Lean Insight and Product Reviews
5 min read Overcoming Resistance to Change If you are trying to implement LEAN in your facility, or even just make improvements to an existing LEAN manufacturing strategy, you will need to make some changes. Change is a major component of any type of improvement effort, and sadly, it is also one of the biggest obstacles. There is a strong resistance to change for many people, and it can make them fight hard to keep the status quo. …
5 min read The Best Lean Six Sigma Tools There’s a great book that came out four or five years ago called “Dear Me.” It’s a project from an editor who wanted to contact celebrities from all walks of entertainment, industry, and more and ask them to write a letter to their 16 year old selves. Some of the letters were very personal, others spoke in more general terms, clearly seeking to share knowledge with the reader rather …
5 min read Why do companies not use Kaizen events to improve? A recent LinkedIn discussion asked users why they thought many companies bypassed the use of Kaizen events to solve their problems. Apparently, the technique is a dying breed, or at least there are those who feel it is far from prominent enough. First of all, it’s important to note that a Kaizen event is different from the overall idea of ‘Kaizen’. A Kaizen event is a …
5 min read Make Your Lean Six Sigma Project a Success Whenever you are using Lean Six Sigma to make improvements to your facility and eliminate waste, you need to make sure you take the time up front to plan it out properly. In fact, the planning stage is often considered the most important of the entire Lean Six Sigma process. During this stage you will be making a checklist to help make sure you don’t miss anything. …
5 min read How to Create a Solid Lean Foundation So, you’re looking to implement Lean in your workplace and aren’t sure where to start. Or maybe you’ve experienced some problems in previous or current Lean efforts and are trying to figure out why things aren’t quite falling into place. Whatever your predicament, we’re here to help. In this blog post we’re going to go over five of the best ways one can prepare their business for Lean …
6 min read Lean Is All About Learning – But You Still Don’t Need To Make These Mistakes So you’ve heard about this whole Lean manufacturing thing, you may have even been using it already, maybe even for months or years on end… but what happens if you’re not seeing the results you wanted or expected? What do you do if, seemingly and despite your best efforts, Lean projects tend to fall short, or collapse altogether before even …
5 min read Gemba Walk Know-How: Preparation & Interpretation Gemba walks are a powerful piece of your Lean toolbox, and constitute a straightforward way for business owners and managers to find and remedy issues that affect their production. As Lean tools are all about efficiency and waste elimination, a Gemba walk generally fits agreeably into any improvement regimen you may already have planned or in motion. In this blog post, we’re going to go through what exactly a …
4 min read Let’s Explore How Vinyl Chart Tape Can Improve your Workspace. Every once in a while a product or tool comes along so powerful that it has the potential to completely revolutionize the way you do business, turn old preconceptions over on their heads, and bring you into the future as an innovator in your market. Admittedly, vinyl chart tape might not exactly be one of these… BUT, it comes closer than you might think, and it …
4 min read When people think of workplace safety they often focus on hazards that are life threatening, or those that can cause a serious disability. Of course, these are extremely important and need to be taken seriously, however, it is also important to take steps to provide head to toe protection for employees. Specifically, foot protection is an important concern that often goes overlooked. People don’t often think about their feet, and keeping them safe, until after …
5 min read Today more than ever businesses need to make sure they are putting a priority on their safety programs in order to get the best possible results. There are many reasons why facility managers are taking safety more seriously, including the fact that studies now confirm that workplace injuries are one of the most costly problems in the manufacturing industry. Of course, improving safety is also important for keeping employees, equipment and inventory safe, which is …
