Using Kanban to Reduce Waste and Inventory

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Reducing Inventory with Kanban

Utilizing the kanban system in your manufacturing facility can greatly reduce wastes, eventually adding value for the end customer. Kanban is commonly used in Lean manufacturing settings and JIT manufacturing settings, A kanban system utilizes visual cues to trigger specific actions, effectively cultivating a pull production system. What’s the difference between a pull system and a push system? Pull systems and push systems are two opposite approaches to production and supply chain management. Pull systems, …

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The Tools of Kaizen

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Kaizen is the methodology and philosophy of making small continuous improvements in business. It can be both an ongoing daily commitment or be implemented in a series of short-term, rapid improvement events. This way of thinking involves employers from all levels and works to make small incremental changes in nearly every aspect of the workplace. There are many tools used in Kaizen and the following are just a few suggestion to introduce and practice effective …

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The Toyota Production System House

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The Toyota Production System, or TPS, is a widely-used and successful production system in manufacturing that focuses on reducing and eliminating waste, while producing quality products for consumers. The TPS model was developed by the Toyota Motor Corporation for their vehicle production system, but the principles and activities it encompasses can be applied to nearly any industry. When discussing the TPS and its many features, it can be helpful to think of the system like …

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The Top 5 Ways To Implement & Improve Lean Efforts in the Workplace

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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, I’ve compiled a list below of some of the most effective lean strategies for common workplace struggles. For each listing, …

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Money may not be the Only Motivation for Employees

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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 motivating employees is important, it isn’t always as easy as many people expect. Some managers make the mistake of thinking …

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How to Get Employees More Involved

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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, however, is the ability the employees have to influence change in a positive way. Companies require continuous ongoing improvements to …

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What is an Incident Management System?

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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 to describe all the activities related to how an organization will identify, review, analyze, and correct hazards or problems in …

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Is OSHA’s proposal for E-Reporting going too far?

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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 will be viewable by the public. Many people think that OSHA is going too far with this proposed change, indicating …

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2014 Regularity Priorities from OSHA Announced

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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 take a close look at the list of priorities this year, and begin planning any steps that will be necessary …

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How Unified Communications and Collaboration can Improve Your Business

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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 in how it is implemented, but the basic idea is to have two or more communications options integrated into one …

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