In manufacturing circles, there’s a looming elephant in the room that we all know exists and needs to be addressed: what happens when the most experienced members of your team—the ones who know everything inside and out—move on?
The saying goes, “An elephant never forgets.” But if you’re relying on a few “elephants” in your operations to remember everything, that can create a huge risk. When they retire or leave, that knowledge walks out the door. For small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs), this can lead to disruptions, costly mistakes, and even limited growth.
So how do we tackle the elephant in the room? How do we capture the valuable knowledge in our team members’ minds and pass it down?
The Knowledge Transfer conundrum
Knowledge transfer (KT) is about more than just jotting down instructions—it’s about ensuring the years of expertise your workforce has accumulated doesn’t get lost in transition. And yet, for many, addressing this issue can feel like trying to eat an elephant: overwhelming and impossible to know where to start.
Here are some common challenges we’ve seen:
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- The time crunch: There’s never enough time to document processes when production demands are high.
- Tribal knowledge: Most expertise lives in people’s heads, not on paper.
- Training limitations: SMMs often don’t have the luxury of dedicated training staff to lead the charge.
- Generational gaps: Younger workers may not learn the same way seasoned employees do.
How do you eat an elephant?
You know the answer—one bite at a time. Tackling knowledge transfer doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing effort. Start with some small steps:
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- Identify roles or processes at risk: Pinpoint areas where knowledge loss would have the biggest impact.
- Start simple: Create checklists, basic job instruction sheets, or short video demonstrations.
- Foster mentorship: Pair experienced team members with newer employees and set clear mentorship goals.
Why we’re talking about this now
As CIFT works alongside manufacturers, we hear the same concerns: “We know knowledge transfer is important, but we just don’t have the time or resources to focus on it.”
That’s why we want to have this conversation—to explore what’s possible together. We want to understand how to best support manufacturers. Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that the elephant in the room doesn’t get smaller when ignored—it only grows.
What are your biggest knowledge transfer challenges? What’s worked for your team so far—and where do you feel stuck? We’d love to hear your thoughts as we build out resources for manufacturers like you.
We don’t want you sticking your head in the sand. (okay, I won’t drag another friend from the animal kingdom into this conversation!)
