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 | 3 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 | 3 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 | 3 min read
What is a Gemba Walk?
Gemba walks are an important concept in your Lean toolbox. Managers and business leaders go on (“go and see”) walks to observe firsthand how the production line is operating. The Objective of a Gemba Walk In businesses, managers often look to company leaders for direction. The value created by a business, though, exists out on…
Jesse Allred | February 11, 2019 | Gemba, Lean, Lean Manufacturing | 5S, Facility Efficiency, Gemba, Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing | 3 min read
The 5S Shine Pillar – Inspection and Maintenance
The third step of 5S is Seiso, a Japanese term translated to mean Shine. During Shine, workers are encouraged to do a deep cleaning of their space, ensuring there is no grime, dust, or oil spills remaining. However, it is important to remember that cleaning is not the only facet of this phase and that…
Jesse Allred | January 15, 2019 | 5S, Lean, Lean Manufacturing | 5S, Facility Efficiency, Lean, Lean Manufacturing | 2 min read
Using Kanban to Reduce Waste and Inventory
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…
Jesse Allred | January 9, 2019 | Kanban | Barcoding, Facility Efficiency, Kanban, Lean, Lean Manufacturing | 2 min read
The Tools of Kaizen
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.…
Jesse Allred | September 27, 2018 | Kaizen | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing | 3 min read
The Toyota Production System House
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…
Jesse Allred | September 20, 2018 | Kanban, Lean | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Lean Manufacturing | 3 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 | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Gemba, Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing | 5 min read
How do you make a Factory Culture Embrace Lean?
Several years ago, I was working as a project manager for a local manufacturing company. The owner asked me how much I knew about lean, and I told them I had about three years experience working on a lean transformation in upstate New York in which we had to completely change the factory climate from…
Tony Ferraro | November 17, 2013 | Lean | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing | 2 min read
Lean Is More Than Its Tools
I talked with a guy yesterday about 5S and how well it would work at his office. I asked him what the problem was, and he said, “Oh, you know, it’s messy and I want people to be tidier.” I didn’t laugh or anything, but I let him know that 5S, under the larger lean…
Tony Ferraro | November 3, 2013 | Lean | 5S, Facility Efficiency, Lean Manufacturing | 2 min read
Understanding Lean Principles
The lean manufacturing philosophy centers around five guiding concepts which are used to drive the behaviors of an organization. These five principles can help people at all levels of a company to understand what it is they should be doing and how it should be done. Of course, these lean principles aren’t going to layout…
Tony Ferraro | October 23, 2013 | Lean Manufacturing | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Lean Manufacturing | 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 | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Lean Manufacturing | 2 min read
Changeover – Creating Flow and Eliminating Waste
For those in the manufacturing industry, changeover is a term which is used when talking about converting a particular machine, or a line from creating one product to another. The most well known example of this would be in the automotive industry where it is necessary to do a changeover when updating to a new…
Tony Ferraro | October 7, 2013 | Lean Manufacturing | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing | 2 min read
How to Organize Your Shop: Try 5S
Are you needing some organization in your workshop? Do you spend more time trying to find tools and supplies and less time actually working? Are you hoping to improve your efficiency and cut your waste down? Would doing all of this help to improve quality to the customer and possibly even reduce prices? Well, you…
Tony Ferraro | October 1, 2013 | 5S, Lean, Lean Manufacturing | 5S, Facility Efficiency, Lean, Lean Manufacturing, Organized Workplace | 3 min read
