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Leader Standard Work in container glass: the daily, weekly, monthly cadence that actually works

14 min read · written by Lean Glass
TL;DR

Leader Standard Work in container glass means each leader role has a documented, time-blocked cadence of activities — gemba walks, KPI reviews, problem-solving touch-points, escalations — that runs whether the day is good or bad. Plants that install this consistently outperform peers by 4–9 OEE points within two quarters.

Contents
  1. Why Leader Standard Work matters in continuous operation
  2. Shift leader — daily cadence
  3. Hot-end supervisor — daily cadence
  4. Hot-end superintendent — weekly cadence
  5. Plant manager — weekly cadence
  6. VP Operations — monthly cadence
  7. How to install

Why Leader Standard Work matters in continuous operation

Container glass plants run 24/7. Shift handovers happen every 8 or 12 hours. Without explicit Leader Standard Work, every handover is a re-discovery of priorities. With it, each role has a documented cadence that survives shift, crew and seasonal change.

Shift leader — daily cadence

  • Pre-shift huddle (15 min) — KPIs, issues, today's priorities
  • Two gemba walks per shift (30 min each) — at start and mid-shift
  • End-of-shift handover (20 min) — KPIs, open issues, escalations
  • Maintain shift log

Hot-end supervisor — daily cadence

  • Daily production meeting (T1) — 30 min
  • Three gemba walks — coverage of every IS machine and forehearth daily
  • First-ware quality check on every job change
  • Defect Pareto review at end-of-shift

Hot-end superintendent — weekly cadence

  • Daily 30-min hot-end T2 huddle
  • Weekly defect Pareto review with quality and forming
  • Weekly maintenance review
  • Monthly KPI review with plant manager

Plant manager — weekly cadence

  • Daily 30-min plant T3 — top issues, escalations, resource conflicts
  • Weekly KPI review
  • Monthly governance to VP Operations
  • Quarterly campaign-and-decarbonisation review

VP Operations — monthly cadence

  • Monthly plant review per plant
  • Quarterly network review
  • Annual capital review

How to install

Leader Standard Work is installed via a Management Audit followed by a 90-day pilot at one shift or one line. Once embedded, plant rollout takes 4–6 months with internal coaching.

Frequently asked questions

Especially in continuous operation — this is exactly where rhythm matters most.

Written by Lean Glass — operators who have run every hot-end position.

Discuss this on your plant.

30-minute call with a senior practitioner. Bring a problem — leave with a direction.