Even with the implementation of so many lean techniques, excess inventory is something most manufacturers have to deal with. Improving your operation to reduce overages is a priority, but what do you do with extra SKUs in the meantime? According to Gary C. Smith, who wrote Modern Materials Handling’s “Other Voices: Nine inventory management mistakes,”… Read more

When you talk about manufacturers, you cover a massive range of products, companies, and jobs. Despite the variety, they are united by their similar industry challenges. Solving these issues and establishing the industry as a valuable economic sector is what brought together the manufacturers of central Illinois. In early 2015, regional manufacturers of everything from… Read more

The manufacturing industry survived the economic downturn, but it now faces a grim outlook of a different kind. The number of skilled workers entering the industry is nowhere near the growth in jobs, and the present skilled workforce is aging out of the field.  The increase in demand for goods and products does a company… Read more

A case study of how manual material handling equipment saved one manufacturing company money and boosted productivity. Mobile equipment and carts are used in many industries from manufacturing to healthcare. They’re designed to make life easier and work leaner, especially for pushing and pulling tasks. Darcor released a white paper that discussed in detail the… Read more

Three solid strategies to improve productivity in manufacturing Thanks to strategies like Lean, Six Sigma, and other methods of Continuous Improvement, manufacturing is becoming faster, smarter, and more cost effective. These methods along with Labor Management Systems have helped companies identify various forms of waste and non-value added tasks. Eliminating and/or optimizing these activities make… Read more

If you are looking to improve your manufacturing quality, make sure you ask these four questions about process, customers, and employees. Poor quality is one of the most important costs for any manufacturing manager to eliminate. Scrap material and lost labor are extremely wasteful, and a damaged reputation can be devastating. When developing a strategy… Read more

How to integrate lean manufacturing with Six Sigma using 5 approaches that help overcome obstacles. Both Lean and Six Sigma are popular strategies that manufacturers implement for Continuous Improvement. Six Sigma focuses on process quality while Lean emphasizes turn-around. As with any Continuous Improvement concept, these approaches can be combined to optimize a process. However,… Read more

Continuous improvement for personalized, fast delivery with agile manufacturing. When a manufacturer implements lean practices, he doesn’t just transform a process to reduce waste. He sets up a means for continuous improvement. By analyzing both how well production succeeds under lean and also other continuous improvement practices, companies can find the exact Standard Operating Procedures… Read more

Need some better examples of how to implement 5S into manufacturing? Follow these tips for better efficiency. If you’re a manufacturer, you’re likely familiar with the 5S process. A part of the Kaizen philosophy, this lean method is a foundation that supports JIT, cellular manufacturing, total quality management, and six sigma initiatives. It is an… Read more

Before doing a time study, make the proper preparations to save time and money, including a multi-functional solution. In an effort to support “Continuous Improvement,” manufacturers are employing time studies to help drive improvement. A bit different from the motion studies of the 19th and 20th centuries, time studies ascertain how long it takes to do a… Read more