New program eliminates operational bottlenecks by training plant floor teams in root-cause analysis and proactive problem-solving.

LONDON, ON, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Unique Training & Development, a leading specialist in training frontline supervisors, managers, and team leads in manufacturing and operations environments, today announced the launch of its DRIVE Problem Solving Program. Designed for live delivery to manufacturing and operations organizations, the program equips plant floor workers and supervisors with root-cause analysis and frontline problem-solving capabilities.

The program arrives as manufacturers work to overcome several persistent industry challenges, including ongoing supply chain uncertainty, fluctuating material availability, and rising operational costs. Executives and operational leaders are investing significant time and resources to solve these problems, firefighting disruptions big and small while diverting focus from strategic business growth.

The bottleneck persists because problem-solving is centralized with dedicated Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence groups, leaving significant cost savings opportunities untapped. Only the largest crises get attention, while smaller, recurring shop-floor issues go unaddressed and quietly erode quality, safety, and productivity.

"Problem solving can't just reside with senior leadership and dedicated groups," said Greg Schinkel, President of Unique Training & Development. "Agile manufacturers capable of overcoming today's challenges and tomorrow's problems have frontline teams equipped with the tools and skills to resolve issues at the source."

The program leverages Unique Training & Development's decades of experience and firsthand insights from hundreds of manufacturing facilities to transform shop-floor culture by expanding an organization's overall improvement capacity.

Key capabilities and outcomes of the DRIVE Problem Solving Program include:

• Root-Cause Mastery: Frontline leaders will learn a structured methodology to identify and resolve a problem's root cause.
• Bottleneck Elimination: Decentralized problem solving allows lower-level operational challenges to be resolved immediately on the plant floor.
• Operational Capacity Expansion: Executive and engineering leaders are freed from routine daily troubleshooting so they can focus on high-level growth strategies.
• Measurable Frontline Impact: Teams can better protect product quality, strengthen safety standards, and ensure on-time delivery.

The program offers two options: DRIVE Problem-Solving Process and DRIVE Fast. The full DRIVE Problem-Solving Process is an eight-hour, on-site program delivered in a one- or two-day format. DRIVE Fast is a condensed two- to four-hour session delivered in person or virtually. It equips teams with quick-use principles and a shared problem-solving language without requiring a full-day release from production.

"Team members who are motivated and actively involved in solving problems demonstrate the true meaning of employee engagement by adding value and reducing the daily frustrations they experience on the shop floor," said Schinkel. "Training and empowering staff to develop the skills needed to achieve this has immeasurable long-term impact to an organization's overall operations, starting where it matters most on the front line."

To learn more about the DRIVE Problem Solving Program and download the assessment resource, visit https://uniquedevelopment.com/drive-problem-solving-process/.

Unique will provide a webinar about the program on October 21, register to join here. Schinkel, host of the Accelerating Operational Performance podcast, also discusses the layers of the program and how frontline leaders can benefit in the latest episode.

About Unique Training & Development

Unique Training & Development is a leading specialist in training frontline supervisors, managers, and team leads in manufacturing and operations environments. Founded in 1987 to equip leaders to maximize productivity, safety, and quality while increasing employee engagement and motivation, the company has worked with thousands of leaders from hundreds of companies across dozens of industries in manufacturing, supply chain, and operations. For more information, please visit https://uniquedevelopment.com/.

Media Contact

Kathy Berardi, Unique Training & Development, 1 6786444122, kathy@berardipr.com, https://uniquedevelopment.com/

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SOURCE Unique Training & Development