Over a couple beers with an American and British friend we began discussing the “Not my job!” mentality with Chinese characteristics. In this instance, the cultural tweak involves a hidden hierarchy that would be difficult to replicate in the West. It seems the managers of both companies are having a difficult time getting their machine operators to understand that while the machines on the shop floor are cycling through production, during which the staff has down-time, there are machine maintanance activities they should be performing. “We’ve got a CNC machine that that relies on precise calibrations that dust and waste-product can interfere with. So while parts of the machine are not active, these guys should be making sure the machine is clean and the calibrations still accurate. Instead, when I’ve asked them why they haven’t been keeping the machine clean, they’ll say, ‘That’s the aiyi’s job!’” Typically, aiyi’s are middle aged, under-educated women who keep the corridors and toilets clean. “So how are they expected to know how to clean a sophisticated piece of equipment?” the American asked.

My British friend offered, “I shouted at a bunch of my guys one day when I caught them playing cards during production. The machine has very long cycle times, and they could have been cleaning up the area and the machine. If the insides of our machines get dirty, we can get set back six months in production because of contamination. But they don’t seem to connect daily maintenance with the consequences of long-term neglect.”

Maybe an agency should open up that hires out aiyis who nag machine operators to maintain their equipment.