Manufacturing Expert Offers Tips to Help Families Save Time

Most people spend far too much time wandering about their kitchen.

At least that’s what Richard Kunst says. Kunst is vice president of continuous improvement at La-Z-Boy, a company that has implemented new policies to reduce costs and improve the quality of their products.

Kunst is not as well known as Oprah or Dr. Phil but his advice was sought after at the 32nd Annual Operational Excellence Seminar on Sept. 20 and 21 at Utah State University. The seminar, which drew about 350 people, was hosted by a student-run organization within the College of Business called Partners In Business.

Kunst is the vice president of continuous improvement at La-Z-Boy and is an expert at implementing “lean” manufacturing principles. Lean is a philosophy aimed at reducing waste, improving quality and increasing productivity, which is increasingly being embraced in manufacturing, in part, because of the results that have come when the philosophy has been implemented.

Kunst is married to Mariela Castano-Kunst, who is the director of continuous improvement at Nestle Waters. He said they practice at home the lean principles they preach at work.

Kunst agreed to offer some tips about how lean principles can be applied in the home.

His 10 tips for a more organized family life are as follows:

Everyone has a morning routine. Take a look at how much wasted motion is in that routine. For example, Kunst said he has organized his kitchen so everything that is needed to make his cup of coffee is located near the coffee machine. Their kitchen cupboards are organized not by types of dishes but by meal categories. “Everything in our kitchen is zoned by meal or snack,” he said.
Put a computer in a common busy area like the kitchen and have everyone post and update their schedules on a daily basis. Notes to family members can be left on the computer, instead of on scraps of paper.
Plan to take care of certain household chores on a consistent weekly basis. For example, laundry could be relegated to Mondays, shopping to Tuesdays and general household cleaning to Wednesdays.
When it comes to cleaning house, divide it into areas and get everyone involved at the same time. Make sure everything has its place. “We have found that by adopting lean principles to keep the house clutter free, it’s a lot easier to keep the house clean.”
Avoid what Kunst calls the “basement to the attic theory” that happens when one part of the house, such as the basement, is cleaned by moving boxes to another part of the house, such as the attic. If you do have items you want to store, put them in a box and date that box. If you haven’t used those items in a year, throw them out, Kunst advises.
Draft a family mission statement. Develop a plan for when big projects such as remodeling are to be done and vacations are to be taken. Establish a roadmap and include milestones so progress can be measured.
Kunst advises families to take digital pictures of all their closets and drawers. That’s also a good way to document what is in your home, he said. Before and after pictures can also help you recognize the progress you’ve made as you have organized.
Have all your bills set up so they are paid electronically without you having to deal with each one. This can save on the amount of mail you have to process.
Keep a running grocery list. Kunst owns a refrigerator that uses bar codes to track which supplies need to be replenished. It electronically sends its own shopping list to the nearby family computer.
If you don’t want to spend your time doing yard work, design your landscaping to make it easier to maintain your yard. Kunst said his lawn is set up so that there is no trimming necessary and all four acres of it can be mowed with riding lawnmower.

Kunst admits friends sometime tease his family when they see how organized they are. He said being organized creates time for his family.

“We actually spend more time doing the things we enjoy doing,” he said. “That’s really what lean is about: minimizing your waste and maximizing your resources. I think that’s what people are trying to do in their lives: maximize their free time so they can spend more time with their family and more time doing activities they enjoy.”

Kunst was one of several experts who spoke at the two-day seminar that drew students and business leaders who were interested in learning more about the lean approach.

Of the 350 who attended about 200 were students, according to Ross Robson, the director of the Partners In Business program.

“The 32^nd Operational Excellence seminar brought together renowned companies, organizations and individuals who have provided best in class examples of lean implementation and lean thinking from all over the United States and Canada,” Robson said. “The quality of the presentations demonstrates that the lean movement is alive and growing tremendously.”

Writer and contact: Steve Eaton, 435-797-8640