Mass Production & Lean: What’s the difference?
Mass production is not considered to be a Lean production method. At the height of its innovation however, it did effectively lower the unit cost of many goods and improved the efficiency of facilities. In the spirit of Lean and continuous improvement, it’s important to keep finding ways to improve the organization and over time,…
Jesse Allred | June 17, 2019 | Continuous Improvement, Kaizen, Kanban, Lean Manufacturing | Continuous Improvement, Kaizen, Kanban, Lean Manufacturing | 2 min read
Foundational Concepts of Lean
Lean manufacturing utilizes a number of strategies and tools to improve the business by boosting productivity and eliminating waste. The following are just a handful of the most common Lean tools, many have been adopted from manufacturing in Japan and the Toyota Production System . 5S (The Visual Workplace) 5S is a system of creating…
Jesse Allred | June 7, 2019 | 5S, Continuous Improvement, Kaizen, Kanban, Lean, Lean Manufacturing | 5S, Continuous Improvement, Kaizen, Kanban, Lean, Lean Manufacturing | 2 min read
Six Sigma Principles
The Six Sigma methodology is one that focuses on creating quality products and eliminating defects. Though Six Sigma is a vast idea that spans a number of Lean philosophies and methods, at its core, Six Sigma is driven by three principles: Process Improvement— Companies should take consistent action to eliminate root causes of deficiencies within…
Jesse Allred | February 18, 2019 | Continuous Improvement, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma | 2 min read
The Top 5 Ways To Implement & Improve Lean Efforts in the Workplace
Since you’re reading this, you probably have some notion, however small, as to what lean strategies are, but you might be struggling with implementing them into your workplace for the first time. For others, you might be seeking a lean-based solution to a specific problem you’re noticing in your place of work. Whatever your case,…
Tony Ferraro | April 23, 2014 | Continuous Improvement | 5 min read
Money may not be the Only Motivation for Employees
Keeping employees motivated is one of the most important thing managers and leadership teams can do for their business. Motivated employees not only contribute more to the company in the way they work, but they also come up with innovative new ideas, inspire others and provide many other important benefits. While it is obvious that…
Tony Ferraro | January 2, 2014 | Continuous Improvement | 3 min read
How to Get Employees More Involved
It is commonly said that the employees of a company are its most valuable resource. This is true on many different levels. Of course, employees are necessary for getting the day to day work done in any business, and without them, the company would quickly have to be shut down. What is perhaps more important,…
Tony Ferraro | December 31, 2013 | Continuous Improvement | 3 min read
What is an Incident Management System?
The term “incident management” is thrown around a lot in almost all types of industries today. While most people will have a general understanding of what type of thing it is used to describe, most don’t really understand exactly what an incident management system really is. Incident management is a term that has been used…
Tony Ferraro | December 23, 2013 | Continuous Improvement | 3 min read
Is OSHA’s proposal for E-Reporting going too far?
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has put forth a proposed rule that will require many employers to track injuries and illnesses electronically on a new system. If approved, the rule will require this type of reporting take place at least every quarter. For employers with 250+ employees, the website where the data will be sent…
Tony Ferraro | December 19, 2013 | Continuous Improvement | OSHA, Regulations & Compliance | 3 min read
2014 Regularity Priorities from OSHA Announced
Each year the US department of Labor, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announces a list of their priorities for the following year. In fact, they often release updates throughout the year, but the one that comes out at this time of the year typically gets the most attention. All companies would be wise to…
Tony Ferraro | December 16, 2013 | Continuous Improvement | OSHA, Regulations & Compliance | 3 min read
How Unified Communications and Collaboration can Improve Your Business
A unified communications and collaboration system can help improve just about every type of business in a variety of important ways. Before getting into the specifics of how this type of system can help, it is important to understand what is meant by a unified communications and collaboration program. This type of system will vary…
Tony Ferraro | December 6, 2013 | Continuous Improvement | 3 min read
OSHA and Continuous Improvement
Any organization doing business in the United States should be familiar with the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, or OSHA. They are a branch of the US Department of Labor and are tasked with helping to ensure all working environments are safe and healthy for those working in them. They were established in 1970, and have…
Tony Ferraro | October 25, 2013 | Continuous Improvement | Continuous Improvement, OSHA, Regulations & Compliance | 2 min read
Practice Running Projects
Projects are a big part of almost every type of business. Most organizations break up different types of work into projects to help ensure they get done in the most efficient and economical way possible. A project is a set of tasks that is interconnected and designed to help achieve a specific goal. Projects should…
Tony Ferraro | October 24, 2013 | Continuous Improvement | 2 min read
Heijunka – Creating Flow
The word Heijunka is often used in the manufacturing industry, and it means sequencing, or smoothing of production. The idea behind this term is to help absorb sudden fluctuations or changes in the demand of the market. This is often done by producing several different models of a product, in smaller production batches. In practice,…
Tony Ferraro | October 9, 2013 | Continuous Improvement, Lean Manufacturing | 2 min read
Taking a Look at Company Culture
When getting ready to interview for a new position, most people focus their efforts on getting themselves ready to impress the people who they will be interviewed by. While this is certainly important, one should also take the time to try to figure out whether or not the company culture is a good fit for…
Tony Ferraro | September 20, 2013 | Continuous Improvement | 2 min read
Let’s Discuss (VOC) Voice of Customer
Most companies have some sort of VOC program in place, though how effective it is will vary greatly from company to company. The VOC, or voice of customers, is an essential tool companies can use to determine whether their customers are satisfied with the products or services they are delivering. There are a variety of…
Tony Ferraro | August 25, 2013 | Continuous Improvement | 2 min read
