Incisions. 2 Vital Organs. Zero Margin of Error.

THE SCIENCE OF CERTAINTY. / www.connectpositronic.com1

JUL 2019

IN THIS ISSUE

Strategic Initiative Update 1 Kaizen (改善)Sales Success Story 2 Training our Channel PartnersGlobal Moments 5 Implementing Epicor 9 at

Plasmotech 6 PIMO and PISAS Rivalry – Women’s World Cup Soccer 7 PIPL Celebrates India Win

over Pakistan During World Cup Cricket Tournament

7 Cozy Corner Opens at PAPL 8 Celebration of Hari Raya

Puasa in Singapore

Kaizen (改善) by Dwight Pepper, LSSBB

Positronic has been working toward adopting Lean throughout the past fiscal year. As we continue to move forward with our Strategic Imperatives, it is important to review the subject of kaizen, which is the basis of Lean. As a reminder, Lean is a method for eliminating waste from processes which improves efficiency, quality, and profit margins. But what is kaizen? Kaizen means to change for the better. We are first going to take a deeper dive into the translation. After understanding the meaning, we will look at how kaizen is applied within organizations. Lastly, we will look at the results of kaizen.

I believe it is important to understand a foreign word in its own context in order to fully grasp the meaning. The word “kaizen” is comprised of a Japanese phrase, which literally translates to change good. However, there is more to the phrase. The “change” character, or kai, on the left is made up of two characters itself – the one on the furthest left, that looks like a 2, is self and the one directly beside is a picture of someone hunched over to be whipped. This is change, to self-whip. Sometimes this character is used for revolution.1

Now, let’s talk about the “good” character, or zen. This character is also made up of two characters, one on top and the other on the bottom. The one on top is sheep and the one on the bottom is a picture of an altar. This is good, to sacrifice. As in many cultures and beliefs, sacrifice is performed to bring about prosperity for the people. Altogether, this phrase paints a picture which shows that to change for the better, we must perform self-discipline and at some point, everyone must sacrifice for the betterment of those around them.1

STRATEGIC INITIATIVE UPDATE

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7 Micro Incisions.2 Vital Organs.Zero Margin of Error.

改善

Continued on page 4

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3THE SCIENCE OF CERTAINTY. / www.connectpositronic.com 2

SALES SUCCESS STORY

In early June 2019, Positronic hosted two full days of intensive training in Europe for a highly motivated group of our channel partners. In attendance were Neumueller, Astute and MSA Components from Germany, Milexia, CEL and Air Cost Control from France, Milexia and CPE from Italy, Astute Electronics from England and Radiotechnica from Poland.

The training content focused heavily on product knowledge and application exercises, as well as fundamentals of electricity concepts and formulation of equivalent circuit diagrams. Attendees were also challenged with calculations of linear power density on power connectors, which details the methods employed in our industry and allowed us to compare products by specific performance features, such as efficiency.

Distinguishing features of Positronic products, such as modularity, press fit and hermetic properties were presented in context with academic considerations such as creepage, clearance, current and power ratings.

Training our Channel Partners by Gaby Mindreci, Director of EMEA Sales

“With a strong and growing sales-partner presence throughout Europe we find many new faces on the front lines facing our customers, and our duty is to ensure these dynamic and enthusiastic forces of representation are able to close deals and to secure new design-ins. “Sales teams must be competent, and a major component of competence is knowledge!”

Gaby Mindreci – director sales EMEA

Continued on page 3


A vibrant session on contact installation guide and crimping procedures kept the participants’ interest high and the hands-on involvement was intense.

Samples were pervasive and all features encountered during the application exercises were explained in detail.

At the end of every session, an online quiz forced ad-hoc teams to compete with speed and accuracy in answers.

New products, the connector selection guide, website utilization, the sample kit and a D-sub family overview were all captured during these two intense days of training.

Special thanks to Claire Cave for organizing the event and preparing the catalogs and samples, and furthermore, special thanks to Stephane de Monicault for preparing the hands-on crimping and installation guide session as well as the effective online quizzes at the end of each module.

This training session was a definite success as the participants were evidently excited and motivated when they left with more knowledge in their sales-tools arsenals. Go Positronic!

SALES SUCCESS STORY

Learning How to

crimp

Continued from page 2


STRATEGIC INITIATIVE UPDATE

Next, let’s talk about how kaizen is used within organizations. Foremost, kaizen is a method for creating incremental changes. In the book Atomic Habits, James Clear discusses that a 1% change for the better every day for one year gives results which are 37 times better (1.01365 = 37.78).2 Small changes add up very quickly! This is the first method which organizations use – everyone performs a small change for the better every day. For example, an employee picks up a connector component up off the ground on the way to lunch. The next kaizen method organizations use is called a “Kaizen Blitz” or “Kaizen Week”. This is a short event focused on a process or area. The event generally uses value stream mapping, brainstorming, and Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) tools to identify and implement improvements.

Another application of kaizen happens every day using Manage for Daily Improvement (MDI) boards. The MDI boards are posted at each connector line on the Assembly Floor, in Plating, in Quality Assurance, in the Warehouse, and in the Metal Fabrication areas. These boards act as a visual for the individuals who work in the area. Items tracked on the MDI board can be hourly yields, issues that need resolution, labor hours, and job counts. The boards also serve subjectively as area members achieve progress and personalize the information.

Finally, let’s examine the results of kaizen. The PIMO site of Positronic has recently become more familiar with Kaizen Week. As of the end of June, there have been a total of ten kaizen events, which have resulted

in approximately $2MM annualized savings. In one Kaizen Week event, a team composed of individuals from different departments, worked to reduce gold loss by 50%. The team met the goal and achieved annualized savings of almost $500,000. In another event, a team worked to reduce CNC setup time. This team was able to realize an increase in utilization by 20% by reducing the setup time – the annualized savings are approximately $200,000. In addition, the MDI boards have resulted in over 100 issues resolved. These issues range from issues which stop production to improvements which increase efficiency.

To finish the topic of Kaizen, I want to share a different kind of result story. The British Cycling Team had remained stagnant for 100 years. Since 1908 the Team had only won one gold medal in the Olympic games and had not won a single Tour de France. The fate of the team changed in 2003 when Coach Dave Brailsford was hired. Brailsford was different from his predecessors by implementing a technique he called the “aggregation of marginal gains”. Brailsford pursued 1% changes for the better in as many biking factors as possible: rubbing alcohol on the tires for better grip, wearing electronically heated shorts to maintain ideal muscle temperature, and hiring a surgeon to teach the best way to wash their hands in order to prevent sickness. After the accumulation of hundreds of improvements, the British cyclists won 178 world championships and 66 Olympic or Paralympic gold medals and captured 5 Tour de France victories; all of this was completed in 10 years from 2007 to 2017.2

The beauty of organizational improvement is that there are nearly an endless number of variables to improve. Making better choices is not easy though. Each one of us must institute self-discipline. Each one of us must be prepared to sacrifice time or even pride. The spirit of kaizen is not just a big change all at once. The big change is seen as a result of everyday steps towards improvement.1 Schmidt, Brad. “Lean Lingo Explained.” Gemba Academy, 11 Dec. 2018,

www.gembaacademy.com/school-of-lean/lean-lingo-explained-course.

2 Clear, James. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Avery Publishing Group, 2018.

Continued from page 1


PIMO/GLOBAL MOMENTS

17 June through 21 June, Gen Carvel and Dusty Young traveled to Singapore to kick off the implementation of Epicor 9 for Plasmotech. Key members of the PAPL and Plasmotech teams were identified and assigned the responsibility of ensuring the success of the implementation and providing support and training to Plasmotech users.

PAPL Team

• Charli Ng, Sales Manager – Sales & Part Maintenance

• Mike Tan, Inventory and Purchasing Manager – Purchasing, Inventory & Shipping

• Chee Ming Pet, QA Manager – QA

• Josephine Seah, Financial Controller – Accounting Functions

• Dallas Minnix, Systems Analyst Supervisor, Brad Givler, Systems Analyst, Lyle Benson, Systems Analyst, and Dan Loy, IT Support Specialist – IT

Plasmotech Team

• Chong Yixue, Business Development Manager and Huang Yimin, Lead Planner – Sales & Part Maintenance

• Huang Yimin, Lead Planner – Purchasing, Inventory & Shipping

• KT Yeo, QA – QA

• Tat Huay, Accountant – Accounting Functions

During the visit, Mr. Chong Yixue accompanied Gen, Dusty and Scott Foley to Batam, Indonesia, to tour the Plasmotech facility and SP Manufacturing facility. Mr. Tong Chee Kong, SP Manufacturing Operations General Manager, and Ms. Karen Moke, SP Manufacturing Business Development Executive, shared an informative presentation about the SP Group of Companies and provided a tour of their

impressive facility. After the SP Manufacturing facility tour, Mr. Chong Yixue led Gen, Dusty and Scott to the Plasmotech facility for a tour of their remarkable molding and tooling departments.

We are eager to work more closely with the Plasmotech team. The Epicor 9 implementation is expected to be complete by 30 August 2019.

Implementing Epicor 9 at PlasmotechBy Dusty Young, Director of Information Technology


PIMO/GLOBAL MOMENTS

PIMO and PISAS Rivalry – Women’s World Cup Soccer

On Friday, 28 June 2019, a very exciting soccer match took place during the Women’s World Cup. The tournament’s arguably best two teams – defending champions United States and host France – played in a pivotal quarterfinal match, one in which experts believed should have been the final.

Our PISAS and PIMO offices shared a fun rivalry prior to the game, each sending pictures of their Positronic offices cheering for their team.

It was an exciting and close game, with the U.S. taking an early lead, scoring on a free kick in the fifth minute. Another goal in the second half padded the U.S. lead, but France came roaring back with a goal in the 81st minute and kept the U.S. on edge with several late threats during the game. The U.S. team managed to hold on to their lead and reach the World Cup semifinals for the eight time with the 2-1 win over France. The U.S. team went on to win the Women’s World Cup, advancing in the semifinal game with a 2-1 win over England, and then taking the final with a 2-0 win over the Netherlands.

The France and U.S. teams will meet again in future matches, and both can be proud of their accomplishments in the World Cup. We hope that PIMO and PISAS can still be friends.

PIMO USA TEAM

PISAS FRANCE TEAM

PIMO SUPPORT TEAM


Cozy Corner Opens at PAPL by Roy Pau, PAPL Master Scheduler Occasionally, tough days happen, and we need a moment of peace. PAPL has opened a cozy corner, which allows employees to rest and have a moment of peace during their break time.

With this cozy corner, it is our hope that employees also use it to conduct informal discussions and that it becomes a groundbreaking space for creative ideas.

PIPL Celebrates India Win over Pakistan During World Cup Cricket Tournament by Chaitrali Walimbe, PIPL Human Resources Manager

Indians love Cricket! And when it comes to the World Cup Cricket Tournament, it brings out a different energy among us. On 16 June 2019, a well-known rivalry match between India and Pakistan was played, which is a very big deal for both countries. India won this match by 89 runs!

In World Cup history, India and Pakistan have played against each other 7 times, and India is leading by 7-0. The PIPL office celebrated this win over dinner the following day. We were pleased to have Mary Ling and KC Ng join us for the celebration.

We will be following the World Cup Cricket Tournament closely and cheering for the India team.

PAPL/GLOBAL MOMENTS

PIPL/GLOBAL MOMENTS


Hari Raya is a celebration for Muslims after a month of fasting, in the Muslim calendar of Ramadhan. In other parts of the world, it is known as Eid Mubarak. However, in Southeast Asia, it is more commonly known as Hari Raya Puasa or Aidilfitri.

On this festive day in Singapore, families dress up in traditional clothing, such as the Baju Kurung, Baju Kebaya and Batik. They commonly have the same color theme to match, especially on the first day. The day starts off with morning prayers in the mosque, followed by asking for forgiveness from family members. Furthermore, Hari Raya serves as a day for families to gather, usually to visit the elders.

Food and cookies, called kuih, are prepared by the house owners. The food served caters more to the Malays palette in Singapore, with items such as rendang, lontong, ketupat and other traditional dishes. Traditional and modern cookies or pineapple tarts, makmur and honey cornflakes are also popular.

A month leading up to Hari Raya, visitors can drop by Geylang Serai, Singapore, to enjoy the festival lights. In addition, there is also a bazaar and weekly cultural programs that visitors can attend to experience the festive vibes.

PAPL/GLOBAL MOMENTS

Celebration of Hari Raya Puasa in Singapore by Irwani, PAPL Finance Department

Irwani family photo taken during Hari Raya Puasa. Mrs. Irwani is indicated with the blue outline circle

7 Micro Incisions. 2 Vital Organs. Zero Margin of Error.

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