Mr Kaymakci, how did this year's ROI-EFESO Training Day go? What were the main topics?

Tayfun Kaymakci: Due to Corona, a full-day face-to-face event was not possible this year. But the "light version" as a four-hour online event also worked very well - we received very positive feedback from many of the approximately 50 participants.
This year's motto of our Training Day was "Learn and Connect", which means on the one hand to learn more about the approaches of Lean Management, Human Dynamics and Industry 4.0 and on the other hand to benefit from the exchange of experiences with experts and professional colleagues. In addition to practical presentations, there were interactive workshops that were very well received by the participants. The workshop on the topic of Industry 4.0 strategy and roadmap aroused particular interest. This also fits in with our observation that many companies still lack a "big picture" for digital transformation, especially with regard to holistic implementation.
This is also where the 70-20-10 model for workplace learning comes into play, which we also presented at Training Day. This approach helps to structure training and to understand which forms of learning are particularly important and have the greatest impact. After all, it is not just about attending trainings or seminars, but about establishing implicit application knowledge in the company. To achieve this, the right mix of training, social learning and "learning on the job" is crucial.

Which keynote speakers were there this year?

Tayfun Kaymakci: We were able to attract two TOP speakers in Torsten Krzywania, Head of Assembly Strategy and Planning at the BMW Group and David Laguarda, Global Lean Director at PAUL HARTMANN AG. Torsten Krzywania presented Industry 4.0 solutions and application examples that BMW has developed and implemented in several plants. The connection between operational excellence, lean management and Industry 4.0 became very tangible in practice - and how the use of digital technologies can give vehicle assembly a significant performance boost to work even faster and more efficiently with a high level of quality. This also applies to areas such as maintenance, factory planning or logistics.

In this context, was there a lesson learned or an aspect that was particularly valuable for the participants?

Tayfun Kaymakci: Certainly the point of how the full potential of digitalisation can be used. According to Torsten Krzywania, this could happen when processes are already streamlined and efficient. Then it naturally makes sense to use digital elements and tools to make the processes even more transparent and efficient. If, on the other hand, processes are still heavily afflicted with waste as we know it from the lean context, e.g. unnecessary transports, movements or high inventories, then there is a great danger that digitisation will not significantly improve things in the end. Therefore, both keynotes shared the practical experience of first implementing Lean and then moving towards digitalisation to make the production system and the processes behind it even more efficient. Torsten Krzywania's message was "Lean is Queen & Digital is King", which I think sums up this aspect very well. Lean is the duty and digital is the freestyle, perhaps that's how you could put it.

You also mentioned interactive workshops? What was this about?

Tayfun Kaymakci: Yes, in addition to the two lectures, there were also interactive online workshops on the three core topics, which met with great interest. For example, the workshop on "Industry 4.0 strategy and roadmap" was very well attended with over 20 participants. How can a strategy and roadmap for Industry 4.0 be developed and then implemented operationally?
The second workshop dealt with the topics of "Data Analytics and Industrial IoT". So how can data be used systematically and what does the entire IoT infrastructure in the company look like? The third workshop was about "Digital Leadership", i.e. leadership in the digital transformation. What do I have to consider as a leader in the change process when digitalisation is taking up more and more space? How can I pick up and qualify my employees accordingly, and also inspire and motivate them to some extent for the topic of digitalisation?

How do you interpret the high level of interest in topic one in particular - Industry 4.0 strategy and roadmap?

Tayfun Kaymakci: That shows me to some extent that many companies are obviously already aware of what digital technologies are possible and available on the market, from sensors to augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) to cobots, etc. But the big picture and target picture for Industry 4.0 is still missing in many companies. But the big picture and target image for Industry 4.0 is apparently still missing in many companies. How should Industry 4.0 be integrated into the overall strategy of the company? For many, this is still a new challenge in contrast to the topic of lean production, which has already been successfully practised in Germany for about 25 years. Numerous companies have already developed target images and implemented strategies for lean, set up a lean support organisation and operational excellence programmes and carried out large-scale qualification measures. There are already holistic approaches and numerous best practice examples, but this does not yet exist across the board for Industry 4.0. Because all of this is still relatively unclear, the interest or need for knowledge is still all the greater in this topic.

In this context, what is it about learning strategy and the 70-20-10 model?

Tayfun Kaymakci: This is a very decisive aspect from a qualification point of view, which we explained in more detail at the Training Day: How can a company position itself in terms of its learning strategy so that it qualifies its employees - including its managers - in a targeted manner for Industry 4.0? It's not just about attending training courses or seminars, but really building up the know-how implicitly in the company and working on the right implementation topics in the factory that achieve the desired effect.
To this end, I presented the 70-20-10 model for developing and implementing effective learning strategies in companies. The approach comes from human resource development and explains how internal employee qualification works best. For example, how much time should be spent on training, workshops, webinars, etc. and how much should be spent on social learning and learning on the job. The model recommends that 70 percent of the time should be spent on learning on the job, i.e. learning from practical experience. Through new tasks, project work, for example the implementation of an Industrie 4.0 use case, where you learn directly during the implementation. 20 percent of the time should be invested in learning from others, for example through feedback, coaching, mentoring, peer-to-peer learning, etc. Only 10 percent of the total learning time should be invested in formal learning, i.e. in trainings, workshops, seminars or certification programmes, such as those offered by ROI-EFESO. The division into 70-20-10 is not a fixed quantity structure, but rather serves as an orientation.

What was a take-away from the Training Day?

Tayfun Kaymakci: At the end of the event, we gave an outlook on our qualification offer for 2021, among other things. For example, we will launch new Industrie 4.0 certification programmes with a focus on data literacy, which we will offer either as a 4-day compact training or such a programme lasting over a period of 16 weeks and whose components include everything I just described with the 70-20-10 model. There are formal trainings, implementation projects and accompanying coaching and feedback from ROI-EFESO. These are precisely the building blocks that are intended to ensure optimal competence development - and with which you can ultimately develop a big picture for Industry 4.0 step by step.