If you’re in manufacturing, you’re aware of the lean manufacturing movement. Called by many other things, like Kaizen and Continuous Improvement, it is the current culture of the industry. It’s the best practice for cost efficiency, productivity, and labor utilization. The problem is that there are so many ways to go about it that it’s… Read more
The holidays are upon us, and if you haven’t already beefed up your warehouse staff, you’re about to. The extra help may give you more hands on deck, but seasonal employees also come with some risks. These individuals don’t have the experience or ingrained knowledge that your veteran workers have. This makes them more vulnerable… Read more
Manufacturing has seen some amazing improvements in the last several decades. Tools and equipment make jobs easier and allow more work to be done in less time. These advancements alone, however, do not make manufacturers as successful as possible. Output is not the only factor to measure when you look at overall profit potential. Lean… Read more
Lean manufacturing really is for everyone, but the strategies to choose from don’t work the same for everyone. Smaller sized manufacturing companies can have a tough time choosing the best starting place for Continuous Improvement. The easiest and best first step is 5C. The 5Cs are: Clear Configure Clean & Check Conformity Consensus or Custom… Read more
There is no shortage of resources on lean manufacturing strategies, also known as Kaizen, or Continuous Improvement. These can be overwhelming to sift through and choose from, especially for smaller businesses. Small to medium sized manufacturers have different needs and resources than large ones. Therefore, these companies can have a difficult time deciphering where to… Read more
In our last article, we covered the basic differences between a Gemba Walk and Management By Walking Around. What is most different is the latter takes a structured approach and an intent to identify opportunities to implement lean strategies. One piece of this model is the Gemba Walk Evaluation Sheet. Depending on the manager doing… Read more
If you haven’t figured it out by now, Continuous Improvement requires a deep level of engagement and awareness. In order to identify where opportunities for improvement and lean strategies exist, management is encouraged to get out on the floor and interact with workers. This concept has been popularly practiced as Management By Walking Around (MBWA)…. Read more
Planning a Kaizen event takes significant foresight, but by breaking it down into simple steps that lead you through the process, you can easily plan a successful Kaizen Blitz. In part one, we left off at pre-event training. Here we will pick back up with pre-planning and the project itself. Pre-event planning You want to… Read more
As we discussed in this article, scheduling Kaizen events can simplify your approach to lean manufacturing. They help you break up your tasks and execute them in a timely, organized fashion. Once you understand some key ingredients to the events, you can start to put your first one together. Here is a quick guide to… Read more
In order for a manufacturer to stay profitable and competitive in today’s industry landscape, its management team must be working towards continuous improvement, or Kaizen. This idea of Kaizen is an umbrella for a lot of lean strategies that work to improve all processes. Some approaches include 5S, Just-in-Time, and Value Stream Mapping. Choosing the… Read more