Background What is lean? The majority of people when asked this question reply “waste elimination”. This is true. However, Taiichi Ohno’s original definition of lean was “the complete and thorough elimination of waste to reduce the timeline from receipt of customer order to delivery”. To achieve this more complete definition necessitates the creation of product…
I write a lot of articles in which I address the issues and concerns of warehouses, distribution centers and manufacturing. In case you haven’t noticed – domestic manufacturers are facing a world of hurt these days. And I have heard every reason imaginable as to why domestic manufacturing is in such a state – much…
Operational Excellence: See the flow of Value, by Joseph Paris as featured in the June/July edition of Uptime Magazine®. Download PDF
You’ve launched your continuous improvement (CI) initiative. Product lines have replaced process villages. There’s more floor space. Supervisors and executives are closer to the gemba after experiencing 5S, visual factory and Managing for Daily Improvement. Standard work has made abnormalities more visible, and Six Sigma methodology has corrected problems that have plagued the operation for…
I see many questions asked regarding the development of a BE /OE/CI/LSS (Business Excellence Operational Excellence/Continuous Improvement/Lean Six Sigma) program. There is no right or wrong answer since every business is different. However, I wanted to share my experience, thoughts and some options as it relates to multi-national organizations. Hopefully you will find them useful….
Mistake 1: Leaders fail to prepare themselves for change I bet there’s not one person reading this article who is not experiencing some kind of change, whether in your work or personal life. Regardless of the type of change, you’re often in the position of leading others through the change. Your role involves helping others…
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