LEAN 4.0 EXCELLENCE AWARD – Recognizing Excellence in Lean and Digitalization
How DS Smith Elevated Problem-Solving to the Next Level – Interview with the Project Leader Krzysztof Robak.
At this year’s LEAN ACADEMY, we proudly presented the LEAN 4.0 Excellence Award to DS Smith, a company that stood out with its innovative and consistent implementation of the APS – Advanced Problem Solving (A3 Problem Solving) digital tool. By expanding the tool across multiple plants, they showcased a strong commitment to a culture of continuous improvement and root-cause problem-solving. In a time when many organizations still operate in fire-fighting mode, DS Smith made a clear shift toward proactive problem resolution, a key competency in today’s business environment. We sat down with Krzysztof Robak, the project leader and driving force behind this transformation, who inspired teams to embrace a new mindset and approach.
How did your APS journey begin – what was the first step and why did you opt for a digital tool?
We first established a simple, one-page tool and clear triggers for when the RCA investigation should happen. We trained our colleagues in using the tool. We used Teams to share the RCA investigation results and findings. At some point we realized that this is not good enough – we decided to digitalize the tool to ensure better quality and improve the sharing of investigation results.
What were the biggest challenges in implementing APS and how did you overcome them?
As we implemented extra features that guard the quality of the RCA, such as the approval process, we had to extend the RCA process and involve more stakeholders in the process. That changed the dynamic of the RCA investigation, but also definitely improved the quality of the investigations and their outcomes.
How did you motivate teams across various plants to adopt this problem-solving approach?
The key is to have a good sponsorship of the process in division and plant managers. Additionally having a good governance where we measure the trigger vs. execution process, which shows the performance of the RCA process. Sharing good practices coming from RCA is also very useful in motivating the teams to carry out and share the RCA.
Can you share a concrete example of a problem successfully solved using APS? What impact did it have?
We have several cases when using the RCA tool, we found the underlying problems and we were able to identify the root cause that was lying in the area that was not obvious before we started the investigation. Having multidisciplinary teams working on RCA we can have a more holistic approach and bring more complex solutions to the root cause identified.
What do you see as the key difference between firefighting and the APS approach? How does this affect team mindset?
We are great at firefighting. This is typical for our industry. But firefighting is reactive and often exhausting and it cannot be the bases for how we run our business. Our RCA process with APS at its centre and with well-defined triggers, is giving us structure and it helps teams focus on what is important. Thanks to our process we have objective criteria for initiating analysis, we prioritize which issues require in-depth analysis and we promote learning opportunities through understanding root causes. This empowers our Teams, thanks to the multidisciplinary nature of the process, it helps break the silos in which our teams work.
How do you measure the success of APS implementation, and how are the results used for further improvement?
We track the performance of the RCA process and the quality of the APS investigations. We also use the outcome of the investigations as a source of best practice. In the next step we will measure cash cost reduction and reliability improvement to approach zero unscheduled downtime.
How has APS connected with other tools within your LEAN system? Have you seen synergies with TPM, visual management, or standardized work?
Absolutely. We have a direct connection of APS with our performance measurement system, so we can directly connect the APS tool to the triggers (downtime, quality time, etc.). We use our best practice sharing network to codify and share the best practices coming from the investigations. We use our performance hubs to gather the ideas for RCA investigations (extra triggers) and to share the outcomes of the investigations. This strengthens visual management by making problems and solutions more visible and reinforces standardized work when solutions are implemented.
What personally inspires you most about this project? What keeps you going despite the challenges?
I think the most inspiring thing is working with my colleagues, understanding how they use the tool and how we can improve the tool to meet their expectations.
DS Smith has demonstrated that the true power of digitalization lies not in technology alone, but in how it supports a culture of learning, collaboration, and accountability.
Their story is a powerful reminder that sustainable results are the outcome of bold leadership, a clear vision, and a strong commitment to people.
We thank our interviewee, Krzysztof Robak, for the honest and inspiring conversation and wish them continued success in future LEAN 4.0 & 5.0 projects.
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