When General Mills wanted to cut the time it takes to make a product changeover at a Betty Crocker plant, it turned to NASCAR for help. The food company sent a team to work with a Winston Cup pit crew “because nobody can change over a car faster than these guys can,” said Randy Darcy, senior vice president of General Mills’ supply chain operations. After studying the NASCAR crew, General Mills cut to 12 minutes — from as long as 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours — the time it takes to switch production lines from one Betty Crocker meal to another. One thing the mechanics learned from working with the NASCAR pit crew was to videotape each of the changeovers, then critique everything that happened.( Atlanta Journal-Constitution )(4-7-2003)
