Manufacturing
Manufacturing companies are facing significant challenges, rising costs for raw material and utilities, worldwide competition and consumers that expect to pay less and get more when buying products. The profit margin on many products continues to shrink due to these challenges.
If you're just investigating applying Lean in your business, trying to find a reason to change how you are doing business then look no further. Many of your competitors are already using Lean to achieve significant benefits. We have been working with companies in distribution, aerospace, food services, machine shops, plastics, and automotive. How successful has it been? We have had clients on the verge of being closed down that have made such significant improvements in a few months that they are all still in operation and are among the top producers in their companies.
By taking a Lean approach a company that produces food products doubled their inventory turns and reduced inventory by 50%. A repair facility tripled their output year over year without increasing its staff or overtime. An interesting quote from an employee of that area when asked how going Lean was working out they said "it seems okay but wait until we get busy"
Do more with what they have and do it faster, better and at lower cost!
Deming and Lean
One of the things that we all have in common at Lean Advisors, is admiration for the work done by Deming in the area of 'Management Science'
Flow in Job Shops
It is commonly thought by Job shop management that "Lean isn't for us". "We build to order" and "We don't build 1,000 widgets a day every day".
Lean and MRP: Q&A
OEE - Overall Equipment Effectiveness
We have found that there are some misconceptions regarding the calculation of OEE that can lead organizations to Mass Production behaviors.
Dealing With Bottlenecks
Before you buy a new piece of equipment because you think you have a bottleneck, use a machine balance chart so that you know the real score.
Do Not Implement a 5S Program
Is your 5S program not giving you the results that you expected? 5S needs to be implemented as part of a value stream plan, and not as a program.
When Value Stream Mapping Doesn't Work
Value Stream Mapping is a tool. It isn't a panacea for all the problems that occur in management.
Mixed Model Value Streams
Does your value stream produce more than one product? Does it produce many products in any given month, or week or hour?
A Disciplined Approach To Value Stream Mapping
Value stream mapping requires good training and a disciplined approach to yield the best results.
Exciting Chaos
Striving to improve competitiveness by providing customers faster and better products/services will accomplish more than worrying about the next crisis.
Lean Supply Chain
Simplified production by going from 3 floors to 1 to solve problems with communication and product flow.
The Lean Journey - The Never Ending Story
No matter how well your lean journey is going, it's not good enough. Competitors will embrace lean and erase your competitive advantage.
Troubled Waters Require Capable Leaders
Lean leaders need to look beyond the horizon and chart the future. In stormy times, true leadership skills emerge.
Value Stream Mapping Cuts Through The Fat
Value Stream Mapping is used to draw out the entire process, identifying the flow and showing the time it takes to move through the system.
Continuous Improvement
How do Continuous Improvement teams fit in with your Lean initiatives?
SMED
When applied 'right', SMED can make the difference between profit and loss, and being able to meet the changing demands of your customer.
EOQ
A planning tool used with some MRP systems is the Economic Order Quantity (EOQ).
Lean Production And Implementation
Job Shops, Continuous Processing, and Discrete Processing Businesses. Are they Different?
Value Stream Mapping Common Mistakes
We have noticed some common mistakes with first time mappers. When the mistake is made, it is not recognized and the tool is called into question.
The Challenge For North American Organizations
North American companies have ever increasing material and healthcare costs, with relentless pressure from customers to significantly reduce costs.
Einstein And The First Law Of Business Strategy
Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Ex. Competitiveness for Canadian business.
Lean Manufacturing Beckons Low-Volume Operations
Because of unprecedented competitive and cost pressures, more companies are turning to Lean for reductions in waste and productivity improvements.
Lean Configuration Management
Recording, managing positions of components to the whole system in design, development, production, support of a product throughout its life cycle.
Edson Puts The Squeeze On Waste
"We've totally embraced Lean. I firmly believe that unless all of North American manufacturing adapts Lean, we face grave consequences."
Why We Think Too Much About China
We need to look at the China phenomenon in context. The customer comes first and unless we become Lean, we will lose the competition game.
Lean Corner
Businesses want more cash to invest in new equipment and technologies. They need the right resources to leverage innovation and growth.
The Two Driving Questions in a Visual Workplace
A visual workplace is populated by hundreds or thousands, of visual devices and mini-systems, invented by a workforce that knows how to think visually.
Can Lean Match Your Structure?
One of the first comments we get from most companies is that they are unique. And they are right. They are not Toyota. They are unique.
A Strong Loonie
"If people aren't involved in lean manufacturing, fold up and go home because you aren't going to survive."
Assessing IT's role in lean environments
Ledalite is a small manufacturer who has adopted Lean and also makes extensive use of ERP technology to run their businesses.
SMED/Quick Changeover - The Payoff
Managers contemplating using the Lean tool SMED/Quick Changeover often ask "What is the payoff?
5S Workplace Organization In the Office And Plant
Many of the Lean tools have originated in the Toyota Production System. The maturation/migration to non-manufacturing settings is a natural evolution.
Kitting For Custom Job Shops
Kitting is a system that presents required components and tools to an assembly area in an organized method in order to obtain efficiencies.
Lean Manufacturing in Job shop Custom Builds
What is the culture of a custom job shop when it comes to implementing the Lean Manufacturing?
CME - Survey 2006
CME Management Survey 2006. 986 manufacturers responded, pinpointing the top issues affecting their businesses.
4 Day Kaizen Event yields $2,000,000 in Savings
Lean Food Processing at Gorton's Seafood
Looking at ways to eliminate waste using the same essential techniques to enhance flow that Taiichi Ohno invented fifty years ago.
Lean Implementation at Medtronic Xomed
Customer-Focused quality is their highest priority and Lean Manufacturing is its methodology.
Lean Implementation at Active Burgess Mould and Design
A successful job shop (low volume, high product mix) that produces prototype and production moulds for automotive and non-automotive industries.
Macro Value Stream Mapping at Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin
There have been six Value Stream Mapping events with 19 improvement opportunities which will reduce lead times by over 40%.
Lean Aerospace Implementation at Messier Dowty
The Messier-Dowty Aerospace Montreal plant is dedicated to the manufacture of big gears for the Airbus A340 and the Airbus A320 families.
Lean Manufacturing In The Electronics Industry
Lean is a challenge in the electronics factory where a large number of different products/models flow across shared resources and assembly lines.
Success in Just 5 Days
Sofap Ltd is the largest coatings manufacturer in Mauritius promoting the brands Permoglaze on the local market and Proluxe Coatings for exports.
3 Day Kaizen Event yields $800,000 in Savings
3-day Kaizen resulting in an $800k improvement! Problems included long setup times, late deliveries, bottlenecks, overtime, and expediting.
Macro Value Stream Mapping at Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin
There have been six Value Stream Mapping events with 19 improvement opportunities which will reduce lead times by over 40%.
Lean Aerospace Implementation at Messier Dowty
The Messier-Dowty Aerospace Montreal plant is dedicated to the manufacture of big gears for the Airbus A340 and the Airbus A320 families.
Lean Manufacturing In The Electronics Industry
Lean is a challenge in the electronics factory where a large number of different products/models flow across shared resources and assembly lines.
Fluidmaster: Manufacturer of toilet repair products. Their expertise in the area of product engineering has yielded numerous innovations in plumbing repair.
Littelfuse: World's leading provider of circuit protection solutions with unparalleled product depth and breadth.
Irving Group: Food processing, printing, a chain of home building supplies stores, and prefabricated modular industrial and home construction.
Zomax: Helps companies more efficiently bring their products and content to market worldwide.
Thomas and Betts: A leading designer and manufacturer of connectors and components for electrical and communication markets.
General Mills: Manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods products. Brands include Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Haagen-Dazs, Old El Paso.
Bekaert Specialty Films: A worldwide leading supplier of solar control and safety window films for automotive and architectural applications.
Royal Canadian Mint: Manufactures currency for Canada and countries around the world.
DuPont: Coatings, elastomers, electronic materials, engineering, performance plastics, fabricated products, fibers, advance composite materials.
Kelowna Flightcraft: AMO operating 2 full service MRO facilities in Kelowna, BC and Hamilton, ON Canada.
York: A leading air conditioning, heating, refrigeration, and ventilating company, with more than 20 worldwide manufacturing facilities and offices in 100 countries.
Acrohelipro Global Services is a unique airframe maintenance and repair provider supporting helicopter operations worldwide.____
Bristol Aerospace (Now Magellan Aerospace Corporation): Repair/overhaul services, manufacture from facilities in Canada, United States, and the UK.
Noranco: Precision fabricated and machined parts made to exacting specifications and customer requirements for commercial and military.
Active Burgess Mould and Design: Prototype as well as production moulds, multiple component tool programs, process fixtures and inspection gauges.
Capewell Components: Designs/manufactures Aerial Delivery Platforms, airdrop systems, extraction/internal logistics/transport equipment
Saeplast: Produces and sells rotationally molded, double-walled tubs to the food industries, first and foremost to the fishing and fish processing industry.
Intel Corporation: World's largest semiconductor company and inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in many personal computers.
Sabert: Produces serving platters, bowls, utensils, and lids for food preservation and attractive presentation for on table family usage.
General Dynamics: Employing 70,100 people worldwide. Business segments: Aerospace, Combat Systems, Information Systems, and Marine Systems.
Edson Packaging Machinery: A packaging machinery company that custom designs and manufactures automatic and semi-automatic case packing machines.
Molex: World's second-largest manufacturer of electronic, electrical and fiber optic interconnection products and systems.
SDS Kerr: Develops, manufactures, and markets a broad range of consumable dental products.
Flextronics: Headquartered in Singapore, with 2005 revenues of USD$15.9 billion, Flextronics helps customers design, build, ship, service electronics products.
Phoenix Contact: Manufactures industrial connection technology, automation technology, electric interface systems, and surge voltage protection.
Litton Industries: Navigation Systems Division provides integrated avionics, inertial navigation and guidance systems, satellite electronics.
Gorton's Seafood: A leader in the US frozen branded seafood sector. They sell to food retailers and foodservice suppliers across the country.
Bonar Plastics: Molded plastic material handling containers for bulk handing of food products, liquids, dry materials, industrial parts and products.
Fleet Support Services: Ship repair facilities includes seven dry docks and extensive workshops for ship repair support and general engineering.
Solectron: A leading global provider of electronics manufacturing and integrated supply chain services.
Cabinetmaster: Manufacturer and supplier of commercial casework and millwork for Financial, Hospitality, Institutional, and Commercial applications.
Snap-on Incorporated: A leading global developer, manufacturer and marketer of tool and equipment solutions for professional tool users.
Masonite: Operates over 80 facilities in seventeen countries in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa and has approximately 14,000 employees.
Xantrex: Manufactures a family of programmable DC power supplies for a variety of applications in industrial, educational, research and development environments.
Microsoft: Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Messier-Dowty: World leader in the global landing gear market, with a workforce of 3,000 employees at 8 locations across Europe, North America and Asia.
Collicutt Energy Services: Service, fabrication of natural gas compression, power generation systems, and oilfield production equipment.
Whirlpool: World's leading manufacturer of major home appliances, with annual sales of $12B, 68k employees, 50 manufacturing and technology centers.
Advanced Precision: Precision machining serving a wide range of high tech and industrial markets. CNC turning/milling, NC/ Manual capabilities.
Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems: Design, development, manufacture of advanced electronics for military, civil and commercial use.
Dell: Revenue for the last four quarters totaled $58.2 billion and the company employs approximately 90,400 team members around the globe.