John Sansoucy, head of lean manufacturing practice, Blackstone Management & Consulting
Sansoucy
John Sansoucy has worked in management positions for manufacturing companies including Hologic, Superwinch and Worcester's ECM Plastics. Now, he's helping a variety of manufacturers improve their operations as the head of Sutton-based Blackstone Management & Consulting's lean manufacturing practice. In this Q&A, he talks about what different companies have in common, the importance of seeing the big picture as well as the details and his tendency to work through lunch.
Vital Stats:
Age: 50
Residence: Douglas
Family: Wife, Patricia, three daughters, Katie (20), Danielle (15) and Abigail (13)
Education: Bachelor's and master's, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Previous job: Director of engineering at ECM Plastics in Worcester
Start date at new job: October 2009
Q. How are you settling in at your new office?
A. I am starting to better understand the dynamics of being a consultant. Getting to know the customers is an interesting experience. I know I can help them improve their operations, but getting the customer to see the vision and help move their organization in the proper direction can be a challenge.
Q . What's the biggest surprise you've had in starting the job?
A. The biggest surprise is discovering that manufacturing is manufacturing. It does not matter what you are making; any manufacturing program needs to follow basic disciplines to be successful. You need solid documentation and a verified process and the results will be predictable.
Once you have good measurements in place you can control and manage any process or system by making documented changes and measuring their impact. If you can measure a process, you can control the process. If you can control the process, you can improve the process. It does not matter what the product or service is.
Q. What challenges do you see in your new position?
A. The biggest challenge I see is acclimating to different workplaces and juggling multiple projects in different companies. Knowing one company intimately is easy but getting to know and understand a couple companies without getting drawn into the quagmire can be a challenge for me.
I am a detail-oriented person and this is what helps me deal with process development and process improvement. I need to keep myself at a level that doesn't pull me into "the swamp" and bog me down.
Q. How different is this job from your previous position?
A. I spent the last 15 years turning manufacturing companies from mediocre performers to streamlined operations. So there is little difference with what I am doing now. The biggest difference is I do the development for multiple companies not a single entity at this point.
Q. How close is this to what you imagined in high school you'd end up doing?
A. I was a very idealistic youth, and when I was 15 I knew I wanted to be an engineer and make things better for people. I never thought I would be teaching people how to make their own facilities better.
My parents laughed at me because I was always taking something apart to see how it worked. I even put some things back together and had them work again.
Now I help people fix companies because I understand what makes a manufacturing operation work successfully. I am more effective now at taking organizations apart and putting them back together with a higher functionality. My dad would be proud.
Q. Where's the best place to get lunch near your new location?
A. I am not a big lunch person so I have no idea where to eat. I usually work through lunch because I forget to stop.
Q. What do you hope to be doing 10 years from now?
A. In 10 years I would like to still be helping people create, develop and manage their businesses. I would like to grow my knowledge in other areas of business that I have not concentrated in to date. I would like to get back to school and broaden my background in marketing/sales and finance so I am more rounded and valuable to organizations.
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