Over the past several years the lean concepts which started out only in manufacturing have been used to improve just about every other industry. These strategies, however, can also be used to benefit students of just about every age. Look at these powerful benefits students can gain from learning about the 5S strategies which have become so…
Tony Ferraro | July 10, 2013 | 5S | 5S, Facility Efficiency, Lean Manufacturing, Organized Workplace
One of the most persistent problems companies experience when attempting to implement lean and/or Kaizen practices, is that people are always worried that it will lead to the elimination of jobs. Since the beginning of these methodologies, employees have feared that the increased efficiencies and other changes that take place will mean that there is…
Tony Ferraro | July 8, 2013 | Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing
When people first hear about lean logistics and principles and how they can be implemented in a workplace, they are often confused. Lean sounds like an odd term for anything in a workplace, and at first glance, the methodologies can be a bit confusing. Many people mistakenly think that no one guiding set of principles…
Tony Ferraro | July 3, 2013 | Lean Manufacturing | Facility Efficiency, Lean Manufacturing
What is Kaizen? Many people mistakenly think that Kaizen is only used for short-term improvement events and other one-time improvement hits. The fact is, however, Kaizen should be used to help build a culture of continuous improvement in a facility. This will include scheduled events but it should continue much longer than that. The following…
Tony Ferraro | June 27, 2013 | Continuous Improvement, Kaizen | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing
Getting started as a lean manager can be a daunting task because in many cases people don’t really understand what it is you’re supposed to be doing. In many cases the lean manager will also have other roles within the facility, and has been given the task of implementing lean concepts as well. One of the most…
Tony Ferraro | June 25, 2013 | Lean | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Lean Manufacturing
When many people start to implement lean and six sigma principles in their facility they often find that it is a difficult and complex process. There is certainly a lot to keep in mind when you want to use these strategies to improve the safety, productivity and efficiency of a a facility, but there are also many ways to…
Tony Ferraro | June 21, 2013 | Six Sigma | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma
It doesn’t matter how many signs you put up or seminars you hold, if employees don’t take their safety seriously, you’ll never be able to prevent injuries. This is why it is essential to help instruct employees on how to take responsibility for their own safety, in addition to providing them with specific training on…
Tony Ferraro | June 19, 2013 | Safety | Safety, Workplace Safety
Hearing protection is one of the most important, and often overlooked, safety tools in any facility. OSHA reports that about 30 million people in the United States are exposed to potentially hazardous noise levels in the workplace each year. When people who are working in these environments don’t wear proper hearing protection, they risk experiencing hearing loss…
Tony Ferraro | June 18, 2013 | Safety | PPE, Workplace Safety
Most companies do a fairly good job of addressing the most significant risks in a given facility. If someone has to work with toxic waste, they will provide them with the proper PPE to limit exposure. If people are working in an area where there is a risk of items falling from above, they will be provided…
Tony Ferraro | June 17, 2013 | Safety | Workplace Safety
ANSI A13.1 is the set of guidelines which is used to ensure that all pipes in a facility are clearly marked with what they contain. The idea behind these standards is to ensure people working with and around all pipes know exactly what they contain before they take any action. If, for example, an unlabeled…
Tony Ferraro | May 31, 2013 | Pipe Marking, Safety | ANSI, Labeling, Pipe Marking, Regulations & Compliance
