Nails R US is a mid-sized manufacturer of nails. The company has an extensive product line but they essentially produce several different types and size nails. The management of the company announced that they were seeking innovative ideas on ways to save or make money. The announcement was made to the division managers who were asked pass along the information to individual employees.
The same process and material used to make 2x1 inch iron nails has been utilized for more than 75 years. Jack Paar, a line worker in the plant, aware of the new initiative, wondered one day what would happen if they sped up the process by combining two steps. With his plant supervisor’s permission, he tried the change and it worked great. It cut 8 seconds off the production time.
When the idea was presented to the plant manager, it was quickly shot down. Jack was told that the company was looking for real changes like creating a new nail product.
Is Jack’s manager correct about his assessment of Jack’s discovery?