No More Waste All things aside, waste reduction is the main ingredient to lean practices. No matter how you break it down if you can’t identify and evaluate waste properly, you can’t establish a platform to improve upon. It’s a continuous process to target waste and eliminate non-value-adding value, but this ultimately how you increase the value of your goods and services. Lean implementers often turn to one of the now several waste categories to …
Gemba (sometimes referred to as genba) has become one of the most commonly used words in the lean vocabulary, right up there with Kaizen and 5S. The adoption of Gemba principles into your lean culture has the potential to add numerous benefits to your continuous improvement. It’s recent rise in lean fame has come with some confusion and misinterpretation as well. As with any lean principle, it is important to fully understand the term and …
As the old saying goes, “the only thing that stays the same is, everything’s changing.” This is extremely true in business environments, and when companies start to become stagnant, negative change begins creeping in. Companies need to understand that when it comes to change there are two main types. Those which are controlled and guided by the company, and those which are controlling the company from the outside. It is, of course, essential to control …
The technical definition of Catchball is “A lean system to greatly improve bi-directional feedback and ownership – especially for complex decision making and policy deployment.” While that is a nice description of what catchball is, it doesn’t really get into why it is so important, how it can benefit a team or even how it should be implemented. Understanding these things about the catchball process can help companies better implement it into their decision making …
Sunshine Daydreams You’re 48 hours away from that dream vacation you’ve waited all year for. Soon the ocean breeze will calm your soul and wisp away any worries of your day-to-day life while your toes bask in the warm sand and Bob Marley tracks play in the background. But wait, remember you still have 48 hours left, which means two full days of work and a ton of stuff to get done! –Enter the Vacation …
There are immeasurable benefits to having a positive workplace environment. The benefits are for both the employees and the company itself which is why it is so essential for managers and others on the leadership team to take an active approach to creating a positive working environment. Whether it is in an office environment or a manufacturing facility or any other type of work, it is important to do everything possible to have a positive …
Lean on Steroids If you’re looking for a way to boost your lean and take your lean team to the next level, then look no further. 3P (Production Preparation Process) is typically seen by lean experts around the globe as one of the most powerful and advanced manufacturing tools you can add to your lean methods. It’s a rigorous, structured process that allows organizations to focus on eliminating the possibility of waste through product and …
When applying lean standards to any business the most important benefit the company will achieve is the elimination of waste. By cutting out waste, it is often possible to increase the profit margins, reduce the time it takes to deliver the product and generally improve the way the company is run. Waste should always be eliminated whether it is a major problem or something small. Looking at seven of the most important reasons for eliminating …
The Lean System is one that is customer-centric. In a company that practices Lean, value is defined by the customer. All of a Lean company’s processes are developed and maintained with the main aim of catering to customers in the best possible way. In order to achieve Lean in your company, you will need a team of Lean managers to continually lead and support subordinates to improve the processes that provide value-added services and products …
When starting a new project or looking to improve processes it is very helpful to start out with a value stream mapping team. This team can work together to identify opportunities for the project and provide extremely valuable input. Unfortunately, value stream mapping teams all too often end up being more of a waste of time than a help. This is because people choose members of the team for the wrong reasons or just choose …
