I was recently retaught a lesson that, ironically, I teach for a living. The consulting firm I work in covers not only Lean, but also consults and guides clients along with building and improving their Quality Management Systems. Often, we help clients see the parallels between these two topics, and how they each serve the similar purpose of reducing waste, reducing variation, and ultimately making it easier to deliver value to the customer. In this case, I was reminded of how important Visual Management tools are within reliable and repeatable processes.
Industry Insight
Metal Belts Provide A Cost-Effective and Improved Health Care Printing Process
When compared to belts made of other materials, metal conveyor belts offer multiple distinct advantages—including superior precision control, hygienic properties and customization options, among others. A producer of health and personal care products recently experienced these advantages firsthand in their printing process. They were disappointed with the inaccurate and inconsistent results from their traditional embossing and silicone printing processes and sought a steadier, more reliable and cost-effective solution. This led them to Belt Technologies.
Why 0% Of Lean Transformations Fail
If you’re actively practicing Lean, then you’ve probably also read other articles, blogs and claims about how 50%, 75% or even 90% of all Lean transformations fail. The authors of these diatribes will then go on about all the reasons behind such a high rate exists (disengaged management, too much lingo, yada yada yada...). If you’re really lucky, you’ll stumble across an article that a consultant wrote, in which case you’ll find that he/she will give you just enough insight into their unique solution to this issue to make you want to contact them to learn more about how they, and they alone, can save you from a most certain demise.
Industrial Ruggedized Computing Solutions For Hazardous Manufacturing Environments
In industrial manufacturing environments, facilities regularly store and dispense large quantities of hazardous, flammable, combustible liquids. Given the potential for gas, vapor, or dust to collect in these areas, the electronic equipment installed for automation and control must be designed specifically to prevent unintentional ignition of these elements due to electrical arcing or other thermal means.
Language Diversity, Localization, and Manufacturing
A lack of language diversity may be more of a significant concern in the US where language skills are not prioritized within the educational system. As more companies conduct business internationally, a lack of multilingual talent becomes a serious liability which can impact the ability to connect and communicate with potential consumers or clients.
If Only Just In Time Where Just That Easy!
Just-In-Time. On the surface, this seems to be a pretty easy concept to understand. Cut inventory down to free up cash and floor space, then time your deliveries so that they can be supplied to the production floor “just-in-time” to be used. Accountants love it because it saves a lot of money, and production types love it because it gives them more floor space to do other things. As long as the proper amount of lead time is figured in, it’s a beautiful system! And it’s wrong.
Forging Press To Reduce Costs
Savvy machine shops are adding advanced forging equipment to create precision titanium components at a lower cost, in volume. To produce complex titanium parts more cost-effectively, machine shops are increasingly incorporating advanced forging equipment to complement their existing CNC capabilities to create near-net-shaped parts that only require minimal machining. In some cases, the forging process is so precise that no additional machining is required.
10 Compelling Reasons Why You Need Waterjet Cutting
While there are many options when selecting a cutting process, none quite match the versatility and flexibility of waterjet cutting. Waterjet cutting is a process that first emerged in the 1800s but has since advanced dramatically. In the 1930’s the waterjet technology was first used outside of the mining industry, in the 1950’s ultra-high pressure water systems were explored, in 1970 the method was commercialized, and, finally, in the 1980s abrasive cutting was developed. These advancements in technology have expanded the use of waterjet cutting and allowed numerous industries to take advantage of the process in their manufacturing operations. Despite being such an exceptional development, many people aren’t aware of the advantages of utilizing waterjet cutting. Keep on reading to learn the top 10 compelling reasons why you need waterjet cutting for your next project!
Steeltoes And Stilettos
Back in Q1 Shannon Karels and Kathy Miller released their book, “Steel Toes and Stilettos,” a book about the journey the two manufacturing business leaders went on to transform a traditionally run batch operation into a lean enterprise— characterized by authentic leadership, an inclusive culture, and excellent business results.
Lean And The Great Resignation
As Lean practitioners, we spend a lot of time talking about and focusing the removal of wasteful practices and non-value-added work. This includes everything from moving parts around the shop to routing paperwork through an office – pretty much anything that doesn’t move our product or service closer to the customer. But there’s one waste – in my opinion, the biggest one of all – that we don’t talk nearly enough about: the waste of employee turnover. It’s a huge problem – in the United States alone, 4.5 million workers quit their job every month! It’s gotten so bad that it has its own name – The Great Resignation.