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Why manufacturing companies should have a lean office

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When manufacturing companies look for ways to make their company lean they often focus on the production process. However, there are other areas of any manufacturing company that should be considered for implementation of lean principles. One of these is the office side of the manufacturing company. It is important to understand that just like implementing lean principles on the production process when you put these same principles into the office it can take time, effort, and resources. However, if you are successful you can turn your office into a lean part of your organization. Lean principles in the office will help reduce the amount of time that employees will spend waiting which reduces the cost of both time and the supplies that are used. Here are some of the direct benefits of why manufacturing companies should have a lean office-

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What Makes Lean Manufacturing Beneficial

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There are several different manufacturing programs in which you can implement to make a difference with your company. One of the most popular programs out there is to turn to lean manufacturing. Lean manufacturing is a great program to use in order to reduce waste, eliminate the unproductive tasks and things within the company. You also use it to help your employee think lean, giving them a stronger connection to the company. Implementing lean manufacturing is easy to do and it can be adapted to many different organizations to give you the right type of results that you need to make improvements.

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Understanding The Process Of Lean Manufacturing

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There are several different programs you can implement in order to improve your manufacturing plant. One of the most popular programs out there is to implement lean manufacturing. Lean manufacturing will help you to reduce wastes and to provide better products to your customers. When you focus on lean you are able to improve the way in which your company produces its products and also to help you focus on creating a healthier working environment for your employees. Your staff will be able to appreciate working for your company because it is organized and easy to work for. Lean manufacturing helps you to streamline the processes that your company has, which gives you a more efficient and productive company.

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The challenge of implementing lean manufacturing

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There are more and more manufacturing business that are turning to using lean manufacturing. The success of this type of production has been dramatically shown in less waste, faster production, and higher customer satisfaction for the manufacturing businesses that have implemented it. However, it is important to note that implementing lean manufacturing is not always a smooth or easy process. Savvy manufacturing business owners will do well to prepare to deal with the obstacles and problems that are associated with the implementation of lean manufacturing. Here is what you need to know about the challenge of implementing lean manufacturing-

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The Learning Curve To Lean Manufacturing

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Lean manufacturing is successful. However like anything in life, there is a learning curve to it. Lean manufacturing is something that you need to really understand and stay committed to in order to have a difference with the program.For lean manufacturing to work you need to follow some of these steps and programs.

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Should You Hire A Lean Manufacturing Consultant?

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What are some of the things you are doing to reduce waste and improve the company? If your manufacturing plant is struggling to maintain production and you find it hard to keep your costs down, you may need to consider hiring a lean consultant. A lean consultant will help you to implement a lean manufacturing process that reduces waste and brings about a stronger organization for everyone.

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How Do You Implement Lean Manufacturing

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Are you looking for a way to reduce wastes and improve the company? If your manufacturing plant is dealing with a lot of waste and you are starting to see your presence in the industry is hurting, it may be time for you to move toward a lean environment. A strong lean manufacturing program will be able to give you the benefits that you need as you can learn to identify wastes and to find a way to improve the system that you have in place. Your employees will be happier as well since the new system improves their jobs and makes it easier for them to get their work done.

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Why Do Employees Resist Lean?

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Whenever you choose to implement a new program to a company it can be quite the ordeal as you have employees that often resist change. Why do employees resist change so much and what is it about new things like lean manufacturing that causes them to look in other directions? The simple answer is because people don't like to change. They naturally resist change because they are comfortable and do not want to learn new things. The reason behind this is fear of the unknown. They already know the issues and problems that they have to deal with so when it comes to learning new ones, it can be a fear that they do not want to address.

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Training With Lean

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Lean manufacturing is a great system to help you reduce wastes and to improve the entire company. A number of organizations have already made the change to lean but there are others that have yet to move forward with this transition. Lean manufacturing is a process that takes time for you to implement but with the right type of training you will be able to implement it within your company.

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Lean Administrative Offices

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Lean is a process that can misunderstood by a lot of organizations. It is important that you learn the different practices of lean so you can find a way to implement it in an effective manner for your company. There are a lot of tools used but if you do not know which tools to use or how they will improve the overall company, you can easily lose money and struggle with lean manufacturing. A big part of lean is to have management understanding it. Management must be able to understand how lean will help the company and they need to really believe in it for the rest of the company to jump on board with lean. The 5S method is one of the things that many companies will use in order to start working on implementing lean within their organization.

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Having A Lean Culture

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When it comes to creating a strong organization you need to consider using lean manufacturing or another process that can help to improve the production line and will be able to reduce your error ratio. Having a lean culture will allow you to understand how to solve problems and to prevent defects and problems before they arise. As you focus on creating a lean environment you have to focus on getting management to be sold on the program. Management is vital to lean as they set the example for the rest of the staff. When everyone is part of lean, it will allow the company to run better and everyone will have a better job culture. Having lean properly implemented you will find that it is easy for you to have a proactive working environment that is healthier for everyone and brings about greater production for the organization.

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Before You Go Lean You Need To Know This!

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As you are working on having a productive manufacturing plant you need to look at all of the various elements that can be used to help you out. One of these elements to consider is the use of lean manufacturing. With lean you are able to get everyone with the company involved in improvement of the company and to have an easier time working on reducing wastes.

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Why LEAN Isn't For Everyone

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Lean manufacturing is a process that many companies will find useable but there are a lot of organizations that do not see the strong impact it can have in order to provide you with a positive outcome. You need to consider how lean works and if this is a program that will work for your organization or not. Some companies find success with it and they are able to apply it quickly where others are not quite as fortunate.

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Lean Can Work Anywhere!

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A lot of organizations are using lean manufacturing in order to improve productivity but to cut down on waste and to ensure that they are offering their customers quality products. Lean can change the way that your organization does business and it will be able to give you a chance to become competitive in your industry as you focus on removing the defects and things that cause you to have a lot of waste.

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How To Hire A Lean Manufacturing Company For Improvement?

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If you would like to focus on improvement and the reduction of errors and waste, you must be able to consider using lean manufacturing. Lean is a system that is going to change your business for good. It is a long-term solution to helping you with the elimination of wastes but also providing you with a system of being able to improve your production overall. When you look into using lean, you have to look at how you can do it and who will be able to help you get it properly implemented. Hiring a lean manufacturing consultant is one of the best options that you have.

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Which Lean Tools Are The Best?

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Are you using lean manufacturing in your plant? There are several lean tools that you need to use in order to offer higher quality products and services to your customers. Your manufacturing system will need to be properly streamlined in order to give you the right type of results and to provide employees with new ways in which they can perform their job duties. For lean to work properly you need to understand which lean tools you need to start using. There are a handful of lean tools that you can choose from, all of which can give you great results if you will focus on proper implementation of the tools. Helping your employees to be able to understand how lean works and which lean tools to use will make a big difference in the ability for lean to be successful. Lean is not something that every organization can use with the right results. You must be able to determine which tools will work and to get your employees to believe in lean. As long as your entire company believes in lean and you are able to get the complete mindset change, you will have an easy time implementing and maintaining lean within your organization. Here are some of the lean tools that you need to consider using:

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Ways In Which You Can Measure Lean

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If you have taken the time to properly implement lean manufacturing you may be wondering what type of lean tools you can use in order to maintain lean. The actually implementation can be easy for many companies but it is the measuring of lean and proper maintenance of it that can be difficult for many organizations to deal with. What are some of the ways in which you can measure lean to ensure that it will be successful? Here are some great options for you to consider:

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The Long Term Use Of Lean Tools

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Using lean is a great way to improve your organizations processes and to generate better products for your customers. What makes lean work and what makes it fail? The biggest reason for success or failure is the people. If you do not train your employees effectively, they will not have the right tools to use to become successful and they can make serious mistakes with lean. They also will not be able to understand or really believe in lean, which can be frustrating for you as a manager. If you do not choose the right method with lean, it won't work and it will lead to frustration for your entire department.

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Proper Lean Implementation Can Be Contagious!

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How does lean manufacturing work and what are some of the ways in which you can implement it properly to see changes? Lean manufacturing is one of the programs that is used in manufacturing plants but it can be adjusted for any industry. The goal of lean is to provide you with greater production and efficiency while reducing errors. Most large companies have heard of lean and they have been able to see the pros and cons to lean. Establishing a strong lean foundation is the best thing that you can do in order to create a stronger company overall and to make sure the program will run successfully for many years.

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Lean Is A Great Way To Reduce Errors

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Are you dealing with a high amount of errors within your company? If you have faulty products and other issues arising, it may be time to consider looking into a program that can aid in identifying the errors and reducing or eliminating them altogether. Lean manufacturing is one of the best programs that you can use in order to improve your processes and to provide you with a reduction in errors and happier customers. Many organizations that use lean will find that it can provide them with a streamlined process, which allows you to increase your productivity.

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Delivering Quality To Your Customers Thanks To Lean Manufacturing

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Are you looking for ways to provide higher quality products to deliver to your customers? If you are hoping to excel in your industry it is a wise idea to consider investing in a program that will change the organization for good. One such program to choose is lean manufacturing. Lean is a process that will allow you to provide higher quality products to the customers but it also allows the entire company to become successful as you have a method of streamlining the company. Your employees will have more confidence in their ability to do their jobs as they can see how important it is for them to stay focused and organized and they will have the right type of work balance so that they aren't wasting time. Giving your employees enough work is vital and making sure that they are not bored is also something you have to consider.

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5 Reasons Why You Need To Consider Lean

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Have you been looking for a way to reduce defects in your production line? If your manufacturing plant is dealing with a high amount of product defects it is a smart idea to consider some type of program that can assist in helping you to identify these defects and to find a way to reduce or eliminate them. This is where lean manufacturing can help as it will assist in improving production by eliminating defects but also helping your company to improve the entire company.

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Why Is Lean So Popular?

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Do you constantly look for ways to improve your company? Are you always struggling to find ways to increase production and to keep up with demands of the customers? When you have a company that has a lot of waste in many aspects, you need to consider looking into the lean thinking method! Lean is a great program to use for your organization as it does provide you with a number of fantastic benefits. Your employees will be happier in their jobs and you can see huge improvements in the productivity of the company. Lean is a popular method because it is easy to implement and it is easy to understand.

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What Does Lean Training Involve?

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If you are ready to start thinking lean, it helps to know what you are getting yourself into. Lean is a completely different type of program from what you see with other improvement methods and quality control systems. With lean you need to prepare your staff for the change and you need to do so in a way that will be positive and will motivate them. If you just come in with all these changes, they are likely to resist them and this can lead to a real headache for your company. Lean training involves a lot of different things. You want to work on helping with the mindset change and getting lean trainers to come to your facility to help out.

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The Roadblocks Of A Lean Office

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What are some of the issues you see facing your office? Lean manufacturing is a method that a lot of companies are using in every industry as it does aid in reducing defects and helps to organize the company overall. Having a system that makes it easier to reduce product defects and to be able to create an organized office is one that will be productive and one that people will enjoy working for. Implementing lean can come with it's fair share of obstacles as well because people often resist change and they have a hard time being able to understand it and accepting it as the new method of doing things.

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Is Lean Implementation A Big Challenge?

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Do you look at some of the ways that lean can assist your company in overall improvement? What type of pros to lean allows you to reduce waste and what are the cons to lean? Lean can be a challenge to implement if you do not have the right type of control over it's implementation. You must be able to have the right motivation behind lean to get your employees to believe in it. If they are not supporting it, you will not be able to have a program that works well and to have people that actually follow it. People are always naturally resistant to change and you need to remember this when you introduce lean to the company.

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The benefits of using lean manufacturing

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The basis of lean manufacturing is being able to identify and remove waste from the manufacturing process. This is important since waste is a cost within the manufacturing setting that should be avoided at all times. Manufacturing companies that implement lean manufacturing have been found to increase both employee on the job satisfaction as well as customer satisfaction with the finished product. Once your employees and the machines they work with are working at their full potential this will also help your manufacturing company to create a better product. This is only a few of the benefits of using lean manufacturing. Here are some of the others-

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Why you should put lean manufacturing into your business

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Lean manufacturing has become one of the most widely used and popular manufacturing methods. More and more manufacturing businesses are using lean manufacturing to cut costs and improve the efficiency of their production process. There are many different benefits to using lean manufacturing which has led many businesses to see that using lean manufacturing will help them to stay competitive in an ever growing competitive market. Savvy manufacturing business owners are learning all they can about this highly beneficial process that allows them to run their manufacturing business with the highest degree of efficiency and lowest cost possible. Best of all the use of lean manufacturing has been shown to provide the means for producing a product that is higher in quality while remaining lower in cost. Here is why you should put lean manufacturing into your business-

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The benefits of using lean manufacturing

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There are many different benefits for any company that chooses to use lean manufacturing. This manufacturing method has been shown to be one of the most effective ways to reduce waste and improve productivity and profits. Manufacturing business owners find that after they implement lean manufacturing they are spending much less money to produce their products along with producing a higher quality of product. This in turn results in a much higher degree of customer satisfaction. This makes it crucial that every manufacturing business owner understand why they should consider using lean manufacturing. Here are some of the benefits of using lean manufacturing-

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How to train your employees in lean manufacturing

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The manufacturing world has embraced lean manufacturing as a core component for successful manufacturing. More and businesses are implementing lean manufacturing into their production process and other areas of the business. Businesses that have put lean manufacturing into place are reporting that they have significantly cut costs, become more efficient, and even report higher levels of customer satisfaction. Lean manufacturing is no doubt here to stay in the world of manufacturing. This makes it crucial that any business owner who is thinking about implementing lean manufacturing devise a training program for all the employees in the manufacturing business.

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How to overhaul your supply chain using lean manufacturing

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The essence of any manufacturing business is the supply chain. If the supply chain is costly, unproductive, or has a high degree of waste this will translate into lower profits for the entire manufacturing business. Manufacturing experts agree that how successful a business is will depend on how well the supply is managed. Most manufacturing business owners have found that using lean manufacturing makes their supply chain more productivity and profitable and helps to reduce waste. The entire production process is made more efficient and the end result is a product that is of higher quality that has been made with a lower cost. These benefits indicate that every manufacturing business owner should consider redoing their supply chain using the principles of lean manufacturing. Here is what you need to know about how to overhaul your supply chain using lean manufacturing-

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How to implement lean manufacturing

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Manufacturing business owners are always looking for ways to improve the cost effectiveness of their business. However, the complex nature of manufacturing can make this task much more difficult then in other types of businesses. Despite this complexity manufacturing business owners need to be aware of what the costs are in their business and make sure that they are keeping them under control. Lean manufacturing can help any manufacturing business owner to do just that. However, before lean manufacturing can begin working inside your business it will need to be implemented. How well you work through these steps and implement the process will have a direct effect on how successful lean manufacturing will be for your business. Here is what you need to know about how to implement lean manufacturing-

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How to help your business grow by using lean manufacturing

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Every manufacturing business owners is always looking for ways to grow his or her business. The bottom line is that without growth there is little chance that your manufacturing business will be around for the long term. However, the problem with growing your manufacturing business lies in finding a solution that can help you without depleting your cash flow. Because of the low cost of lean manufacturing many business owners have turned to using it in order to promote growth within their manufacturing business. Lean manufacturing can help you to reduce or eliminate waste and increase the efficiency within your business. This in turn increases productivity which positively affects the bottom line and makes your manufacturing business more profitable. Here is what you need to know about how to help your business grow by using lean manufacturing-

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The Foundation For Effective Lean Manufacturing

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How can you improve the overall manufacturing plant? There are many different methods that you can use in order to boost the productivity levels and to reduce waste at your plant. One common option that people use is the 5S method. The 5S method is one of the most effective tools to use for any industry.When you turn to the 5S method it helps to set the right foundation for lean manufacturing, allowing you to identify the areas where you are wasting time and money. It also helps you to set the way for the future so you don't end up having the same mistakes in the future.

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Using Your Lean Manufacturing Tools Effectively

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When you are dealing with lean manufacturing in any way you need to be able to understand all of the various lean tools that are out there. The goal of lean is to help you in eliminating waste and cutting costs for the company but if you aren't using the right tools and your staff is not sold on the tools that you are using, you have a long road ahead of you. It is important to know what lean manufacturing is all about and to really understand what you are getting yourself into before you just dive into it head first. Here are some of the common lean tools that you will learn about as you research what lean manufacturing is:

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Advancements That Come With Lean

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Lean manufacturing is often seen as one of the best programs out there to aid in providing your manufacturing plant with better products and to help in saving money as you have a lower defect ratio. The philosophy behind lean is to increase production while focusing on building a stronger company through a series of tools that organize the company. Any time you are having employees stand around or equipment that is not being used, it is a waste. With lean you will be able to identify all of the different wastes for your company so that you can eliminate them from the company and to really expand your resources and have a better organization. The programs and things that you have in place all need to be value-adding instead of taking away from the company.

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Why you should use lean manufacturing

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More and more manufacturing companies are seeing the benefits of using lean manufacturing. Lean manufacturing is one of the most efficient ways to take out waste from all aspects of your business and reduce the money that you are spending to produce your products. Many manufacturing companies report that soon after implementing lean manufacturing they find that their products have much less defects and their customers are much happier. There are several different reasons why you should use lean manufacturing. Here are a few of those reasons-

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What you need to know about lean manufacturing training

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Lean manufacturing has moved from being a trend in the world of manufacturing to a core of it. There are more and more businesses that are turning to using lean manufacturing to improve their production process. In addition, business owners report that using lean manufacturing has improved their relationship with their customers, cut costs, and made their business more organized. While lean manufacturing can be used in virtually any industry it has found prominence in the world of manufacturing. Best of all, lean manufacturing is a program of permanence that can continue to be used and adapted within any business.

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The benefits of lean manufacturing

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More and more manufacturing companies are seeing the benefits of implementing lean manufacturing. With is emphasis on waste reduction and removal of unnecessary processes manufacturers who use lean manufacturing are improving their entire production process. In addition, lean manufacturing benefits the customers of these manufacturing companies, as well. Customers end up with a high quality product that is made for a reduced cost. Employees also benefit when their employer uses lean manufacturing. They are the recipients of the incentives that are provided when the workflow is made more efficient within the company. This is just a few of the benefits that lean manufacturing brings about. Here are some more-

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Reasons to use lean manufacturing

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Lean manufacturing has become a buzzword within the manufacturing industry. However, it is important to realize that there is much more to lean manufacturing then simply being a trend. If you are looking for a way to improve your business' productivity and profitability then lean manufacturing is most likely the answer. Businesses that have had to spend their time dealing with product defects, unhappy customers, and high production costs have found the answer in lean manufacturing. In fact, many businesses find that after implementing lean manufacturing many of their previously dissatisfied customers have returned to buy from them. This is because lean manufacturing is designed to help reduce errors and improve organization within a business. Here are some other reasons to use lean manufacturing-

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Why lean manufacturing is vital to business success

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Manufacturers are always looking for ways to reduce the cost of doing business. Lean manufacturing can help them do that. Lean manufacturing can help to reduce waste and take unnecessary steps out of the production process. These two steps alone can save a manufacturing business anywhere from thousands to even millions of dollars a year. In addition, the use the lean manufacturing will not only benefit the company using it but their customers, as well. The reason for this is that customers will get better value for the products they are purchasing. Lean manufacturing also helps employees feel more motivated to do their jobs and helps to make the working environment a much smoother and better place. Keep in mind that lean manufacturing is based on reducing the production time and getting the customers their order faster then they had anticipated. When this happens everyone wins!Because of all of these reasons and more, lean manufacturing is vital to business success-

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Ways that lean manufacturing can help your business

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Lean manufacturing has become one of the most important tools that any manufacturing business could use to improve both their productivity and their profitability. The bottom line of using lean manufacturing means that businesses can implement this strategy to make their products for a much lower price. This then allows them to get their products to market must faster for an increased profit. In addition, lower costs of production also translate to lower marketing and advertising cost. This cash flow strategy allows for better money control which in turn leads to having a business that is healthy enough to develop and expand.

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Tips for lean supply chain management

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How a manufacturing business manages its supply chain will in large part determine how successful and profitable its production process will be. Because of the importance of this factor many manufacturers are using lean supply chain management.Lean supply management can help manufacturers streamline their manufacturing process. When the production process has been streamlined it can bring about an improved efficiency rate and a reduction in the cost of production. In order to begin manufacturers will need to closely identify areas of the supply chain that are using unnecessary resources. Keep in mind that these unnecessary resources can be measured in actual time or materials used, or money spent. The bottom line is that when a manufacturer can successfully implement lean supply chain management it will not only improve their ability to be profitable but increase their competiveness in the market. Here are some tips for lean supply change management-

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Maximizing profits through lean manufacturing

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There are so many ways in which your business will be able to increase profits but the majority of it will come down to how well you work and creating a lean manufacturing environment. There are several things that you can do to increase profits, one is by revamping your marketing program to find a way to attract new customers and the other is by using a program that will help you to reduce costs and avoid wastes. Lean manufacturing is one of the common processes that is used by Toyota and many other companies. The goal is to reduce wastes and to increase productivity for the company. According to Toyota and the process of lean manufacturing there are about 7 wastes that you may encounter. These wastes are as follows:

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Advantages to lean manufacturing

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Dealing with product recalls due to defects and issues that should be avoided in the first place you have to consider several different programs and things that you can use in order to reduce defects with your company. Lean manufacturing is one of the best programs you can use if you would like to improve your company and to have it organized and running effectively. What is lean manufacturing and how can you bring it to life in your organization.

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Why is lean manufacturing such a challenge?

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With the great successes of lean manufacturing it makes sense why so many organizations have turned to it. Some companies find that lean manufacturing provides so many benefits to their company like decreased waste, improved waiting time, and customer satisfaction. However even with all of the beneficial lean manufacturing principles there are still some hardships to overcome as you focus on proper implementation.

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What is takt time?

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Takt time comes from the German word Taktzeit, which roughly translates into "cycle time" in English. It was originally developed to explain the beat or rhythm of music during a performance.More recently, it is an important element in Lean Manufacturing practices.Most simply explained, it is the longest amount of time which can be spent on each unit of a product while still meeting the level of demand. It is particularly useful for making production lines more effectively and flawlessly.

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Using lean tools to improve your company

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Lean manufacturing is a practice in production environments that considers anything not directly related to producing a sound product as wasteful and a target of elimination. As customers become more frugal and knowledgeable about the products and services they consume, manufacturers have to work "leaner" to continue providing quality services and products and still maintain a sound financial bottom line. Lean Manufacturing is a generic philosophy derived from the way Toyota, has continued to provide a technologically advanced product while still meeting the financial demands of consumers and their company.

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The job of a lean manufacturing consultant

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Many manufacturing businesses hire well versed lean manufacturing consultants to discuss and adapt manufacturing resources to produce a better quality and timely products.

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The benefits of a lean office

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A lean office will help to improve the efficiency of the way in which the organization is able to run. Implementing a lean office is something that will not happen overnight as it does take several different steps to enact it and it will take time for everything to work appropriately. Muda is commonly used in offices to reduce waste as companies have found that their employees spend a lot of time waiting and wasting time and supplies. By changing the overall processes of the organization you will be able to save a lot of money but also cut down on the amount of time that your employees spend creating products. Here are the various benefits you can expect by implementing a lean office.

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The basic philosophy of lean manufacturing

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What is the basic philosophy of lean manufacturing? There are several different methods that are in place to help you create an effective program. Lean manufacturing programs have been around for a long time and with the right managers and mindset change, your company will be able to succeed.

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Taking a true leader to run lean manufacturing

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Lean manufacturing is one of the best ways in which you can cut costs and provide your customers with better products. Many businesses are turning to these manufacturing principles in order to ensure their customers will be able to have better products. For lean manufacturing to run correctly a good leader will need to be at the helm to make it work. The leader is responsible for exceeding the expectations of the customers by not only reducing the amount of mistakes and things that happen but also keeping the overall costs of the company lower.

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Several reasons why you need to use lean manufacturing

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Lean manufacturing is one of the best ways to improve your company's processes and to take your company forward. If you have struggled with a lot of product defects and you have customers that are very upset with your organization, lean manufacturing may be the best option you have to win these customers back. Lean manufacturing has several different tools that can be used in order to aid in reducing errors and helping to organize the company.

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Lean manufacturing principles to improve your business

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There are hundreds of lean manufacturing consultants that work on reducing or eliminating waste from manufacturing plants and other companies altogether. Lean manufacturing will be able to improve your company in a number of different ways starting with employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction. For lean manufacturing to successfully work you need to bring in an instructor that has had success and also failure, this gives them real-world experience and this can really help in the ability to influence change in the company.

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A guide to lean manufacturing training

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Thousands of organizations are turning to lean manufacturing because of its ability to organize a company and also to improve customer relationships and cut costs. What makes lean manufacturing so attractive is that it can be changed and adapted for just about any industry. Unlike other programs that come in and out, lean manufacturing is created to work and it won't end up being a temporary phase or program that ends up wasting your money and your time.

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Using Lean Six Sigma to improve efficiency

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Six Sigma and lean manufacturing are two of the most popular methods that are used to eliminate waste, and improve your businesses productivity and performance. When the processes are combined together, the result is a process known as Lean Six Sigma. It is important to know that Lean Six Sigma focuses more on increasing productivity, through identifying the production inefficiencies. When using Lean Six Sigma, your business will take a look at the way it is organized, and how all the processes work together. It is crucial to realize that product development can save your business, a lot of money if you spend enough time on it, to do it right. Within the product development phase, you will need to take a look at the raw goods, and all the other necessary supplies and equipment, you need to produce and ship your products.

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Using Lean Six Sigma to improve efficiency

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Six Sigma and lean manufacturing are two of the most popular methods that are used to eliminate waste, and improve your businesses productivity and performance. When the processes are combined together, the result is a process known as Lean Six Sigma. It is important to know that Lean Six Sigma focuses more on increasing productivity, through identifying the production inefficiencies. When using Lean Six Sigma, your business will take a look at the way it is organized, and how all the processes work together. It is crucial to realize that product development can save your business, a lot of money if you spend enough time on it, to do it right. Within the product development phase, you will need to take a look at the raw goods, and all the other necessary supplies and equipment, you need to produce and ship your products.

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The benefits of using Lean Manufacturing

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Manufacturers of every size and product type of beginning to see the value of using Lean Manufacturing. Cutting costs and making manufacturing is vital to the long-term success of any company. Waste reduction and the removal of unnecessary process can literally save manufacturing businesses, millions of dollars a year. In addition, lean manufacturing, benefits not only the business, but the consumers of the products. This is due in part to the fact that the customers, get to enjoy increase value to their products. Another benefit is the employees appreciate their jobs, due to the incentives and motivational tools that are used to make the working environment flow better. The main purpose of lean manufacturing is to reduce cycle times, and get the products to the customers faster than anticipated. When this happens everyone benefits.

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All about Lean manufacturing

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If you are the owner of a manufacturing business you are most likely looking for a way to increase your profits, and create a productive working environment. It has been shown that lean manufacturing is one of the best ways to meet customer satisfaction ratings, and to strengthen your business as a whole. When you focus on implementing lean manufacturing, you will easily find ways to reduce wastes, and produce higher quality products. Best of all it only takes a few simple steps to successful implement lean manufacturing into your production. Lean manufacturing benefits several different aspects of the manufacturing process. Here are just a few-

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Why is lean manufacturing so successful?

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Lean manufacturing has been around for many years now and a number of companies have been able to save millions of dollars by implementing it. This brings up the question, what is lean manufacturing and why is it so successful? This article will help you understand more about lean manufacturing so you can determine if it's right for your business.

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What is Lean Manufacturing?

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Lean manufacturing is a production strategy that seeks to produce a high level of throughput with a minimum of inventory. This method was originally a Japanese methodology. It was known as the Toyota Production System designed by Sakichi Toyoda. Unlike the American automotive industry Toyota encouraged employees to be a part of the production process, which was vastly different from the American automotive industry.The company was considered innovative in introducing quality circles which were a group of workers, who would meet to discuss workplace improvement. Quality circle members would also make presentations to management with regarding the quality of production. It is interesting to note that the developments made by Toyota were adopted by other Japanese manufacturers but none were as successful. In the 1980's American companies began to adopt some of the processes developed by Toyota, and gave these names such as Continuous Flow Manufacturing (CFM), World Class Manufacturing (WCM) and Stockless Production.

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An overview to lean manufacturing

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Eliminating waste and improving the efficiency of your manufacturing company should be at the top of your list. There are many different ways to help your business reduce waste and increase efficiency but the one strategy that ranks at the top of the list is lean manufacturing.

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A hidden manufacturing waste you may not know about

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There are various lean manufacturing processes you can use to try and eliminate wastes from the organization and make it effective. Lean Six Sigma has become a popular option as it focuses on reducing waste but also improving efficiency. When you are working with lean manufacturing it's common to hear about the 7 wastes. These wastes must be eliminated from your organization in order for you to produce better products and provide better service to your customers.

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What happens after you implement lean manufacturing? How do you recalibrate it?

manoncellphone7625057.jpgYou've probably heard all of the buzz about lean manufacturing, but do you know how to implement it and what happens after you implement it? How do you recalibrate lean manufacturing in order to keep it working correctly and to make sure it's making a positive impact on your company? This article will help you understand what comes next after lean manufacturing has been implemented.

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Applying lean manufacturing concepts in pharmaceutical companies

accountant37004113.jpgThe pharmaceutical industry is always on the search for ways to reduce or eliminate defects or errors. Since the pharmaceutical industry create products that are used to aid others such as generating pills or building wheelchairs and other things, the elimination of defects is vital. Many firms have started turning to systems which can help to improve the products and reduce defects. Implementing lean manufacturing into your pharmaceutical company is a great option to help you focus on quality products.

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Lean manufacturing strategies

cautiontape41824589.jpgLean manufacturing first got its start in the manufacturing industry. It is one of the best ways to increase productivity and focus on generating higher profits for your company. Many companies turn to lean manufacturing to helping them improve the way their company is currently being run.


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Lean manufacturing or traditional manufacturing processes, which is better?

pouringsteel34877559.jpgTraditional manufacturing processes can work for some companies. Other organizations have found that traditional manufacturing methods are plagued with a number of problems and it leaves their company with a higher defect ratio along with reduced employee morale and productivity. This is why so many organizations have turned to lean manufacturing.

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How can you implement lean manufacturing?

cleaningmachines24240393.jpgSeveral companies are in need of a way to reduce waste and eliminate defects. If you want to make your company become more productive, turning to lean manufacturing is one of the best options. A lot of companies don't know where to start or how to implement lean manufacturing. If you find your business is among the companies looking to implement lean manufacturing but your not sure where to begin, this article will offer you advise on what you need to do.

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Creating a Lean office

buildings19268963.jpgLean manufacturing was created specifically for manufacturing plants to reduce errors and focus on quality control. If you are like most companies there will be times when you are producing a lot of waste at your company and you aren't getting the most out of your employees that you should be. Creating a lean office is a smart move and it can be done in a short amount of time.

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What does lean manufacturing provide for you?

accountant37004036.jpgIf you are like most business owners you have probably heard a lot of rage over lean manufacturing and its importance.Since reducing waste and improving productivity is important to the overall success of your company, you need to find some type of system that works. Turning to lean manufacturing is one of the easiest ways to come up with solution you need to remove unnecessary wastes and steps from your system.

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How to use Lean Six Sigma

cautiontape41824589.jpgMany manufacturers are now choosing to use a combination of production processes, in order to improve their overall efficiency. One of these combined processes is referred to as Lean Six Sigma. This has become an effective and proven method of improving business efficiency and effectiveness.This is a business improvement methodology that focuses on Six Sigma DMAIC and incorporates various principles of lean manufacturing management.The process attempts to maximize shareholder value, by achieving the fastest rate of improvement in various areas which include but are not limited to:

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What does lean manufacturing mean?

interview26236689.jpgMany companies turn to lean manufacturing to reduce or eliminate waste from their manufacturing processes. The goal of any plant is to reduce waste and produce better products for their customers. Lean manufacturing originally got its start it Japan and it has expanded all over the world to hundreds of companies.

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Lean Six Sigma

clip71731932.jpgThe manufacturing industry is filled with so many different processes that are used to reduce or eliminate waste. Lean Six Sigma is one of the most popular forms of reducing waste and controlling your inventory so you aren't wasting time and money.

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Is a career in manufacturing right for you?

womanwithnewspaper22474463.jpgThe manufacturing world is an exciting industry. Many of the careers in manufacturing are rewarding and quite profitable depending upon the industry and company you choose to work for. The jobs you will be able to have experience with include materials science and quality control. Manufacturing is an industry that has been around for hundreds of years and the need for it continues to grow as new technology is expanding the manufacturing world. Individuals in the manufacturing industry often have careers that are focuses around advanced electric circuits, mathematics, machine tooling, and automated manufacturing,

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The principles of lean manufacturing

buisnessmeeting26238539.jpgDo you want to reduce the number of errors and defects with your manufacturing processes? Lean manufacturing is one of the best ways to eliminate waste, strengthen employee morale, and generate higher profits. Lean manufacturing was originally developed by Toyota as a way to reduce waste. It is now used in thousands of companies all over the world as it allows the companies to produce better products for a lower cost.

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The journey of becoming a lean manufacturing firm

car71993610.jpgLean manufacturing is one of the best ways to eliminate errors, boost employee morale, reduce costs, and strengthen your relationship with your customers. Many of the large corporations and looking into lean manufacturing because it allows a business to run smoothly and easily. It can take 6 months or longer to implement lean manufacturing and have it start to show signs of success.

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The benefits you will receive from Six Sigma and lean manufacturing

formula19179086.jpgManufacturing firms commonly turn to improvement tactics like lean manufacturing and Six Sigma. The combination of lean manufacturing and Six Sigma, referred to as lean Six Sigma, allows you to reduce waste and improve your production. Here are a few of the benefits you can expect when you introduce lean Six Sigma at your firm:

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Should you hire a lean manufacturing consultant?

folder30394905.jpgLean manufacturing provides you with a chance to lower costs and improve the overall production of your business. A number of businesses are turning to lean manufacturing as it is easy to implement it with just about every type of business entity. Smaller companies (like a dental office) may not need to hire a lean manufacturing consultant to come in and provide training to implement lean manufacturing. Larger companies should contact a lean manufacturing consultant to come in and train your employees.

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Lean manufacturing: boost productivity and save money

broker30347317.jpgReady to go lean? A number of companies have retooled the way they do business and they have implemented an approach known as lean manufacturing. Lean manufacturing consists of improving productivity, decreasing wastes, and strengthening your revenue. In addition to all of these great features you can also expect to receive increased customer service for your ability to change to a lean manufacturing environment.

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Eliminating wasted time with Lean Six Sigma

clock63312045.jpgSix Sigma and lean manufacturing are two popular methods used to eliminate waste and improve your businesses productivity and performance. Combining the two together you are given a process known as Lean Six Sigma. Lean Six Sigma focuses more on increasing productivity through identifying the production inefficiencies.

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Different lean manufacturing jobs

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Lean manufacturing jobs are in a number of industries as they are designed to implement things like Six Sigma and Kaizen. Lean manufacturing employees will go around to different companies and train their employees about lean manufacturing and what they can do to become successful with it as well as how it will be able to improve their working conditions. Individuals employed in the lean manufacturing world specialize in developing systems for saving money, producing better products, cut operating costs, and reduce waste. Each company is different so the job of a lean manufacturing specialist is to take a good look at the company and how you can formulate a method that will allow you to do all of the things we have mentioned previously.

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A beginner's guide to lean manufacturing

accountant37004113.jpgAre you looking for a way to increase your profits and create a productive working environment? Lean manufacturing is one of the best ways to meet customer satisfaction ratings and to strengthen your business as a whole. When you focus on implementing lean manufacturing, you will find ways to reduce wastes and produce higher quality products. This article will offer a simple guide to lean manufacturing so you can get on the fast track to running a successful business.

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Why you need lean manufacturing

woodstack26498474.jpgWaste reduction and the removal of unnecessary process can save companies millions of dollars a year. Lean manufacturing benefits not only the company but the consumers of the products. The customers get to enjoy increase value to their products while the employees appreciate their jobs do to the incentives and motivational tools used to make the working environment flow better. The purpose of lean manufacturing is to reduce cycle times and get the products to the customers faster than anticipated.

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Lean manufacturing training

groupofcoworkers32012584.jpgJapanese auto makers have been using lean manufacturing for over 50 years and their market share has more than doubled in the United States from the early 1990s. Seeing the impressive results from Toyota, other companies have eagerly jumped on board with lean manufacturing. Unlike other process improvement strategies, lean manufacturing actually works.

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Important principles of lean manufacturing

machinery19192168.jpgLean manufacturing is one of the most-popular business improvement strategies. It is used by companies like Boeing, Toyota, General Motors, and a handful of other companies. When it comes to learning and implementing lean manufacturing, your company is best advised to pay a consultant to come in and train everyone.

When you are hiring a consultant, look for one that has a lot of experience in lean manufacturing. Far too often consultants only have experience with one or two aspects of lean manufacturing and they are unable to teach you multiple principles. You may find that you only get information about the 5 "S" method or kaizen. Unfortunately many of the consultants do not have a lot of experience with the implementation of the strategies and they fail to influence your company to become a lean environment.

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How can lean manufacturing improve production?

clock19132124.jpgLean manufacturing was developed to help companies quickly recognize problems and inefficiencies in their production process. Most manufacturing plants measure production as the output that is created by input used, meaning employee labor = output per hour. The slightest inefficiency in the production process can reduce your output per hour, which hurts your profit margin. Lean manufacturing is a way of life for most companies as it incorporates ways to change your production process to reduce waste and improve production. To gain insight to lean manufacturing, you must understand 7 different types of waste that may be hindering your company's ability to increase productivity.

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Dealing with waste in lean manufacturing

janitor37426736.jpgLean manufacturing focuses on the elimination of waste. Waste is anything that does not add value to the company. In order to start eliminating waste, you must be able to identify it first. Take a look at your processes and check for inefficiencies and redundancies. One way to look for waste is to listen for it. While this may sound strange, it actually works.

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Combining lean manufacturing and TQM

maninfrontofbuilding30337424.jpgLean manufacturing is often combined with Six Sigma and Total Quality Management to improve the manufacturing process. TQM and lean manufacturing follow the same principles of reducing waste and improving customer outputs. Typically the goals are used as follows:

  • Identify a problem

  • Create a solution

  • Implement the solution

  • Measure the results to see if it worked

  • Make adjustments to prevent the problem from occurring in the future

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Building a lean environment

windmills30521278.jpgIn order to build a lean manufacturing environment you must have total dedication from your employees and you need to have good manager. To create a lean environment, you must select which type of lean manufacturing works for your company. Most companies select the Toyota Production System (TPS) which is also known as just-in-time manufacturing. This method focuses on eliminating waste within the company and putting the customer first. Each department must take steps to ensure that the customers are satisfied.

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More on Lean manufacturing

books30364900.jpgLean manufacturing is a term that is being heard more and more often in the industry and is really getting a lot of attention.The idea has been around for quite some time now, but people are starting to realize how this can really affect businesses and the economy as a whole given the current state of the economy.Many people wonder if we would still be in the same situation where we are now if lean manufacturing had been more of a focus in earlier years.

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The lean manufacturing concept

trash22475110.jpgLean manufacturing is a business operational type that operates with the objective of eliminating waste in its various forms.Waste is defined as an activity or material that provides no value to the end product or service being offered.Companies are interested in lean manufacturing because of the prospect that it introduces for saving more money, thereby making more money for the business.Lean manufacturing aims to take care of the waste problem from a company-wide approach.This means that everyone from upper management to employees on the manufacturing floor is affected by the lean concepts that are being applied to processes as well as materials.The term used to describe the smooth running process that lean manufactures' aim to achieve is called a value stream.A value stream refers to the continuous flow of products and materials that is not burdened by the starts, stops and delays of dealing with waste.Ideally, you want to create a stream of products and actions that consists of only essential steps, of which no step can be eliminated without dramatically affecting the end result.

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Lean manufacturing management

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It is the belief of many that the success of lean manufacturing lies with the management.If you do not know much about lean manufacturing, you might think that it makes a lot of sense to attribute management with being the hard-working force behind any successful business.But the role of management in a lean manufacturing environment is very different.The challenge that management in a lean manufacturing environment has to deal with is learning how to let go of control and decrease the distance between themselves and the floor workers.

Lean manufacturing management has nothing to do with managers completely checking out of their jobs and handing responsibility off to others.The challenge of managing with a lean mentality is in finding the balance between delegating responsibility while being open to suggestions and yet still remaining accountable for the work that is accomplished by your team.In essence, you must develop a culture where there is mutual trust, a sense of personal responsibility and accountability, and a lack of personal ego getting in the way of progress.

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Incorporating lean manufacturing into everyday business

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Lean manufacturing is a method of making a product or providing a service in the most effective way possible.This means eliminating any waste in the form of materials, time, movement, etc.Lean manufacturing concepts apply to far more industries than just those with assembly lines and production plants.Lean manufacturing concepts have a place in even small businesses.The principles of lean manufacturing can and should be incorporated into everyday business.

There may be some obstacles in the form of office hierarchy that you will need to get over in order to start applying lean principles in a business where the lean mentality has not previously existed. Your executive leaders will probably debate the method of incorporating manufacturing into everyday business.No two businesses are the same and as a result, there is no one-size-fits-all method to properly incorporating lean manufacturing into everyday business.Your research and development departments should be given the responsibility of finding areas of your business where concepts of lean manufacturing can be applied more aggressively in order to improve the overall flow of the business.

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Developing a lean manufacturing mentality

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Lean manufacturing is much more than just a type of business; it is a way of thinking.When you think lean, you think of ways to do the necessary things in ways that are as simple or as un-wasteful as possible.You may be skeptical that so much improvement can result from a simple change in the manufacturing thought process, but it is such skepticism that holds many business owners back from achieving the most productivity possible with lean manufacturing methods.In order to develop and maintain a lean manufacturing mentality, you must do the following things:

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Understanding lean manufacturing

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Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Toyota, Honda, Emerson, Honeywell, and Ford are just a few of the companies that have implemented lean manufacturing. Lean manufacturing was originally developed by Toyota as a method to reduce waste. The goal of lean manufacturing is increase output by eliminating different wastes. According to Toyota, there are 7 different types of waste that exist:

  1. Over-production (production ahead of the demand)

  2. Waiting Time (waiting for the next production step)

  3. Transportation (moving products that are not required to perform the processing)

  4. Over-Processing (Poor tool or product design creating activity)

  5. Inventory (Finished product not being finished)

  6. Motion (people or equipment moving or walking more than the production requires)

  7. Defects (Effort involved in identifying and fixing defects)

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Lean manufacturing methodologies

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Lean manufacturing is one of the most-successful ways to eliminate waste and increase productivity at your company. There are several lean manufacturing methodologies available, here are some of the most popular:

  • 5 "S" Approach
  • Kanban
  • Kaizen
  • Value stream mapping
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Implementing lean manufacturing

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Successful implementation of lean manufacturing has saved companies millions of dollars on lost production costs and other "wastes". To implement lean manufacturing, you need to identify which method you want to use. Once you identify this, you need to create a plan.

Start by appointing someone to be the leader. This person will be responsible for coaching the other staff members through the process.

You must also appoint a team to review product design and manufacturing processes. Almost all of the wastes found in lean manufacturing come from faulty product designs. Employees usually opt to produce a product they already know and waste additional time and money than spend time researching ways to make the product better and less-expensive.

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Avoiding lean manufacturing failure

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If you are not careful with lean manufacturing, meaning you do not implement it correctly or use it in the correct way, you have a high chance of failing. If your company fails with lean manufacturing you actually increase, your chances of having your company fail. The reason that your company can fail if you fail with lean manufacturing is that lean manufacturing is a system that you are putting into [place to help improve your manufacturing so that you can keep your customers happy. With lean manufacturing, you are going to be focusing on ways to reduce costs, which will be done by getting rid of anything that does not add value to your manufacturing process. If you do not get rid of the waste in your manufacturing plant you will end up losing money, which can led to the failure of your business because you can lose all of your customers.

One of the most common ways that people fail with lean manufacturing is not being prepared, so to avoid lean manufacturing failure you will need to make sure that you are prepared to implement lean manufacturing. You cannot expect lean manufacturing to be implemented overnight, so if you are serious about implementing lean manufacturing you will need to put forth the time and effort required to make the switch. To do this you will need to figure out ahead of the time the costs that are going to be associated with converting to lean manufacturing, you will also need to determine if you need to purchase anything to make the conversion.

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Using visual controls with lean manufacturing

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Visual controls are basically exactly what they sound like, they are controls that you can put into place in your manufacturing plant that involve looking at things to figure out what you can do to improve them. You can also use visual controls to look for things that are broken or are not working properly so that you can fix these things so that your manufacturing plant is not wasting money. Visual controls can be used in lean manufacturing because you can use the visual controls to observe what processes are being used to see where you can make changes to reduce your costs.

You can also use visual controls to help eliminate any activities that do not add value to your manufacturing process. When using visual controls in lean manufacturing you are using them to help reduce and eliminate waste and you are using the visual controls to help you identify things that are unnecessary in your manufacturing process.

One of the best things about using visual control in lean manufacturing is that these controls can be applied anywhere in the workplace. You can use visual controls in any of your departments because of how adaptable visual controls are. The reason that they are so adaptable is because you yourself can be a visual control just by walking into the room.

You can also use cameras or supervisors as visual controls. For example, you can use visual controls on the shop floor by looking around to see that the assembly line area is free of clutter. By removing the clutter you will be able to see the assembly line clearly, which will allow you to track the progress of your assembly line and spot potential problems sooner rather than later.

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Fastest way to implement lean manufacturing

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If you are considering implementing lean manufacturing for your quality control system, you might be wondering what the fastest way to do that is. Most manufacturing companies want to implement it as quack as possible so that they can start improving their manufacturing processes and reduce their costs. The thing that you need to know about lean manufacturing is that there is not a fast way to implement the system. The reason for this is that you have to follow certain steps when implementing the system if you want it to work right.

Before you can even get started implementing lean manufacturing, you are going to need to ensure that your senior level management is on board with the program. You also want to make sure that they are willing to actively participate in lean manufacturing, not just talk to their employees about it. You want to make sure that your management is going to be actively involved because most employees do well with managers that lead by example, if management is not following through with the new system why should the employees.

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Basics of lean manufacturing

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Lean manufacturing is a quality control program for your manufacturing plant that focuses on cost reduction in your manufacturing plant. Lean manufacturing also focuses on any increases in turnover that your manufacturing company is dealing with. When it comes to dealing with the increases in turnover what lean manufacturing does is eliminate any activities that are causing the increase in turnover time and by eliminating any activities that are not needed in your manufacturing process. What lean manufacturing is doing is eliminating and reducing any waste that is associated with your manufacturing processes, whether it is wasted time or wasted materials.

One of the most important tools that is used in lean manufacturing is visual controls because visual controls can be applied anywhere in the workplace, including the sales office and the shop floor. Visual controls are tools that you can use to look at the manufacturing plant to see what is going on. When looking at what is going on you are going to want to see what things might need to be improved or what things are broken.

Using visual controls will allow you to spot problems before they occur, which means you can head off the bigger problems sooner rather than later. Using visual controls in lean manufacturing is important because it allows you to manage any variances in your manufacturing processes, but it also allows you to control the outcome of your manufactured product. Visual controls work the best because they allow you to respond faster to any potential problems that might arise when compared with other lean manufacturing tools.

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Lean manufacturing a trend that has come back

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In today's tighter economy certain trends that were once put by the wayside have come to back to the forefront of manufacturing.One of these trends is lean manufacturing. In a manufacturing environment that must know produce under tightening costs lean manufacturing is once again moving to the top of many companies production methods.

Lean manufacturing or lean production, which is often known simply as "Lean", is a production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus it becomes a target for elimination. The idea is that working from the perspective of the customer who consumes a product or service, "value" is defined as any action or process that a customer would be willing to pay for.

Basically, Lean is centered on creating more value with much less work. Lean manufacturing is considered to be a generic process management philosophy derived mostly from the Toyota Production System (TPS) (the term Toyotism is also prevalent) and identified as "Lean" only in the 1990s.The process is renowned for its focus on reduction of the original Toyota seven wastes in order to improve overall customer value, but there are varying perspectives on how this is best achieved. The steady growth of Toyota, (from a small company to the world's largest automaker) has focused worldwide attention on how it has achieved this.

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LM

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LM, or Lean Manufacturing, is a business management technique popular in the world of manufacturing that is used to improve overall efficiency and value by eliminating waste in all of its forms.The elimination of waste will naturally save a business money.But the use of Lean Manufacturing is designed to also improve quality and production time.The customer benefits from the lean manufacturing system by receiving the cost savings that the manufacturer can pass on to the consumer and also by receiving a product that is free from defect or fault, as is the objective of a waste free system.

Lean Manufacturing is all about tackling the waste problem from a company-wide approach.Lean Manufacturing techniques do not pertain only to the production floor but also to common business practices like management techniques.The objective of the manufacturing company is to create what is called a "value stream."A value stream refers to the continuous flow of products and materials that is not burdened by the starts, stops and delays of dealing with waste.Remember that waste can include not only material overflow but also any activity, step, or process that does not ultimately end in providing the customer with value.

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Lean manufacturing during a recession

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The manufacturing industry has been hit hard by the current economic recession. Layoffs, drops in sales, and plant closings seem to be more and more common.

However, one process improvement that is very beneficial during a recession is lean manufacturing.

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Waste reduction

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There are some serious problems that beset every business, and waste is one of the most problematic. A company that wastes is a company that could be doing much better easily. Waste occurs in many forms. Waste is overproduction, lost time, lost resources, or poor use of raw materials. There are literally thousands of forms that waste can take. Many companies are unaware of areas in their business that are wasting valuable time or resources. Companies are constantly looking for ways to increase their sales, but they don't think about cutting waste and streamlining their process. Streamlining is a process through which a company eliminates waste in its production process. This can occur in just about any industry-heavy industry or information technology businesses canstreamline because they can all undergo waste elimination. The benefits of waste elimination cannot be underestimated. Cutting waste means increasing total operating income, which can translate into expanded production. Streamlined businesses are also able to more accurately deliver their products. Streamlining helps to avoid the common and serious problem of over production that plagues so many businesses.

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Value added activities

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One of the most important parts of switching to lean manufacturing is to cut waste from the manufacturing and production processes. Most businesses cannot figure out how they are going to cut any sort of waste but there are always things that can be done to make the system much more efficient. The primary goal of lean manufacturing is to create a product which creates as much value as possible at the lowest cost. Value is anything that a customer is willing to pay for. All processes in lean manufacturing are supposed to either cost as much as the value they produce or should create more value than they cost. Any process that actually costs more than the value it produces should be eliminated. However, lean manufacturing is not simply about cutting waste. It is about producing as much valuable as possible at low cost. If you want to create more value you need to look for what are commonly known as value added activities.

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The 8 basics of lean manufacturing

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If you want to implement lean manufacturing you will need to find the most important principles of the lean system. Described bellow are 8 of the most important basic principles of lean manufacturing:

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Production planning and control solutions

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Planning and control are centeral elements of the lean manufacturing process. Visual control of the production line is particularly important in eliminating waste and inefficiency. Waste, in lean manufacturing, is defined as anything that does not add to the actual value of the product.The customer is not paying for the process of manufacturing, so any waste that goes in to the production of a production or of a service is paid for by you, the manufacturer or the provider of the service.Lean manufacturing improves your bottom line, ultimately; lean manufacturing is a way to improve your flow of production by reducing variances in the flow of production.Lean manufacturing also continually improves your production and your production processes, and also improves the experiences of your employees by reducing the waste of their time and their own efforts.

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Understanding myths about lean manufacturing

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Lean manufacturing entails coming up with a management program, the purpose of which is to cut waste as a measure to reduce costs in your business.So, for example, if you are involved in the manufacturing industry, one place where you could cut costs by cutting waste is by reducing the amount of energy and raw materials consumed in the production process. You could also eliminate the total amount of time required by eliminating any waste in the process of production. One of the key things to remember about lean manufacturing is that it is intended to eliminate waste or anything that does not add to the value of your customer's item.Whether or not something adds to the value of your product is determined by your customers, rather than by you.Here's an example of something a customer would consider to be waste: the cost of extra packaging.Your customers don't want to pay for it, and so you can reduce costs by eliminating it, as much as you can.Lean manufacturing is not just beneficial to your customers, however.If you implement a lean manufacturing program in your company, it can aid you in becoming more competitive by freeing up more time, energy, and money for expansion.Studies have been done that show that as many as forty percent of major businesses, manufacturing plants and factories are using lean manufacturing. So lean manufacturing sounds pretty great, doesn't it? However, there have been some myths circulating about lean manufacturing that you should learn about. Discussed below are some of the most popular ones.

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Lean manufacturing during economic downturns

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In times like these it is critical that businesses find ways to eliminate waste so that they can save money. In the present economic downturn companies are doing just about anything they can to become more efficient. As thousands of jobs are lost companies want to find ways to keep people in the work force. A technique used by many companies can be used in times of economic distress. The method is known as lean manufacturing and it has primarily been atrributed to Toyota. The Toyota company went from being a basically insignificant Japanese care manufacturer to the world's leading automobile producer and seller. Using particular lean manufacturing techniques they were able to create a production method that was remarkable efficient and cost effective. In a time when every business needs to improve efficiency, lean manufacturing is a critcal tool that can be used to ensure stability or continuing operation of a business. If you find that your manufacturing business is struggling in the midst of the econmic downturn you should consider implementing lean manufacturing techniques. However, even if your business is doing just fine, you might want to consider investigating lean manufacturing. A business always has room for improvement, and lean manufacturing is one of those techniques that can help to produce real changes quickly.

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Evaluating disruption of lean deployment process

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In recent times we have seen some amazing improvement in the organization of manufacturing in the world. Mostly based on innovations by the Toyota company, manufacturing has grown in efficiency. Several methods, such as lean manufacturing, Kaizen, and lean deployment. These innovations focus on reducing the total amount of waste in a production system. They target areas that need to be improved and made much more efficient. They also identify serious problems with the flow of production.

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Why it is important to teach lean manufacturing principles to your employees

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Lean manufacturing is an initiative that focuses on cost reduction and increases in turnover by constantly and methodically eliminating activities that do not add value to the manufacturing process. Basically what lean manufacturing does is help companies to achieve targeted productivity, as well as other things, by introducing tools and techniques that are easy to apply and maintain. What these tools and techniques are doing is reducing and eliminating waste, things that are not needed in the manufacturing process.

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Converting to a lean process

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Lean manufacturing is used to help companies eliminate waste. Several manufacturing companies have implemented lean manufacturing or another process known as Six Sigma. The best option for any company is to use lean manufacturing in conjunction with Six Sigma. While lean manufacturing will help you eliminate wastes, Six Sigma will help you improve your current processes. If you would like to convert to a lean process, here are some ways to get started.

Get everyone on board. While lean manufacturing may seem like a management decision, it is actually a company-wide decision. Everyone needs to sit down and discuss the benefits and disadvantages of implementing lean manufacturing. Create a checklist of all the employee comments and review it with everyone. Come up with some ideas as to how the employees think they could change the current production and make it faster and more reliable. Always keep in mind that lean manufacturing is a company-wide change and it will impact everyone at the organization, not just the CEOs.

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Consulting services for lean and six sigma

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Six sigma focuses on improving quality and efficiency within an organization. Lean manufacturing focuses on creating an environment with good management and employee morale. Manufacturing companies often implement six sigma and lean manufacturing to reduce wastes, save money, increase production, and boost employee morale. In order to become successful with lean manufacturing and six sigma, you need to find the right consulting service.

A good consulting service will be able to help your company focus on the reduction of waste and improvement of the company. Successful implementation will expose the quality problems that exist within the company and you will identify how to reduce the waste the problems are causing.

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Why choose Lean manufacturing

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The second law of thermo-dynamics tells us that the entropy of a system will tend to increase over time. Also, it is only natural for a system to go from an orderly state to a more disorderly state. In manufacturing, or in other business processes, it is natural for inefficiencies and waste to make their way into the processes. Just as sediment builds up in your household drain pipes, left to themselves, a similar kind of sediment will build up in the manufacturing plant.

When waste and inefficiencies creep in over time to the manufacturing process, these can really add up to big losses over time. Toyota recognized that they could save a lot of money by reducing waste and came up with a methodology known as Lean manufacturing.

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Using Lean in Build to Order

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Using lean in build to order is a great way to make the system efficient. Even though the products you are manufacturing have to be built to certain specifications, it does not mean that you can't have a smooth system to do so. What you must understand is the relationship between lean production and built to order. To understand this, we must first define the terms:

Lean Production: Lean production is basically a system that uses minimal amounts of resources to produce a high volume of high-quality goods with some variety. Or in other words, a system that takes the concept of assembly line production, but utilizes it for systems that need variety.

Build to Order: This is pretty self explanatory, as it is simply that a customer can specify the components and features they want included. In most cases however, these features are the same for any order that requests them. For example, Dell computers has a system where you can call in and say what you want included with your computer, whether it is a DVD player, burner, lots of ram, etc. You aren't actually customizing the DVD burner you are having put in, you are just customizing what goes into YOUR computer. So, your computer is built with standard parts, but it is built based on what you order. So it is built to order! Build to order is sometimes called mass customization.

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Visual control as a key component of production improvement

storagedome30456094.jpg Visual control is a key component of lean manufacturing.Lean manufacturing is a way of approaching manufacturing that strives to eliminate all waste, from materials that are not used to time that is spent doing unnecessary tasks.Waste, in lean manufacturing, is defined as anything that does not add to the actual value of the product.The customer is not paying for the process of manufacturing, so any waste that goes in to the production of a production or of a service is paid for by you, the manufacturer or the provider of the service.Lean manufacturing improves your bottom line, ultimately; lean manufacturing is a way to improve your flow of production by reducing variances in the flow of production.Lean manufacturing also continually improves your production and your production processes, and also improves the experiences of your employees by reducing the waste of their time and their own efforts.

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How to improve productivity and efficiency in your manufacturing

factory26813920.jpg This article will describe the basics of lean manufacturing and the possible implications for your company or business.

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How to improve process flow through leveling

windmills30521278.jpg Improving flow through production leveling is one component of leanmanufacturing, which is an approach to manufacturing that strives to improve productivity and quality by cutting down on waste in all different aspects of the manufacturing process.Lean manufacturing first surfaced in Japan as a process management philosophy from Toyota Production System, also known as TPS.It strives to improve customer value by reducing a number of different wastes.Lean manufacturing can also be used in conjunction with the six sigma approach to management and manufacturing because lean manufacturing works on cutting down on waste and six sigma works on reducing variations in the processes of manufacturing or providing services.

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How to convert to a lean six sigma process

fishingboat37852952.jpg In the manufacturing industry there are many different theories and methods for running the companies. Two of those theories or methods include a process called lean manufacturing and the six sigma manufacturing methodology. Lean manufacturing and six sigma are two of the most effective manufacturing methods that are known throughout the manufacturing world. Manufacturing companies or plants can use both methods of lean manufacturing and six sigma together. Here we will discuss how to convert to a lean six sigma process.

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Benefits of taking a lean manufacturing approach

sandpile34878648.jpg There can be many benefits of taking a lean manufacturing approach. Lean manufacturing is an approach to manufacturing that aims for waste removal and implementing flow. Lean manufacturing is a focus on the elimination of the seven wastes in manufacturing. These seven wastes include defects, overproduction, transportation, waiting, inventory, motion, and over processing. When lean manufacturing is implemented these seven wastes can be eliminated according to the philosophy. It may be easy to see the benefits of taking a lean manufacturing approach but here we will go over some of those benefits.

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Choosing between six sigma and lean manufacturing

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When you are running a manufacturing company there is a lot of things that you have to take into consideration. One of the most important things that you have to take into consideration is your output. If your output isn't what it should be you will not be making as much money. Another thing that you want to be careful about is your waste. If your manufacturing company has a lot of scrap that is just wasted money that you can be using some where else. There are a couple of different options out there that can help your company with both it's output and it scrap along with less defects. Most manufacturing companies either use six sigma or lean manufacturing. If you have heard of both of them but don't know which one is right for your manufacturing company. Here is some information to help you when choosing between six sigma and lean manufacturing.

The first thing is to know the difference between six sigma and lean manufacturing. Six sigma is where you have six steps that help you to determine what your problem is in different manufacturing processes and getting to the root of the problem so you can find out how to solve the problem. Lean manufacturing is when you find different ways to manufacture things to cut down on your cost by cutting down on your waste.

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What you need to know about implementing lean manufacturing

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This article will describe the basics of lean manufacturing and the possible implications for your company or business.

Lean manufacturing entails coming up with a management program in order to cut waste as a measure to reduce costs in your business.So, for example, if you are involved in the manufacturing industry, one place where you could cut costs by cutting waste is by reducing the amount of time between when a customer places and order and when that order is shipped by eliminating any waste in the process of production.

One of the key things to remember about lean manufacturing is that it is intended to eliminate waste or anything that does not add to the value of your product.Whether or not something adds to the value of your product is determined by your customers, rather than by you.Here's an example of something a customer would consider to be waste: equipment downtime.Your customers don't want to pay for it, and so you can reduce costs by eliminating it, as much as you can.Lean manufacturing is not just beneficial to your customers, however.If you implement a lean manufacturing program in your business, it can aid you in becoming more competitive by helping you streamline your manufacturing processes.Industry Week has done a survey of 967 manufacturing plants, and discovered that 35.7% of those manufacturing plants and factories are using lean manufacturing.Some of these manufacturing plants are Boeing, John Deere, and Caterpillar.In addition to implementing lean manufacturing in their own companies, these three companies also offer training opportunities to their suppliers so that they can become more efficient and more cost-effective.

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What production leveling has to do with lean manufacturing

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Improving flow through production leveling is one component of leanmanufacturing, which is an approach to manufacturing that strives to improve productivity and quality by cutting down on waste in all different aspects of the manufacturing process.Lean manufacturing first surfaced in Japan as a process management philosophy from Toyota Production System, also known as TPS.It strives to improve customer value by reducing a number of different wastes.Lean manufacturing can also be used in conjunction with the six sigma approach to management and manufacturing because lean manufacturing works on cutting down on waste and six sigma works on reducing variations in the processes of manufacturing or providing services.

One way that lean manufacturing works to reduce waste, and even eliminate waste if possible from manufacturing processes and service processes is by improving the flow of work through the manufacturing system, instead of just focusing on eliminating waste.There are several different approaches to improving the flow of products by leveling production by means of what are called Kanban and the Heijunka box.

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How to use kaizen to improve manufacturing

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Kaizen principles are a comprehensive way of approaching the continual improvement of your manufacturing processes.Kaizen is the Japanese term for "change for the better" or it can be translated as "improvement".Kaizen is often translated into English as "continual improvement."Kaizen works to improve quality in the workplace, particularly in manufacturing companies, though it has also been applied to service providing companies and other types of companies.Kaizen is most often used in reference to Toyota Production System and is the combination of a number of different systems that are geared towards quality control.

What the overall purpose of Kaizen is is to eliminate waste.Joshua Isaac Walters defines wastes as "activities that add cost but do not add value."Very little of the process that goes into producing a product is paid for by the customer; instead, you as the manufacturer have to pay for all of this waste. Reducing waste is ultimately an effort to improve your bottom line, so there is nothing that you can lose by reducing waste.Implementing Kaizen is a way to improve your own financial standing.Kaizen also works to standardize the production process through doing things like leveling off the production flow so that there aren't variations in the production process, and also by doing things like switching from push production to pull production.

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How to implement lean manufacturing in order to reduce your business' waste

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Lean manufacturing is a way of improving manufacturing processes and making them more efficient and worthwhile and productive.The way that lean manufacturing makes manufacturing processes more productive is by reducing the seven wastes.The seven wastes are defined as the following:

The seven deadly wastes of lean manufacturing
1.Overproduction,
or more production than there is actually demand.

2.Transportation, or the moving of products that is not really needed to actually perform the processing.

3.Waiting, or waiting around for the next step in production.

4.Inventory, which consists of either all components, the work in progress, and the finished product not being processed.

5.Motion, which consists of both or either people moving or walking or equipment moving more than they actually have to in order to the processing to be performed.

6.Over Processing,
which results from poor product design or poor tool design, leading to unnecessary activity to compensate.

7.Defects, which refers to the effort that is involved in looking for, inspecting, and then fixing defects in processes and products.

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Visual control in lean manufacturing

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Visual control is a key component of lean manufacturing.Lean manufacturing is a way of approaching manufacturing that strives to eliminate all waste, from materials that are not used to time that is spent doing unnecessary tasks.Waste, in lean manufacturing, is defined as anything that does not add to the actual value of the product.The customer is not paying for the process of manufacturing, so any waste that goes in to the production of a production or of a service is paid for by you, the manufacturer or the provider of the service.Lean manufacturing improves your bottom line, ultimately; lean manufacturing is a way to improve your flow of production by reducing variances in the flow of production.Lean manufacturing also continually improves your production and your production processes, and also improves the experiences of your employees by reducing the waste of their time and their own efforts.

Visual control is a key component to this improvement of production through lean manufacturing.Visual control is a process that visually compares products as they move through the production process to other products to ensure that they are all the same.Visual control also works to ensure that the production processes are the same, and that there are not variances in production processes or production products.Visual controls works to eliminate variances in production processes, and strives to reduce variances in the flow of production.By doing so, visual control works to eliminate waste.By visually controlling aspects of the production process rather than testing each product for possible defects, quality is improved and less time is wasted by employees.

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Reducing the seven wastes lean manufacturing

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Lean manufacturing is a way of improving manufacturing processes and making them more efficient and worthwhile and productive.The way that lean manufacturing makes manufacturing processes more productive is by reducing the seven wastes.The seven wastes are defined as the following:

The seven deadly wastes of lean manufacturing
1.Overproduction,
or more production than there is actually demand.
2.Transportation, or the moving of products that is not really needed to actually perform the processing.
3.Waiting, or waiting around for the next step in production.
4.Inventory, which consists of either all components, the work in progress, and the finished product not being processed.
5.Motion, which consists of both or either people moving or walking or equipment moving more than they actually have to in order to the processing to be performed.
6.Over Processing, which results from poor product design or poor tool design, leading to unnecessary activity to compensate.
7.Defects, which refers to the effort that is involved in looking for, inspecting, and then fixing defects in processes and products.

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Kaizen principles for manufacturing

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Kaizen principles are a comprehensive way of approaching the continual improvement of your manufacturing processes.Kaizen is the Japanese term for "change for the better" or it can be translated as "improvement".Kaizen is often translated into English as "continual improvement."Kaizen works to improve quality in the workplace, particularly in manufacturing companies, though it has also been applied to service providing companies and other types of companies.Kaizen is most often used in reference to Toyota Production System and is the combination of a number of different systems that are geared towards quality control.

What the overall purpose of Kaizen is is to eliminate waste.Joshua Isaac Walters defines wastes as "activities that add cost but do not add value."Very little of the process that goes into producing a product is paid for by the customer; instead, you as the manufacturer have to pay for all of this waste. Reducing waste is ultimately an effort to improve your bottom line, so there is nothing that you can lose by reducing waste.Implementing Kaizen is a way to improve your own financial standing.Kaizen also works to standardize the production process through doing things like leveling off the production flow so that there aren't variations in the production process, and also by doing things like switching from push production to pull production.

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Using lean manufacturing in a total quality management system

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The first example is in your products you are manufacturing. If you are using lean manufacturing it means that you are not only using less many power to make a certain product but you are also using less money and have less waste. But you also have to remember you don't want your customer satisfaction to go down because you start using cheaper materials to save money on your products. A great way to save money is to try to find a wholesaler that is wiling to sell you the materials you need for your products for cheaper then what you are paying. There are a couple of ways that you can go about trying to find a better price. Some wholesalers will give you a better price because they don't have the middle man that they have to pay. Other wholesalers will make you buy in bulk. The more you buy at one the cheaper it is for you to buy. You will want to make sure that you pay attention and figure out which way you will save the most money. This will not only give you more of a profit but it will also make it so that your customers stay happy.

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Managing waste at your manufacturing plant

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"Lean" manufacturing has long been a manufacturing technique that manufacturers strive to embody.No one wants waste in their business.Wasting resources means throwing money out of the window and subjecting your company poor press especially if your waste has any negative association with environmental protection.Managing waste at your manufacturing plant has only advantages when it can be done efficiently and as cost effectively as possible.Do not be fooled into thinking that all of your waste problems can be solved in a matter of weeks, months or even years.Many manufacturing plants spend their entire time operating striving to have less and less waste. Although it may seem like your company will never full be rid of all kinds of waste, there are small things that can be done on a daily basis to make small improvements consistently over time.

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Understanding Production Flow: Extended Entry

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Production flow is often call mass production, repetitive flow production, or series production. Production flow uses production lines to continually move large amount of items through the production process. Each product will have the same amount of time dedicated to it on the production line in order to keep the process moving smoothly. This also means that once one product has been produced, the next product must begin production immediately following the completed one.

Quite often production flow is used for car manufacturing where the doors, wheels, bonnets, and engines are all added to a chassis as it moves along an assembly line. Production flow is used for companies who want to produce a high volume of the same item. Henry Ford used production flow when he produced the Ford Model T car in the early 1900's.

In fact, Ford was a late developer of production flow. Production flow was first developed in Venice hundreds of years earlier. The Venice Arsenal used production lines to assemble nearly one ship a day. This made the Venice Arsenal the world's first factory. Production flow became increasingly popular when Johannes Gutenberg published the Bible on a printing press in the mid 1400's. Guns were mass produced during the American Civil War by the Springfield Armory. Also during this time, watches were mass produced as well. As you can see, production flow has been around for hundreds of years.

Production flow became increasingly popular in the American system of manufacturing because it was new, sophisticated machinery that relied on electricity, versus steam power. Production flow is one of the leading reasons for the boom in the American economy in the early 1900's.

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What is Lean Manufacturing?:Extended Entry

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Lean manufacturing is often referred to as lean production or just "lean". It was developed in the early 1900's as a method to reduce waste while producing goods. Taiichi Ohno and Eiji Toyoda are given credit for developing the Toyota Production System (TPS) which is known as lean manufacturing. The TPS system was developed between 1948 and 1975. Ironically the idea for lean manufacturing came to Toyoda when he was in a supermarket. He observed the simple idea of creating an automatic drink re-supplier, when a customer wants a drink he takes it and it is replaced with another.

Toyota defines waste as being three-form, muri (overburden), mura (inconsistency), and muda (eliminate waste). Muri or overburden is considered to be all the unreasonable work that management assigns upon workers and machines due to poor organization. Some examples of muri are carrying heavy weights, dangerous tasks (behavior-based safety issues), and working at a significantly faster than normal pace. Muri defines this work as pushing a person or machine to a pace beyond their normal limits. Muri is associated with the preparation or planning phase of the production process.

Mura or inconsistency focuses on the implementation and elimination of fluctuation of scheduling. This usually falls to the operations level to schedule the quality and volume of the production process. Finally, muda or waste elimination is dealt with after the process is completed. Management oversees muda and should consider how to eliminate the deeper causes of muda formed in muri and mura. Once the causes are determined, management will then use them in the next project and slowly begin eliminating all waste together.

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The 5 "S" approach to Lean Manufacturing: Extended Entry

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Improving quality, reducing costs, and improving safety are all key concerns for anyone who works for a manufacturing company or other organization. Many companies implement lean manufacturing in order to reduce excess wastes that occur within a company.

What is lean manufacturing?
Lean manufacturing is often referred to as lean production or just "lean". It was developed in the early 1900's as a method to reduce waste while producing goods. Taiichi Ohno and Eiji Toyoda are given credit for developing the Toyota Production System (TPS) which is known as lean manufacturing. The TPS system was developed between 1948 and 1975. Ironically the idea for lean manufacturing came to Toyoda when he was in a supermarket. He observed the simple idea of creating an automatic drink re-supplier, when a customer wants a drink he takes it and it is replaced with another.

Toyota defines waste as being three-form, muri (overburden), mura (inconsistency), and muda (eliminate waste). Muri or overburden is considered to be all the unreasonable work that management assigns upon workers and machines due to poor organization. Some examples of muri are carrying heavy weights, dangerous tasks (behavior-based safety issues), and working at a significantly faster than normal pace. Muri defines this work as pushing a person or machine to a pace beyond their normal limits. Muri is associated with the preparation or planning phase of the production process.

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Lean training: Extenden Entry

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The goal of lean manufacturing is to reduce or eliminate excess waste and increase overall profit and production. There are several different ways to implement lean manufacturing into your company. Depending upon the type of company you are, one of the following lean manufacturing approaches will work for you.

The Toyota Production System
Toyota defines waste as being three-form, muri (overburden), mura (inconsistency), and muda (eliminate waste). Muri or overburden is considered to be all the unreasonable work that management assigns upon workers and machines due to poor organization. Some examples of muri are carrying heavy weights, dangerous tasks (behavior-based safety issues), and working at a significantly faster than normal pace. Muri defines this work as pushing a person or machine to a pace beyond their normal limits. Muri is associated with the preparation or planning phase of the production process.

Mura or inconsistency focuses on the implementation and elimination of fluctuation of scheduling. This usually falls to the operations level to schedule the quality and volume of the production process. Finally, muda or waste elimination is dealt with after the process is completed. Management oversees muda and should consider how to eliminate the deeper causes of muda formed in muri and mura. Once the causes are determined, management will then use them in the next project and slowly begin eliminating all waste together.

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Creating a Lean Manufacturing Environment

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Creating a lean manufacturing environment in your workplace boils down to two things; employee motivation and good management. Several companies implement lean manufacturing, but do not take the proper steps to ensure it is successful. Lean manufacturing must be a total commitment by all parties involved in order to become successful. All the different levels of the organization need to put forth their best efforts on a day-to-day basis and work together toward achieving improved performance and a reduction in waste.

Several companies choose to implement the Toyota Production System. The Toyota Production System is a "customer-first" mentality. Within the Toyota Production System, each department is completely dependant upon the customer and making sure the customer is satisfied. In order to implement, you must first understand some of the basic concepts of lean manufacturing.

Lean manufacturing is focused on the elimination or reduction of waste and the improvement of the overall performance of a company. The philosophy behind lean manufacturing is often given credit to Toyota for their development of the Toyota Production System. Toyota focuses on reducing wastes in order to improve the overall customer satisfaction level. The Toyota Production System believes there are 7 wastes in the workplace that can be reduced or eliminated in order to improve the overall performance of a company.

There are several different approaches to lean manufacturing including 5S, Kanban, visual control, and production flow. Toyota defines waste as being three-form, muri (overburden), mura (inconsistency), and muda (eliminate waste). Muri or overburden is considered to be all the unreasonable work that management assigns upon workers and machines due to poor organization. Some examples of muri are carrying heavy weights, dangerous tasks (behavior-based safety issues), and working at a significantly faster than normal pace. Muri defines this work as pushing a person or machine to a pace beyond their normal limits. Muri is associated with the preparation or planning phase of the production process.

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Continuous Process Improvement- The Kaizen Approach: Extended Entry

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Kaizen is the Japanese strategy for continuous improvement. The main goal of kaizen is to eliminate waste. This strategy is similar to lean manufacturing, with a few differences. The kaizen approach focuses on continuous improvement in all aspects of life. For a business; the kaizen approach works at continually improving all the functions of a company from the CEO down to the assembly line of workers.

Toyota Motor Company was one of the first Japanese businesses to implement Kaizen. After World War II, Kaizen was adopted by several Japanese companies to help rebuild after the war. Since this time, kaizen has become so successful, that it has spread to several businesses throughout the world.

How kaizen works in business.
Kaizen calls for never-ending methods of improvement. It goes beyond simply improving productivity. Kaizen is a process and if it is done correctly, it will help to humanize the workplace, eliminate hard work, and will teach people how to perform to the best of their abilities and reduce waste in the manufacturing process.

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Lean manufacturing techniques pros and cons

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Lean manufacturing is when a company is trying to use less of everything in the production of their goods compared to the mass production.In other words it is a way to help companies reduce the amount of waste they use and achieve their targeted productivity by introduction some different tools and techniques.This includes using less human effort, less manufacturing space, and less investment tools to develop a new product.Although lean manufacturing is fast becoming the latest fad in the twenty first century, there are some pros and cons to the lean manufacturing techniques to consider before implementing them in your company.

Lean Manufacturing Pros
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  • Lean manufacturing minimizes the overhead fixed cost to thirty percent.It also reduces operational costs, targets to boost restore and raise the competitiveness of a company.

  • - Lean manufacturing aims to eliminate most if not all forms of waste.

  • - Many experts claim that by implementing lean manufacturing techniques and strategies reduce the manufacturing time.

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Using lean manufacturing to reduce costs and improve quality

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Lean manufacturing was developed in part from the War Manpower Commission that led to the Toyota Production System (TPS). Lean manufacturing is a concept that focuses on eliminating seven wastes. Toyota defined three types of waste: "muda" or nonvalue-added work, "muri" or overburden and "mura" or unevenness. By eliminating waste, overall quality can be improved and production time as well as cost can be reduced.

The Toyota seven wastes are as follows:

  1. Over-production (production ahead of the demand)

  2. Waiting Time (waiting for the next production step)

  3. Transportation (moving products that are not required to perform the processing)

  4. Over-Processing (Poor tool or product design creating activity)

  5. Inventory (Finished product not being finished)

  6. Motion (people or equipment moving or walking more than the production requires)

  7. Defects (Effort involved in identifying and fixing defects)

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Comparing lean manufacturing to TQM

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Lean manufacturing has become a popular trend among companies and especially among manufacturing companies.Total Quality Management is also a great tool mainly used in government, manufacturing, education, and service industries.So how do lean manufacturing and Total Quality Management compare?Let's take a closer look at the two.

Total Quality Management
As a definition, Total Quality Management or TQM is a management strategy aimed at the awareness of quality in all organizational processes.The hope is to provide everyone with a way to create customer satisfaction at lower costs.It consists of three paradigms:
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  • Total-which means it involves the entire organization of your company

  • - Quality

  • - Management- implementing a system of steps to achieve your goals.

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Lean manufacturing techniques pros and cons

Lean manufacturing is when a company is trying to use less of everything in the production of their goods compared to the mass production.In other words it is a way to help companies reduce the amount of waste they use and achieve their targeted productivity by introduction some different tools and techniques.This includes using less human effort, less manufacturing space, and less investment tools to develop a new product.Although lean manufacturing is fast becoming the latest fad in the twenty first century, there are some pros and cons to the lean manufacturing techniques to consider before implementing them in your company.

Lean Manufacturing Pros
- Lean manufacturing minimizes the overhead fixed cost to thirty percent.It also reduces operational costs, targets to boost restore and raise the competitiveness of a company.
- Lean manufacturing aims to eliminate most if not all forms of waste.
- Many experts claim that by implementing lean manufacturing techniques and strategies reduce the manufacturing time.
- As manufacturing lead time is lowered, it is the hope that the operational costs incurred from the use of energy will also be significantly reduced.
- Lean manufacturing helps companies maintain and increase their profits and earning.It also helps them generate a little more savings as the costs are lower.
- As lean manufacturing tries to eliminate wasted space, this proves to be an advantage to implementing it within your company.Workspace is one of the primary factors that keeps companies running smoothly and effectively.
- Experts have estimated that if lean manufacturing techniques are adopted correctly, it will help companies reduce the requirement for physical floor space by about five to thirty percent.

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Using lean manufacturing to reduce costs and improve quality

Lean manufacturing was developed in part from the War Manpower Commission that led to the Toyota Production System (TPS). Lean manufacturing is a concept that focuses on eliminating seven wastes. Toyota defined three types of waste: "muda" or nonvalue-added work, "muri" or overburden and "mura" or unevenness. By eliminating waste, overall quality can be improved and production time as well as cost can be reduced. The Toyota seven wastes are as follows:
1. Over-production (production ahead of the demand)
2. Waiting Time (waiting for the next production step)
3. Transportation (moving products that are not required to perform the processing)
4. Over-Processing (Poor tool or product design creating activity)
5. Inventory (Finished product not being finished)
6. Motion (people or equipment moving or walking more than the production requires)
7. Defects (Effort involved in identifying and fixing defects)

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Lean manufacturing techniques


Lean manufacturing is when a company is trying to use less of everything in the production of their goods compared to the mass production.Or in other words, it is a way to help companies achieve their targeted productivity, (and other things as well) by introducing tools and techniques that are simple to apply.This includes, but is not limited to less manufacturing space, less human effort, and less investment tools to develop their new product.The purpose of lean manufacturing is to improve the overall customer value by eliminating waste and things that are not needed in the manufacturing process.Lean manufacturing has become a hot topic in the 21st century, and is seen as one of the latest management fads.So let's look at some steps you can take to help you get started down the road to lean manufacturing and some techniques to help you get there.

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Top five things you need to know about lean manufacturing


Here are the top five things you need to know about lean manufacturing. Lean manufacturing is the process of eliminating the non-value added operations of a company's production or process.

So when you think about that you can see that by eliminating the waste, the money that is saved, can go toward the more necessary and beneficial parts of the company expenses and costs for operations.

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The fast track to lean manufacturing


Lean manufacturing is an initiative that focuses on cost reduction and increases in turnover by constantly and methodically eliminating activities that do not add value to the manufacturing process. Basically what lean manufacturing does is help companies to achieve targeted productivity, as well as other things, by introducing tools and techniques that are easy to apply and maintain. What these tools and techniques are doing is reducing and eliminating waste, things that are not needed in the manufacturing process.

Many companies want to convert their manufacturing plant to lean manufacturing as quickly as possible. But what they do not realize is that there is no way to fast track the conversion to lean manufacturing because there are certain steps that need to be followed in order to switch your manufacturing plant over to lean manufacturing. Not to mention the fact that if you do not take the time to properly train yourself and your employees on lean manufacturing you are going to end up failing with the implementation of lean manufacturing.

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Introducing lean manufacturing to your plant


Lean manufacturing is an initiative that focuses on cost reduction and increases in turnover by constantly and methodically eliminating activities that do not add value to the manufacturing process. Basically what lean manufacturing does is help companies to achieve targeted productivity, as well as other things, by introducing tools and techniques that are easy to apply and maintain. What these tools and techniques are doing is reducing and eliminating waste, things that are not needed in the manufacturing process.

Here are the steps you will need to take to introduce lean manufacturing to your plant.

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Six sigma versus lean manufacturing, which is right for you?


If you own or manage a manufacturing company, you might have heard the terms Six Sigma and lean manufacturing.They are closely related, as they are both strategies developed by big business companies in order to reduce or eliminate manufacturing excess.The principle difference between the two strategies is that Six Sigma is a strategy used to eliminate defects and lean manufacturing is a strategy used to eliminate waste.Looking carefully at each strategy might entail a class on each; however, the basics of each strategy are presented for you here.

Six sigma focuses on eliminating problems with the manufactured product.The strategy was developed by the Motorola Company and primarily focuses on the customer.Defect that are to be eliminated are defined as not delivering what the customer wants.To paraphrase an old saying, "if the customer ain't happy, ain't nobody happy".That's what Six Sigma is all about: customer satisfaction.Six Sigma has two directions.The first is the goal of improving the current process and product.The other direction is to create new processes that are better suited to elimination of defects.These two goals aren't mutually exclusive and often a company can make changes to the current processes while also implementing new one.If this is sounds like what you are interested in doing in your company, Six Sigma might be the strategy for you

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Six sigma versus lean manufacturing, which is right for you?


If you own or manage a manufacturing company, you might have heard the terms Six Sigma and lean manufacturing.They are closely related, as they are both strategies developed by big business companies in order to reduce or eliminate manufacturing excess.The principle difference between the two strategies is that Six Sigma is a strategy used to eliminate defects and lean manufacturing is a strategy used to eliminate waste.Looking carefully at each strategy might entail a class on each; however, the basics of each strategy are presented for you here.

Six sigma focuses on eliminating problems with the manufactured product.The strategy was developed by the Motorola Company and primarily focuses on the customer.Defect that are to be eliminated are defined as not delivering what the customer wants.To paraphrase an old saying, "if the customer ain't happy, ain't nobody happy".That's what Six Sigma is all about: customer satisfaction.Six Sigma has two directions.The first is the goal of improving the current process and product.The other direction is to create new processes that are better suited to elimination of defects.These two goals aren't mutually exclusive and often a company can make changes to the current processes while also implementing new one.If this is sounds like what you are interested in doing in your company, Six Sigma might be the strategy for you

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Visual controls for lean manufacturing

Before you can understand what the visual controls for lean manufacturing are and how they can be used to improve your manufacturing process you are going to need to understand what lean manufacturing is. So let's take a quick moment to review what lean manufacturing is before we go on to the visual controls of lean manufacturing.

Lean manufacturing is an initiative that focuses on cost reduction and increases in turnover by constantly and methodically eliminating activities that do not add value to the manufacturing process. Basically what lean manufacturing does is help companies to achieve targeted productivity, as well as other things, by introducing tools and techniques that are easy to apply and maintain. What these tools and techniques are doing is reducing and eliminating waste, things that are not needed in the manufacturing process.

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The steps to implementing lean manufacturing

Lean manufacturing is an initiative that focuses on cost reduction and increases in turnover by constantly and methodically eliminating activities that do not add value to the manufacturing process. Basically what lean manufacturing does is help companies to achieve targeted productivity, as well as other things, by introducing tools and techniques that are easy to apply and maintain. What these tools and techniques are doing is reducing and eliminating waste, things that are not needed in the manufacturing process.

Here are the steps you will need to take to implement lean manufacturing.

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Manager's guide for going lean

There are a lot of different things that can help save and make companies money. One thing that more and more companies are doing is going lean. If you want to make your company more money you might want to think about making your company go lean. Here are some things in a manager's guide for going lean that might help you out.

The first thing in a manager's guide for going lean is to know what going lean is. Going lean is a process that companies have started doing to cut down on their cost. Going lean means that you take a in depth look at your company and figure out what type of wastes you have whether it be services or materials and figure out how to make it better. You will first need to make sure that you take into consideration your customers and what they expect. You don't want to take away from quality when you are going lean.

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How can we become better at lean management.

If you are the manager or owner of a business, whether it's involved in manufacturing or not, you should be asking yourself how you can become better at lean management.This article will answer your questions about how you can improve your lean management and how that will help improve your company.
Lean management, otherwise called lean manufacturing, is a way to approach manufacturing that cuts down on waste.Anything that is considered by the customer not to add value to the product is eliminated, at least as much as possible.It is easy to see how lean management can apply to the manufacturing process--you can start with simple things like making sure that equipment is always in the same place, cutting down on the amount of time that a product is in the manufacturing process, and other things of that nature.But lean management can and should also be applied to every aspect of your company's organization--supply chain management, customer relations, general management, product development, and more.

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How do I become a six sigma black belt?

If you are a manager or an engineer, one of the questions you might want to ask yourself if you are interested in improving your career and your earning potential is how you can become a six sigma black belt.
Six sigma is an approach to management that uses a statistical and observational approach to improving productivity, efficiency, value, and customer satisfaction.Developed by Motorola, six sigma has become one of the most popular approaches to management and product improvement out there.In order to correctly and productively practice six sigma, you need to be six sigma certified.There are different levels of six sigma certification--yellow belt, green belt, black belt, and master black belt.

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How do I convert my process to six sigma?

If you are a manager of an office or a senior management member of a business owner, you've probably heard a lot about six sigma management.And if you've heard about six sigma, then you might be wondering: "How do I convert my process to six sigma?"This article will go through how you can convert your process to six sigma in order to increase quality, efficiency and process and product value.
Six sigma has been one of the most popular and one of the most publicized quality control management programs in the last few decades.Six sigma, in a nutshell, uses different statistical and analytical tools in order to improve the quality of your processes and the value of your products, based on consumer perceived value. Six sigma presents you with a box of different tools and techniques that you can use in order to improve your processes, including ways to measure, analyze, define, and control your processes.

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How do we achieve six sigma certification?

Are you wondering how you as a company or as an individual can achieve six sigma certification?This article will review how you can receive six sigma certification, a process that, when used correctly can greatly improve the productivity of your business along with your customer satisfaction.
One way that you can achieve six sigma certification as an organization is by hiring a certification training company.There are many of these different certification companies out there, willing to hire your employees and to teach you six sigma management techniques.These hands-on training courses are specifically designed to help your particular company needs and to help you fix your specific company problems.These training programs will give you a larger, more general framework within which you can work on implementing six sigma tools and approaches to improve product quality and value.These different six sigma training programs will help you learn how to correctly manage already existing processes, working on improving them, and ultimately will help you effectively and efficiently design new processes.

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What cost savings are available using six sigma?

This article will discuss what cost savings are available by using the Six Sigma methodology.
If you have been at all involved in business during the last two decades, then you've heard a whole lot about Motorola's development of the Six Sigma methodology.Six Sigma has been hailed as one of the most powerful quality management systems to have ever been developed, promising incredible results as you use Six Sigma techniques and tools to statistically analyze your processes in an effort to locate where you can improve the value of your processes and increase customer satisfaction and perceived value.
But can Six Sigma really improve your business that much?Is it really worth the cost that you have to invest in receiving all of the training, revising your processes, changing your methodology?Is Six Sigma a waste of money, or can you actually save money by improving your processes and increasing their value?

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What is a scatter plot and how is it used in Six Sigma?

A scatter plot is also known as a scatter diagram or scatter graph.It is a graph used to visually display and compare a possible relationship between two or more sets of related data by displaying points, each having a coordinate on a horizontal and a vertical axis. A dot in the body of the chart represents the intersection of the data on the x and y axis.
One advantage of a scatter plot is that it does not require you to specify dependent or independent variables. Either type of variable can be plotted on either axis. Scatter plots do not imply any causation, but rather an association between two variables.Your scatter plot may show that a relationship exists, but it does not and cannot prove that one variable is causing the other.If there is an apparent relationship, there could be a third factor involved which is causing both. It could also be a result from some other systemic cause or could just be a fluke. Nevertheless, the scatter plot can give you a clue that two things might be related, and if so, how they move together.The two axis can generally be displayed as:

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Converting to a lean manufacturing mode

What does it mean to convert to a lean manufacturing mode? Let's look at some of the basic meanings of this manufacturing philosophy, and briefly discuss some ways of converting to it or implementing it.

Lean manufacturing and lean production are also known as lean thinking. This implies that lean manufacturing starts in the brain. Nice point, you might be thinking, what doesn't start in the brain? The point is that there isn't some kind of scientific formula that can convert a company to a lean manufacturing mode overnight. There isn't some kind of scientific formula that can convert a company to a lean manufacturing mode in a year, or in several years. Converting to a lean manufacturing mode is essentially an imaginative and creative process guided by the intellect. Its basic principle is that a company becomes increasingly economical and more productive through the process of cutting down on waste.

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A run down of lean manufacturing

Lean manufacturing is a type of manufacturing where unneeded tools and parts are tossed aside, and the production process runs smoother and faster.The whole goal of lean manufacturing is to cut costs and reduce waste.While producing the product the quality and safety of the produces is supposed to increase because of the decreases amount of the unneeded materials.You can also produce more of the product with out wasting time. When you are a business owner and you are looking for a good way to produce your product a lot of research is involved.The decision of finding a good manufacturing system can be stressful and you have to explore all of the available options. Lean manufacturing is certainly an option you might want to consider.The Toyota Company uses the lean manufacturing method.Let's talk about the Toyota Company, and the history of lean manufacturing.
TPS (Toyota Production Systems)
The idea of lean manufacturing started with TPS.Three men by the names of Sakichi Toyoda, Kiichiro Toyoda, and Tiiachi Ohno came up with the logics of lean manufacturing.While visiting the united stated in early 1920, they were able to take a tour of Henry Ford's assembly line.The three men where said to be very unimpressed with the manufacturing process.Then they made a trip to a grocery store and where awed by the soda machine.They thought the idea of a customer choosing what they want and then another one product automatically takes the place of the previous item.

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What you should know about implementing lean manufacturing efficiently

There are so many different ways that you can make your manufacturing business more successful. One way that you can make you're your manufacturing business more successful is implementing lean manufacturing. A lot of manufacturing companies have started to do this. If you are thinking about implementing lean manufacturing into your company you might want to know a few things. Here are some tips on what you should know about implementing lean manufacturing efficiently.

The first tip on what you should know about implementing lean manufacturing efficiently is to know what lean manufacturing is. Lean manufacturing is something that Americans have adopted from Japan. Lean manufacturing is a way to help manufacturing companies improve productivity while keeping costs down. By doing this manufacturing companies earn more money and reduce having to hire more help. There are different ways that you can implement lean manufacturing. You just have to make sure that you don't cut back to much that you have poor customer satisfactory

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What you need to know about using six sigma in your manufacturing

Are you looking into using six sigma in your manufacturing business?Six sigma has become one of the most popular systems to help reduce process variation within the manufacturing environment.There are a couple of things that you need to know about six sigma in your manufacturing, not only so you can decide if this tool is right for you, but also so you can effectively determine what you need to do in order to implement six sigma!Here are a couple of things that you need know about using six sigma:

1) Six sigma is often used in conjunction with lean manufacturing.These days, there are not very many companies that utilize six sigma without also using lean manufacturing.Lean manufacturing is a type of manufacturing process which focuses on helping to reduce and eliminate waste in the workplace.It is easy to see how six sigma's focus on reducing process variation is so compatible with the focus of lean manufacturing!If you are considering to use six sigma in your workplace, now might be a good time to also look at lean manufacturing.This way, you will be able to make a transition to two important systems/programs at the same time, and it will be easy because they are so compatible!

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What you need to know about lean manufacturing

Lean manufacturing is becoming one of the hottest management systems which is used in the manufacturing world today.If you are interested in using lean manufacturing, there are a couple things that you need to know.This article will discuss a little about the history of lean manufacturing, to help you develop a good background knowledge of the system, and will discuss some of the programs, tools, and approaches which are used in conjunction with lean manufacturing.
One of the things you should know about lean manufacturing is that it mostly comes from the Toyota Production System, which is also known as TPS.This system is well known for its emphasis on reducing Toyota's original "seven wastes" in order to not only become more efficient, but also to improve the customer value of products.Lean manufacturing, therefore, is a means to help people identify and progressively eliminate waste.Through this elimination of waste, the quality of products and work is improved, as well as production time.Furthermore, as a consequence of efficiency, the costs of production also decrease with lean management as well!

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How to train your staff with six sigma

Are you interested in training your staff, or even yourself, with six sigma?Six sigma is a great way to help improve the efficiency of your company's production and work!There are a couple of things that you can do to train your staff with six sigma, and you will need to decide which method of training will work best for you and your company.Here are a couple of different ways that you can train yourself and your staff with six sigma:

1) Hire a training company to help:There are many training companies which specialize in training and certifying employees with six sigma.This is a great option to do if you are not sure on how to train your employees yourself with six sigma - this way, you can have someone else do the training!For example, an online company called 6 Sigma.us specializes in helping to train and certify people in six sigma.They have different levels of six sigma certification that range from Green Belt to Lean Six Sigma Certification.Live and online training courses are available for people to effectively use six sigma.6 Sigma.us is found live in many major cities, such as New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Orlando, Austin, Dallas, Boston, Cincinnati, and San Francisco.They are even located internationally, in Canada (Toronto) and Denmark.For a complete listing of the places that they are located, and also to get more information on their course, you can visit their website.You can also look at another online company, called iSixSigma, which also has similar training programs.
You should also be aware that in training programs, the corporate and manufacturing managers will generally not receive the same type of training as other employees.For example, with the company iSixSigma, there is a specific training called Senior Management, which is for individuals who are the drivers and motivators for the overall business plan.It is often a good idea to have the Senior Management positions receive training before other employees, so that they will know what is going on when the other employees get trained.This way, you'll be able to oversee and answer employee questions in a productive manner, especially because the trainer won't be around all of the time!

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How to convert to lean manufacturing for a low cost

Are you interested in converting your manufacturing company towards a lean manufacturing?This may seem like an expensive endeavor for you to make this switch to lean manufacturing, but it doesn't necessarily need to be!Remember, a switch to lean manufacturing will help your company to work more efficiently, which will help you to save money in the long run.Even in the actual conversion process it is also possible to convert to lean manufacturing at a low cost!Here are a couple things that you can to so that you convert to lean manufacturing for a relatively inexpensive price:

1) Set priorities:When people go about starting to make a conversion to lean manufacturing, they often try to tackle everything at once to make improvements. This can sometimes lead to hasty behavior and your might have to go back afterwards and fix some problems that you created in your haste.Not only is this a waste of time, but it also can be a more expensive way to convert to lean manufacturing.Instead, you will be able to convert to lean manufacturing at a low cost if you set priorities first.Look at the things that need to be changed, and set a time table and list of goals for the conversion.Know what you are doing to make the conversion.Then you will automatically be able to fulfill one of the missions of lean manufacturing, which is to eliminate waste, and in this case it's referring to wasted money and time!

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When to hire a lean manufacturing consultant

There are so many different things that you can do when trying to make your company a lean manufacturing company. You have to make sure that you are cutting back where needed while at the same time making sure that you are still making a quality product. Here are a few things that might help you to know when to hire a lean manufacturing consultant.

The first thing that might help you know when to hire a lean manufacturing consultant is if you can't find anything that you think you can do to make your manufacturing lean. A lean manufacturing consultant knows what to look for in companies of all different industries that will help them to be leaner.

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What causes lean manufacturing failure, and how to avoid it

There are so many different ways that you can help your company succeed. One way to help your company succeed is by using lean manufacturing. You have to make sure that you use lean manufacturing the correct way or it will fail. Here is what causes lean manufacturing failure, and how to avoid it

The first way that can cause lean manufacturing failure is not enough preparation. You have to prepare to become a lean manufacture. You can just decide one day to become a lean manufacture and think it will happen over night. It takes a lot of time and effort. You have to figure out what things cost to buy and how you can save while buying them for instance cutting out the middle man. The next thing you need to do is decide what areas you can afford to cut costs in and what areas you can't cut any more from.

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What causes lean manufacturing failure, and how to avoid it

There are so many different ways that you can help your company succeed. One way to help your company succeed is by using lean manufacturing. You have to make sure that you use lean manufacturing the correct way or it will fail. Here is what causes lean manufacturing failure, and how to avoid it

The first way that can cause lean manufacturing failure is not enough preparation. You have to prepare to become a lean manufacture. You can just decide one day to become a lean manufacture and think it will happen over night. It takes a lot of time and effort. You have to figure out what things cost to buy and how you can save while buying them for instance cutting out the middle man. The next thing you need to do is decide what areas you can afford to cut costs in and what areas you can't cut any more from.

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What are the principles of lean manufacturing, and how is it used?

There are so many different things involved when it comes to lean manufacturing. Lean manufacturing can be very helpful to a company. It can be what makes a company succeed. There are many different things that go into lean manufacturing depending on the product that you are producing. Some people just need to know what are the principles of lean manufacturing, and how is it used?

First what is lean manufacturing? How can you know what the principles of lean manufacturing are and how it is used when you don't even know what lean manufacturing is? Lean manufacturing is something that some of the Manufacturers in America have learned and adopted from Japan. Japan has been using Lean manufacturing for about 50 years. Lean manufacturing is a way to improve productivity and keep cost down. This is a way to earn a company more money and reduce having to hire more employees. Lean manufacturing is a way to identify where your company is loosing the most money and where there is a lot of waster and eliminating it. You don't want to cut costs so much that you have poor costumer satisfactory. But you want to cut it enough that your company is seeing a hire profit.

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How to start your lean manufacturing training

So many different manufacturing companies have so many different trainings. Each manufacturing company has different trainings because they all manufacture something different. Each manufacture will have different formations for everything that their production involves. Here are some tips on how to start your lean manufacturing training no matter what you are manufacturing.

The first tip on how to start your lean manufacturing training is to first figure out what you want your target numbers to be when you are producing your product. This will help determine what type of training programs you will need specifically for your business and its needs. Lean training will not be something that you do one time and forget about it. Lean training is something that you want to stick to help with your yearly training, and operations and even your goal setting.

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How to use tools such as kaizen to eliminate waste

Now, how can something like kaizen help a company (or anyone) to eliminate waste. Kaizen is a Japanese term for the slow elimination of waste through tiny daily improvements. It's really quite a brilliant idea. The idea is that it's pretty intimidating to try to do a big job all at once. You think, boy we're wasting a lot of paper here and so you call everyone together and say: From now on I want you wall to wear white t-shirts everyday. You'll write all your notes and things on your t-shirts, then wash them at the end of the day and start over. That way we won't waste so much paper.
Of course, it's hard to imagine any manager making so drastic and stupid a decision, but you get the picture. It's impossible for a confirmed coffee drinker to quite overnight. A smoker can't just stop - it would kill him. And a company can't expect to dramatically alter a wasteful practice immediately without suffering a lot of consequences. In the long run, stopping bad or wasteful behavior immediately may end up doing more harm than good.

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How to implement six stigma principles at low cost

Low cost is the key these days, and when it comes to something as important as implementing six stigma principles into your business, you've got to figure out a way to do it, and what's more to do it immediately. Here are some tips on how to implement six stigma principles at low cost.
1. First of all, identify exactly which principles your company's in need of. Now, this may be easier said than done. Sure, you can sort of skim over things and say we need this and that, we need more motivation, employee accountability, record keeping, and so on. But these are typical to every company. Not to say that your company doesn't particularly need them, but you should know your company as well as you know your own family (or almost as well, at least). That way, youwon't be spending your hard-earned dollars on something that can wait, or something that you could address yourself without the hassle of brining in outside sources.

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What is the difference between TQM and six sigma?

This article will discuss the differences between TQM and Six Sigma.Knowing the difference between TQM and Six Sigma can be incredibly helpful for managers or business owners who are looking for a quality control and management approach that is right for their organization.
It's important to remember that while TQM, or Total Quality Management, was around for quite a while before Six Sigma came along, Six Sigma and TQM do not have to be mutually exclusive in terms of business use.They are actually quite compatible in a number of different business situations and industries.It's best to think of the relationship between TQM and Six Sigma as TQM being able to help you improve the quality of your processes, your products, and your services, Six Sigma has the ability to help you make those improvements even sharper and more focused.

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Where can I find six sigma online training?

Six Sigma is a quality control and management approach that was developed by Motorola in the 1980s.Since Motorola and then GE implemented Six Sigma as a company-wide approach to improving customer satisfaction by decreasing process variation and defects, all the while increasing profitability, Six Sigma has become one of the most widely known, popular, and widely publicized quality management methodologies.One of the major differences between Six Sigma and other quality control techniques and programs, like TQM (Total Quality Management) is that Six Sigma requires intensive and comprehensive training of employees.Six Sigma makes use of complicated statistical analysis of data gathered from every aspect of a process.This data is then analyzed and corrective ideas and approaches are designed through the use of Six Sigma statistical analysis tools.The entire operation takes place in the framework of DMAIC, the six step process that is the guiding light of six sigma.Because six sigma is an entire way of doing business-a complete transformation of the culture of your corporation or business-it requires that everybody involved in a process be trained in different aspects of six sigma.So, for example, the senior management will have to receive six sigma training so that they can understand and help make decisions about quality control.There are different levels of six sigma training-the most common ones are green belt, black belt, and master black belt.Each level represents a different intensity of six sigma training.

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Where can I find six sigma training material?

This article will discuss where you can find six sigma training material to help your business and your six sigma employees, whether you are already converted to a six sigma quality management approach or if you are just now starting your company wide six sigma training.Six sigma training materials are also great for anyone who is going through the six sigma certification process and wants to hone their six sigma skills and expertise.Also, if you are a six sigma instructor, then you will want to look at a number of different options for six sigma training materials so that you can decide which one will work the best for whichever company you are training, or which class you are teaching.

There are a number of places where you can find six sigma training materials.Try looking at Motorola University at www.motorola.com/motorolauniversity.You can even just Google "six sigma training materials" and you'll come up with a number of hits.But when you are choosing your six sigma training material, you will want to first carefully assess your own needs.If you are an instructor, who are you teaching?What is your teaching style?If you are a student, then think about what your job will be within a six sigma organization and hierarchy.

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Where do I find a six sigma black belt to hire?

This article will discuss where you can find six sigma black belts to hire, and also what you will want to look for when you are hiring a six sigma black belt.
To be honest, it isn't too terribly difficult to find a six sigma black belt to hire.Your best option to find one is to advertise that you are looking specifically for a six sigma black belt when you post your job listing.However, there are a few other options that you can do.First, you can post your job listing in specific sites that will probably be visited by six sigma black belts.Try www.isixsigma.com.Another way to find a six sigma black belt to hire is to contact local universities, and ask about black belts who have recently been trained.Universities are eager to help their students and their graduates find job placements, so they will most likely be willing to give you a list of recent trainees.You can also use this tactic when you are looking to hire a six sigma black belt with local community colleges, or you can contact any online training course, like Kaplan, and ask them to list your job or give you contact information for any of their recent trainees.
When people start answering your job listing, how do you choose from all of the six sigma black belts who apply for the job?Well, first of all, ask about their training program.There are certification programs, and then there are certification programs.Some training programs just let people out with a black belt certificate after they sit in class for four weeks.You want a black belt who has had intensive training, and who has also applied six sigma tools and techniques to real life situations and projects.Here are some other qualities that you will want to look for when you are hiring a six sigma black belt, in no particular order of importance.

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What is the difference between TQM and six sigma?

This article will discuss the differences between TQM and Six Sigma.Knowing the difference between TQM and Six Sigma can be incredibly helpful for managers or business owners who are looking for a quality control and management approach that is right for their organization.
It's important to remember that while TQM, or Total Quality Management, was around for quite a while before Six Sigma came along, Six Sigma and TQM do not have to be mutually exclusive in terms of business use.They are actually quite compatible in a number of different business situations and industries.It's best to think of the relationship between TQM and Six Sigma as TQM being able to help you improve the quality of your processes, your products, and your services, Six Sigma has the ability to help you make those improvements even sharper and more focused.

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What is dmaic and what does it have to do with lean six sigma?

If you are looking into six sigma and what it can do for your company, you have run across a lot of rather confusing and bizarre terms and acronyms, like DMAIC.This article will answer the following question: what is DMAIC and what does it have to do with lean six sigma?

DMAIC (pronounced duh-may-ick) is one of the tools used in lean six sigma.It stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control.DMAIC is a quality control strategy that is driven by data gathered from analysis of products and processes.It is a central part of Six Sigma quality processes.Each stage of DMAIC is interconnected, each leads to the other, and they are all dependent upon each other.

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What is required to become a six sigma green belt?

This article will address the following question: what is required to become a six sigma green belt?This is an important question for anyone to ask who is interested in becoming qualified to make use of six sigma techniques and approaches to quality management and quality improvement.

Within the six sigma program, there are different levels of certification and training.Yellow belt, green belt, black belt, and master black belt.Generally speaking, green belt certification is for employees who make use of six sigma, but are not quality process managers.Six sigma is an important skill for any employee to have when they are working in a corporation that uses six sigma so that they will be able to understand the way that the company is working and the company's mindset when it comes to quality control and management

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What is lean six sigma?

There are a lot of different management tools and programs that have been developed over the last few decades in order to provide ways to improve processes and products.One of the most popular processes is called six sigma, developed by Motorola.Another approach to process and product improvement is called lean manufacturing.Some people have taken these two approaches and combined them into a management and quality improvement technique called lean six sigma.This article will discuss lean six sigma, what it is, and what it can do for your company.
Six sigma is a data controlled and driven process that is designed to use statistical analysis in order to improve the value and quality of your products and processes based on customer perception.Lean manufacturing is an approach that involves cutting down waste in your manufacturing processes so that you can save money and cut costs, improving the quality of your products and customer satisfaction.

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The basics of six sigma.

This article will cover the basics of six sigma so that you, the manager or business owner, can better understand six sigma, what it entails, and how it might be able to work for you.
In essence, six sigma is a management plan geared towards producing better results, better products, and better service.Developed by Joseph M. Juran and Peter Senge in conjunction with Motorola, six sigma is technically an objective of quality.This objective very specifically defines how variable a process needs to be in terms of product specifications in order to meet and exceed customer demands in terms of product quality and product reliability.
Confused?Well, that's the technical definition.Ultimately, six sigma is an overall quality management program that uses leadership approaches, makes use of business infrastructure, and different management tools.General Electric was one of the very first users of six sigma, after Motorola, and defines it as "a disciplined methodology of defining, measuring, analyzing, improving and controlling the quality in every one of the company's products, processes and transactions-with the ultimate goal of virtually eliminating all defects."
Six sigma is tailored to meet each company or business' specific needs.However, there are overall basics and tools that are used in order to achieve the ultimate level of organizational performance.The cycle of methods used is called DMAIC, which stands for define, measure, analyze, improve and control.The entire approach is oriented towards product-the quality, reliability, and production of quality products.Six sigma is different from other quality control approaches, because it combines statistical programs and tools with observation and experimentation.This means that experiments should take place on two levels, and then are analyzed using graphical methods.This is a combination of the analysis of product variance and also observation so as to aid instead of blocking the work of both statisticians and engineers.Another way to understand the basics of six sigma is to look at the term itself.Sigma, which is a Greek letter, is also a symbol used in statistics that measures how far a process (or product) moves from what is considered to be perfection.So basically, in six sigma, the idea is that if you can measure how many problems or defects exist in a process, then scientifically you can decide how to get rid of those defects and then move as close as possible to no problems or defects in a process or a system.
There are several basic and central concepts that form the basis of six sigma.First is critical to quality.These are the attributes of a product that the customer considers to be most important.Defect is the failure to provide what the customer ants.Process capability is what the process or the product is capable of delivering.Variation is based on what the customer feels about a process/product and sees in that product.Stable operations are the attempts to make sure that processes are always the same and predictable in an effort to ensure that the customer always feels the same way-good-about a process or product. DFSS stands for design for six sigma.This is the methodology that uses tools, measurements, and specific training geared towards helping you design the processes and products that meet the needs and expectations of your customers.
Six sigma is a highly technical and mathematical approach to product control and organizational efficiency.Individuals take courses in six sigma, and are then certified to be at different levels of understanding and proficiency.The terms for the different levels of certification are taken from martial arts practices that we're all generally familiar with-green belt, black belt, and master black belt.

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What is a scatter plot and how is it used in Six Sigma?

A scatter plot is also known as a scatter diagram or scatter graph.It is a graph used to visually display and compare a possible relationship between two or more sets of related data by displaying points, each having a coordinate on a horizontal and a vertical axis. A dot in the body of the chart represents the intersection of the data on the x and y axis.
One advantage of a scatter plot is that it does not require you to specify dependent or independent variables. Either type of variable can be plotted on either axis. Scatter plots do not imply any causation, but rather an association between two variables.Your scatter plot may show that a relationship exists, but it does not and cannot prove that one variable is causing the other.If there is an apparent relationship, there could be a third factor involved which is causing both. It could also be a result from some other systemic cause or could just be a fluke. Nevertheless, the scatter plot can give you a clue that two things might be related, and if so, how they move together.The two axis can generally be displayed as:

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Process optimization and operating procedures

In today's business world, competition is everything. Companies need every advantage they can get. Each day costumers are demanding better products, in order to get the best value for what they paid for. The way to get ahead in the business world is to manufacture products at the lowest cost possible, or in other words by using process optimization. A way to measure how well the company is using process optimization is by using operating procedures. This allows for the company to measure how well the process is being automized, if the process is constantly evaluating and eliminating waste, and how well the company is controlling the process.

For a business to optimize its operating procedures, it will help to automize the process. This automation will make the operating procedures go faster. In addition, it will help to minimize the error that human's typically make, and will help produce at lower costs. For example, consider 2 round disks that need to be connected. At first, the employee makes one small hole so that a small screw can be put inside each hole to connect the 2 disks. A way to optimize the procedure and make it more cost effective would be to add tabs to the disks so the 2 disks will lock in place easily, making it easier to line up the disks together. This simple way of making a tab saves a lot of time and money for the company.

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The basics of lean manufacturing

This article will describe the basics of lean manufacturing and the possible implications for your company or business.
Lean manufacturing entails coming up with a management program in order to cut waste as a measure to reduce costs in your business.So, for example, if you are involved in the manufacturing industry, one place where you could cut costs by cutting waste is by reducing the amount of time between when a customer places and order and when that order is shipped by eliminating any waste in the process of production

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Six Sigma Training

This article will give an overview of the basics of six sigma training, where you can find six sigma training, and what six sigma training can do for your company.
Six sigma is a management and quality control approach that utilizes specific statistical and observational tools in order to improve and increase the value of your company's processes and products, particular from a customer's point of view.

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What is a control chart and how is it used in Six Sigma?

Control charting is a tool used to monitor processes and to assure that they remain stable. The control chart is also known as the 'Shewhart chart' or the 'process-behavior chart'.It is a statistical tool often used in Six Sigma and is intended to assess the nature of variation in a process and to facilitate forecasting and management. The control chart is one of the seven basic tools of quality control, which also include the histogram, Pareto chart, check sheet, cause-and-effect diagram, flowchart, and scatter diagram.
Control charts were proposed by Walter A. Shewhart in 1924 while working for Bell Labs.They recognized the need to reduce the frequency of failures and repairs because their telephony transmission systems' amplifiers and other equipment had to be buried underground.Shewhart stressed that bringing a production process into a state of statistical control, where there is only common-cause variation and keeping it in control, is necessary to predict future output and to manage a process economically.Dr. Shewhart concluded that while every process displays variation, some processes display controlled variation that is natural to the process, while others display uncontrolled variation that is not present in the process causal system at all times.

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What is a cause-and-effect diagram and how is it used in Six Sigma?

The Cause and Effect Diagram is also commonly known as a fishbone because of its fishbone appearance.The box and lines can be thought of as the head and spine of the fish.The box represents the effect and the lines are the causes.
One of the most difficult problems when it comes to implementing Six Sigma is that it is difficult to determine which processes are the most problematic.This is especially true when you have a team of problem solvers all trying to decide where the focus should be.Using a Cause and Effect diagram is one great way to encourage brainstorming among team members. Cause and Effect analysis helps you to think through causes of a problem thoroughly. Their major benefit is that they push you to consider all possible causes of the problem and not just the ones that are most obvious.

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What are the criteria for choosing projects in Six Sigma?

Six Sigma projects fail or are abandoned for several different reasons. One reason is that participants don't value the project and can't see the importance it holds.Along the same lines, if a sponsor doesn't push for project completion, there is no real connection to the project and no desire to make it successful.Another reason is that the process is performing inadequately.In other words, the project problem is not what it was initially thought to be.Also, projects are often abandoned when it is discovered that the process being worked on is also being addressed by another team.Another factor contributing to abandonment is that the team finds it too difficult to measure the process.
Lack of pre-work and adequate prioritizing are huge factors in leading to project abandonment.It is difficult to identify projects, but by following certain criteria, you can bypass some of these difficulties.Properly defined Six Sigma projects meet these criteria:

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What is value-added work? Non-value added work?

The concept of value-added work and non-value added work is important for anyone in the world of manufacturing to understand. The success of your business, as well as the satisfaction of your customers, is dependant upon the amount of value-added work versus the non-value added work.

Value-Added Work
Value-added work is the work that is actually valuable and results in a finished product. Keep in mind that a customer is only going to want to pay for value; if they feel that their money is being wasted as a result of insufficient processes, the customer will take his business elsewhere.

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Tracking process flow to improve production speed

Whether you are a business manager, owner, or just a worker, you have most likely been concerned with your production speed at some point in your career.All businesses are always striving to improve their production speed, because a higher production speed yields a higher profit.And every business man and woman knows that a higher profit is good for everyone.So perhaps you're looking for new ways to improve your production speed, but you're not sure where to begin.Well this article is here to tell you that in tracking your process flow you can improve your production speed.And here is how to do just that.

Let's start with an explanation of process flow.Process flow is the steps of a procedure used in making, delivering, or accomplishing a product or service, and how it impacts the layout of your facility and your decisions about technology, as well as how your company works together.Process flow is an important aspect to building a strong company with a competitive edge.A given procedure can be classified as job shop or flow shop when applying the concept of “process flow.”Flow shop is not a flexible procedure and uses specialized resources.Job shop is very flexible and uses general resources.

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Process optimization and operating procedures

In today's business world, competition is everything. Companies need every advantage they can get. Each day costumers are demanding better products, in order to get the best value for what they paid for. The way to get ahead in the business world is to manufacture products at the lowest cost possible, or in other words by using process optimization. A way to measure how well the company is using process optimization is by using operating procedures. This allows for the company to measure how well the process is being automized, if the process is constantly evaluating and eliminating waste, and how well the company is controlling the process.

For a business to optimize its operating procedures, it will help to automize the process. This automation will make the operating procedures go faster. In addition, it will help to minimize the error that human's typically make, and will help produce at lower costs. For example, consider 2 round disks that need to be connected. At first, the employee makes one small hole so that a small screw can be put inside each hole to connect the 2 disks. A way to optimize the procedure and make it more cost effective would be to add tabs to the disks so the 2 disks will lock in place easily, making it easier to line up the disks together. This simple way of making a tab saves a lot of time and money for the company.

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Six Sigma Laws -- The Law of Velocity

Lean Six Sigma works to increase speed while at the same time reducing waste, and this is accomplished by combining two very effective means -- six sigma and lean manufacturing.

Six sigma is a method used to provide business with the necessary tools to increase their overall performance and customer satisfaction. This is done by statistically analyzing various forms of data and information, then using it to anticipate the needs of their customers. The overall goal of Six Sigma is to increase a company's profits by identifying and then eliminating factors that contribute to waste and customer dissatisfaction.

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Six Sigma Laws -- The Law of the Market

While the overall goal of six sigma is to increase a company's profits by identifying and then eliminating factors that contribute to waste and customer dissatisfaction, there are different ways to come to this goal. Lean Six Sigma focuses more on improving process flow and speed than on improving quality by combining the laws of six sigma with that of lean manufacturing. The concept of lean Six Sigma utilizes five different “laws” in order to make the process successful.

In order to fully understand the laws of lean six sigma, it's important to become familiar with the concept of six sigma as well as lean manufacturing. In a nutshell, six sigma is a method used to provide business with the necessary tools to increase their overall performance and customer satisfaction. This is done by statistically analyzing various forms of data and information, then using it to anticipate the needs of their customers. The overall goal of Six Sigma is to increase a company's profits by identifying and then eliminating factors that contribute to waste and customer dissatisfaction.

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Six Sigma Laws -- the Law of Focus

What is Six Sigma?
Six sigma is a method used to provide business with the necessary tools to increase their overall performance and customer satisfaction. This is done by statistically analyzing various forms of data and information, then using it to anticipate the needs of their customers. The overall goal of Six Sigma is to increase a company's profits by identifying and then eliminating factors that contribute to waste and customer dissatisfaction.

What is Lean Manufacturing ?
Where six sigma works to improve quality via customer satisfaction and processes, lean manufacturing works to eliminate waste. The first step to eliminating waste, according to lean manufacturing, is to identify what causes the waste. As a general rule, waste is categorized in the following ways:

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How to get six sigma training material

Every company strives for excellence. And many use different methods of training to achieve this excellence. Six_Sigma is one option that is growing in popularity: So where to start in implementing the Six Sigma approach?The program is not sold by any one company. There are several options to consider when approaching setting up Six Sigma program. There are numerous ways to gain the needed materials.A quick search on the web will list many consulting firms that can be used in setting up a Six Sigma training program.In addition, many of these firms offer in-person seminars that allow hands on training to fully establish the program.There is also researching that can be done on the Web that allows for on-line tutorials in both helping to establish the program and in growing the program for a specific company or organization.A trusted business consultant can be used to help clarify the many choices available when establishing and growing a Six Sigma program.

Six-Sigma has proven time and again that the results can produce excellence in companies. This excellence can be manifest in many ways through its service, its products and its reputation.But perhaps the most important type of excellence any company can strive for is from its employees. These companies who manage to motivate their employee's excellence are the ones that stand out first and foremost in the mind of the consumer.And even more importantly when these companies do achieve excellence they set themselves apart from the competition in many ways.Some of these ways can include having outstanding products, customer service and an increased overall competitiveness. Even in today's shaky market, companies like the aforementioned are ahead of the pack in sales and in business savvy. So what can make these companies different from the rest of the pack?By taking a slightly different approach.

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Six Sigma Laws -- The Law of Flexibility

Flexibility is an important trait in any business or organization. Employers like people who are flexible and willing to learn and implement various tasks. This results in increased productivity and the ability to eliminate waste.

This is where Lean Six Sigma comes into play. Lean Six Sigma focuses more on improving process flow and speed than on improving quality by combining the laws of six sigma with that of lean manufacturing. The concept of lean Six Sigma utilizes five different “laws” in order to make the process successful. The Law of Flexibility is the second law of lean six sigma. It states that the speed of a process is dependant upon the workers' ability to switch back and forth among tasks. This is important because the overall goal of six sigma is to increase a company's profits by identifying and then eliminating factors that contribute to waste and customer dissatisfaction.

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Becoming more cost effective through process optimization

In a competitive business world, businesses use process optimization in order to be more cost effective. It is important for each employee to analyze each part of the development cycle, to make sure each part is essential. In addition, eliminating waste in each employee's work helps with cost efficiency. Finally, it is necessary for the company to find control over the process, to optimize the equipment and procedures in order to become more cost effective.

Why is process optimization so important to make products cost effective?

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Six Sigma Laws -- The Law of Complexity and Cost

The Law of Complexity and Cost is the last of the five laws of lean six sigma. In order to properly explain this law, however, it's useful to know what exactly lean six sigma is.

Lean Six Sigma, which combines six sigma with lean manufacturing in order to increase overall speed and customer satisfaction. It does so by focusing more on improving process flow and speed than on improving quality by combining the laws of six sigma with that of lean manufacturing. The concept of lean Six Sigma utilizes five different “laws” in order to make the process successful. The Law of Flexibility is the second law of lean six sigma. It states that the speed of a process is dependant upon the workers' ability to switch back and forth among tasks. This is important because the overall goal of six sigma is to increase a company's profits by identifying and then eliminating factors that contribute to waste and customer dissatisfaction.

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3 reasons to use quantitative tools for process optimization

The 3 reasons to use quantitative tools for process optimization are to be able to measure how the equipment optimization is, to measure the procedure optimization and to measure how well the company is controlling the production process. All 3 of these quantitative tools help minimize waste and help with optimizing the product.

In a competitive business world, businesses use process optimization in order to be more cost effective. It is necessary for the company to find control over the process, to optimize the equipment and procedures in order to become more cost effective. The best way to do this is to use quantitative tools.

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What is a control chart and how is it used in Six Sigma?

Control charting is a tool used to monitor processes and to assure that they remain stable. The control chart is also known as the 'Shewhart chart' or the 'process-behavior chart'.It is a statistical tool often used in Six Sigma and is intended to assess the nature of variation in a process and to facilitate forecasting and management. The control chart is one of the seven basic tools of quality control, which also include the histogram, Pareto chart, check sheet, cause-and-effect diagram, flowchart, and scatter diagram.
Control charts were proposed by Walter A. Shewhart in 1924 while working for Bell Labs.They recognized the need to reduce the frequency of failures and repairs because their telephony transmission systems' amplifiers and other equipment had to be buried underground.Shewhart stressed that bringing a production process into a state of statistical control, where there is only common-cause variation and keeping it in control, is necessary to predict future output and to manage a process economically.Dr. Shewhart concluded that while every process displays variation, some processes display controlled variation that is natural to the process, while others display uncontrolled variation that is not present in the process causal system at all times.

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Data analysis training - key to effective quality programs

Any business owner naturally wants to find any way possible to improve his/her company.Whether you are a corporate executive or a manufacturer, it is the same: you're both looking for ways to become more efficient, save money, increase productivity and profit.One way to do this is to train yourself and your employees in data analysis.This is the key to having effective quality programs.If you continue reading this article you will learn a bit more about data analysis training and how to use it to your benefit to improve quality programs.

Data analysis is the act of transforming information with the aim of retrieving useful knowledge about a topic and forming conclusions based on that knowledge.Depending on the type of data and the question this could include application of statistical methods, curve fitting, selecting or discarding certain subsets based on certain criteria or other techniques.Data analysis is intended not to discover unseen patterns hidden in the data, but to verify or disprove an existing model.

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What is a control chart and how is it used in Six Sigma?

Control charting is a tool used to monitor processes and to assure that they remain stable. The control chart is also known as the 'Shewhart chart' or the 'process-behavior chart'.It is a statistical tool often used in Six Sigma and is intended to assess the nature of variation in a process and to facilitate forecasting and management. The control chart is one of the seven basic tools of quality control, which also include the histogram, Pareto chart, check sheet, cause-and-effect diagram, flowchart, and scatter diagram.
Control charts were proposed by Walter A. Shewhart in 1924 while working for Bell Labs.They recognized the need to reduce the frequency of failures and repairs because their telephony transmission systems' amplifiers and other equipment had to be buried underground.Shewhart stressed that bringing a production process into a state of statistical control, where there is only common-cause variation and keeping it in control, is necessary to predict future output and to manage a process economically.Dr. Shewhart concluded that while every process displays variation, some processes display controlled variation that is natural to the process, while others display uncontrolled variation that is not present in the process causal system at all times.

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Using Lean in Build to Order

Using lean in build to order is a great way to make the system efficient. Even though the products you are manufacturing have to be built to certain specifications, it does not mean that you can't have a smooth system to do so. What you must understand is the relationship between lean production and built to order. To understand this, we must first define the terms:

Lean Production: Lean production is basically a system that uses minimal amounts of resources to produce a high volume of high-quality goods with some variety. Or in other words, a system that takes the concept of assembly line production, but utilizes it for systems that need variety.

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What is a customer in context of six sigma?


Whether you are a business owner or just a customer there are certain things you should be aware of about the business world.If you are a business owner you are most likely in a constant battle to improve your business and customer relations.You may be trying to eliminate all defects in your product and services so that your customers remain content.If you are a customer, you're probably trying to make your desires known so that you are able to get the products and services you need most.Well one thing that can help both business owner and customer is called “six sigma.”This article will discuss what six sigma is and how it relates to a customer.

What is six sigma?Six sigma is a method of practices created by Motorola in order to eliminate defects in a company (the term “defect” will be discussed in greater length further in this article).To many companies, six sigma symbolizes a constant striving for perfection in all aspects of their businesses.It is a disciplined approach towards driving six standard deviations between the mean and nearest specification limit in any process-from manufacturing or products to service.Six sigma is a method of describing how a process in a company is performing.

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What is a Pareto chart and how is it used in Six Sigma?

A Pareto chart is a type of bar chart where the values being plotted are arranged in descending order.It is one of the key tools used in total quality control and Six Sigma.The purpose of a Pareto chart is to graphically summarize and display the importance of the differences between different groups of data.
The Pareto chart was named after Vilfredo Pareto and is based on the Pareto principle.Pareto was an Italian economist who is credited for discovering what we know as the Pareto principle or 80/20 rule.It also is known as the law of the vital few and the principle of factor sparsity.What he observed was that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by only 20% of the population.He soon discovered that this phenomenon was evident in other aspects of his life as well.For example, 80% of the peas in his garden were produced by 20% of the peapods.This expanded to become the 80/20 rule: that 80% of the consequences stem from 20% of the causes. The assumption is that most of the results in any situation are determined by a small number of causes.Some examples of 80/20 rule applications are:

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What is a Pick chart and how is it used in Six Sigma?


A Pick chart is a tool used that can be used in any process evaluations when trying to pre-process raw data.It is a method used to narrow down a large quantity of raw data to get to the root problems.It is often used in the pre-processing stages of Six Sigma after data collection.
There are many useful ways for processing data.One of these is to focus on a sample and distilling the data for particular purposes.This is very valuable in the early stages of processing when the volume of raw material is great and you need to glean out the most useful information.

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What is a scatter plot and how is it used in Six Sigma?

A scatter plot is also known as a scatter diagram or scatter graph.It is a graph used to visually display and compare a possible relationship between two or more sets of related data by displaying points, each having a coordinate on a horizontal and a vertical axis. A dot in the body of the chart represents the intersection of the data on the x and y axis.
One advantage of a scatter plot is that it does not require a user to specify dependent or independent variables. Either type of variable can be plotted on either axis. Scatter plots do not imply any causation, but rather an association between two variables.Your scatter plot may show that a relationship exists, but it does not and cannot prove that one variable is causing the other. There could be a third factor involved which is causing both, some other systemic cause, or the apparent relationship could just be a fluke. Nevertheless, the scatter plot can give you a clue that two things might be related, and if so, how they move together.The two axis can generally be displayed as:

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What is a SIPOC diagram (high level process map) and how is it used in Six Sigma?

A SIPOC diagram, also known as a high level process map is a tool used in the Six Sigma methodology.In order for your company to receive a Six Sigma certification, you must first complete a project that demonstrates your ability to follow the Six Sigma process and show that you understand how to use the tools.

The reason you would want to map your company's current process is so that you can put yourself in a position to be able to quickly define, document, analyze, prioritize and recommend solutions and follow-up plans to move the company toward its financial and customer-focused goals.

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What is a six sigma master black belt?

If you're looking to get ahead in the world of manufacturing, one way to do so is to become a six sigma master black belt. While it may sound like this has something to do with karate, it's actually a term coined by Motorola and used to identify someone who has received the highest level of technical and organizational proficiency -- and it doesn't involve and kicking or punching!

What is Six Sigma?
In order to fully understand what a six sigma master black belt is, it's important to become familiar with the concept of six sigma. In a nutshell, six sigma is a method used to provide business with the necessary tools to increase their overall performance and customer satisfaction. This is done by statistically analyzing various forms of data and information, then using it to anticipate the needs of their customers. The overall goal of Six Sigma is to increase a company's profits by identifying and then eliminating factors that contribute to waste and customer dissatisfaction.

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What is a time value map and how is it used in Six Sigma?


A Time Value Map is a tool used in Lean and Six Sigma methodology.It tracks a work item through its process and tracks where it spends its time.It follows the product from raw material to output into the customer's hands to determine where it spends valuable time and where waste time can be eliminated.To better understand what this means, we must first explore both Lean and Six Sigma a little.

Six Sigma methodology is a process improvement methodology using data and statistical analysis to identify and fix problem/opportunity areas for any particular company.A problem or process is identified, and defined objectively.The process's output performance is measured.The problem is analyzed in all phases of the process in order to identify causes of variation.By doing so, output processes can be improved by reducing that variation.This improvement program can affect everyone involved in all processes from production/manufacturing processes to service processes to business processes.

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What is a value stream map and how is it used in Six Sigma?

Value stream mapping (VSM) is a tool that helps you to see and understand the flow of material and information as a product or service moves through the value stream.This is defined as all of the activities, both value adding and non-value adding (wastes) that are required to bring a product from raw materials into the hands of the customer. A future state map is then created which leads to the creation of an implementation plan.
VSM is sometimes referred to as an end-to-end system map because it takes into account the activity of the product in all phases of production, including the management and information systems that support the basic process.It covers all aspects of production from receiving of raw material to delivery of finished goods.You are able to gain insight into the decision making flow as well as the process flow.

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What is process observation and what is the best way to implement it?

Process observation is essentially just that.It is data collection method used in Lean and Six Sigma methodologies.It is a way of confirming exactly what is happening during any particular process.One of the biggest time consumers in studying any type of process is data collection.An invaluable way of collecting data is through impartial process observation.
Although every improvement project has its own unique data, it is useful to know of some metrics that can be utilized in your observations to quantify results.You will want to measure these things early in a project and then again once improvements have been made to determine the impact. If the process being measured requires a lot of time and work, try measuring a sample first.Some of those things you will want to take note of in your observations are:

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Choosing activity based costing software

Activity based costing assigns costs to resources and products to produce units of cost.A unit cost is the "average total cost" of producing one unit of output. You calculate the unit cost by dividing the total cost of production by the total number of units of output produced.

The software you choose needs to be able to fit the changing needs of your company.You have chosen to purchase activity based costing software to help you make decisions to allocate your resources.These decisions represent change and hopefully growth in the company.The software package needs to be able to grow with the company.

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What is Lean Manufacturing?

Lean Manufacturing is a business management technique of waste reduction that used to improve overall efficiency and value.The elimination of waste will naturally save a business money.But the use of Lean Manufacturing is designed to also improve quality and production time along the way.

Although all authorities on Lean Manufacturing do not agree on a set list of Lean Manufacturing techniques, their ideas are generally consistent and include:

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Is Lean (Manufacturing) Right for My Company?

Are you looking to increase the efficiency of your business operation?
Do you like making money rather than wasting it?
Are you looking for methods that can help you create wealth?
Is Lean Manufacturing right for your company?
Do you even know what Lean Manufacturing is?

Although cutting waste in your company dramatically and seeing an increase in available money because of it sounds elementary, there are business owners who do not implement an effective lean manufacturing plan.In fact, some are unsure that methods of lean manufacturing are even right for their company.

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Bringing lean into your total organization

All businesses should strive to bring lean into their total organization. A lean business will enjoy greater success, happier customers, a reduced amount of wasted resources, and a commitment to continually improve.

So what exactly is lean? A lean organization is one that reduces waste throughout the entire process of delivering a product or a service to a customer. By focusing on each step of the process as a whole, it is easier for a business to identify wasteful activities and processes between each step, allowing them to eliminate them and save time and money. This in turn makes the process more productive, resulting in more satisfied customers.

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Extend Equipment Life and Productivity with TPM

It's a manufacturer's nightmare: You have a short shipping window for delivering a huge order to an important customer, and that one machine that always gives you trouble-the older one that makes the parts used in almost every product you manufacture-decides to break down. All of a sudden you can't ship product.

That's where Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) can help. TPM is a process that maximizes the productivity of your equipment for its entire life. It's a proactive method for predicting and preventing unplanned downtime.

One of the critical building blocks in the lean continuous improvement process, TPM can increase a machine's capacity by 25%-60%, reduce maintenance costs by 10%-50%, virtually eliminate overtime shifts, and increase productivity and profits. In addition, TPM allows you to carry lower inventory levels because you don't need to cover unplanned downtime.

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Productivity Jump Helps Firm Win Lambeau Contract

You don't have to be a huge operation with hundreds of employees to reap the benefits of lean manufacturing. Even the smallest of companies see lean as a powerful tool to improve productivity and attract new customers.

Milwaukee-based House of Stone witnessed this firsthand after landing a major contract for the Lambeau Field Renovation Project. The contract represents nearly a 20 percent increase in sales this year for the company, which employs 11 and is located in the heart of Milwaukee's old industrial district.

House of Stone manufactures granite and marble counter tops used in commercial and residential construction. For the Lambeau project, it will fabricate the DuPont Zodiaq quartz-surface counter tops used in luxury skyboxes, public restrooms and concession stands.

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Lean Reaps Rewards for Build-to-order Manufacturer

CEO Peter Mancuso toured manufacturing companies in Japan and knew that lean manufacturing would improve productivity and cycle times at his company, Lindquist Machine Corporation. He just wasn't sure how to teach his staff to implement lean principles. A custom machine manufacturer whose core competencies include machining, assembly and project management, Lindquist Machine Corporation employs 200 people in Green Bay.

Mancuso called WMEP for help, and manufacturing specialist David Lange scheduled a series of on-site lean workshops. Each workshop included both Lindquist managers and associates. The company estimates that it's one of the only manufacturers to formally train all its employees in lean manufacturing. Before long, all Lindquist associates had a solid foundation in lean manufacturing. What once was Mancuso.s vision is Lindquist's reality. Associates fully understand lean manufacturing and work every day to implement its concepts.

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Spacesaver: A TPM Success Story

Line 5, a highly automated coil feed fabrication line and one of the core processes on the shop floor, made every day a challenge at Spacesaver.

"We basically all came in every day and kind of crossed our fingers and asked, How's it running today?' It really would determine what your day was like," recalls Jim Muth, vice president of operations at Spacesaver. "The machine was older, it wasn't consistent or capable of responding quickly enough, and we thought, We need to replace it, it's past its time.'"

But a full replacement, with retooling and automation, would have required a capital expenditure of $750,000 to $1 million. "We were willing to try something else first," Muth says.

Spacesaver Corporation, with 475 employees based in Fort Atkinson, manufactures high-density storage solutions, which include mobile and stationary shelving storage systems for the justice, healthcare, library, museum, business, and governmental sectors.

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Strategies to Survive and Thrive During the Slowdown

Despite the challenges of the current economic slowdown, there are some things manufacturers can do right now to boost the bottom line - and build a stronger future once the recovery begins.

We've talked to some of the experts at WMEP, our customers, and tapped a few of our alliance partners to get their ideas. Some of these strategies offer an almost immediate payback, others require more time. Whatever the case, these strategies can help you reduce costs, rev up your performance, attract new customers and most importantly - strengthen your bottom line.

1. Attack waste "gold mines"

Often the first step in lean manufacturing, value stream mapping identifies waste "gold mines" in your manufacturing processes. A value stream map is a visual representation of all the activities required to bring a product line from raw materials into the hands of the customer. By mapping the flow of material and information, a company can quickly see where costs can be reduced and improvements can be made.

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Companies Use Down Time to Invest in Future

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. That's true of many Wisconsin manufacturers who are busy retooling their operations during the current economic slowdown. These manufacturers believe that lean and other improvement strategies will make them stronger and more competitive once the recovery begins.

"When the economy is red hot and companies are swamped with orders, the quest for greater efficiency often takes a back seat to getting product out the door," says Wayne Raisleger, a Milwaukee based WMEP manufacturing specialist. "It's a Catch 22: companies need to be more efficient but cannot find the time to do so." But now that the economy has slowed, those pressures have eased.

"For many companies, this is an ideal time to invest in the future," says Raisleger. A key reason: employees have more time to participate in training and productivity-enhancing projects.

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Setup Reduction Delivers Savings Now and in the Future

In today's hyper-speed economy, time is money. On the shop floor, that means the amount of time employees spend setting up a machine to run a new batch or order is more important than ever. Wasted minutes and hours - over the course of weeks and months -can take a big bite out of corporate profits.

That's why a growing number of Wisconsin manufacturers are adopting setup reduction and quick changeover techniques. The money-saving techniques are a tool of lean manufacturing, which focuses on eliminating waste in manufacturing operations. "By shaving minutes and hours off setup times, manufacturers can see dollars drop to the bottom line," says WMEP.s Keith Lodahl, a manufacturing specialist and setup reduction expert. "It's not uncommon to reduce setup time 50 percent on the first pass."

Once employees learn the techniques, they can apply them again to achieve even greater savings, he adds.

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InPro Cuts Lead Time Applying Lean to the Front Office

At InPro Corporation, some customer orders rushed through the system, but moving other orders through was a torturous process-and the company wanted to know why.

InPro, based in Muskego, Wisconsin, has been progressively introducing lean principles into its operations on the shop floor for several years. But more than half of InPro's 250 employees are in the front office. So the front office became the next logical target.

"We wanted to become more efficient in our office processes and administrative flow," says John Marek, vice president of finance at InPro.

He and several InPro operations managers attended a lean manufacturing workshop. InPro employees also received training in value stream mapping (VSM) and value-added flow analysis (VAFA), both valuable tools for front office process improvement.

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Lean Manufacturing Definitions

Lean: Lean manufacturing is the process of analyzing the flow of information and materials in a manufacturing environment and continuously improving the process to achieve enhanced value for the customer.

Waste: Anything that uses resources, but does not add real value to the product or service.

Value Stream Mapping: A tool used to identify the current flow of material and information for a product or process, highlighting the opportunities for improvement that will most significantly improve the production system.

Cellular/Flow Manufacturing: Organizing people and machines into the most efficient combinations to maximize value while minimizing waste.

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Arimon Wins Supplier Award, Credits Cell Kaizen

Arimon Technologies, Inc. recently received the Outstanding Supplier Award from a major customer for a manufacturing cell it created during a kaizen blitz event.

"We've had 100 percent on-time delivery for more than a year," says Randy Detjen, Arimon's lean manufacturing coordinator. Arimon, a wire harness manufacturer, employs about 140 and has plants in Montello and Manitowoc.

The company received the award from Scotsman Ice Systems, a global ice machine manufacturer. Arimon started on the lean journey two years ago. Quality has improved, inventory costs are down and the cell is a "selling" advantage. "We had a prospective customer come in, meet with the team leader and say, these are the people I want working on my product.' " Detjen said.

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Getting Lean Beyond the Shop Floor

Order entry, quoting, scheduling, design and engineering, purchasing, accounting-these and other front office functions can provide an eye-opening opportunity to create improvement, eliminate waste, and increase profits in your business.

Often, however, businesses implementing lean manufacturing bypass the front office and target their manufacturing processes. After all, front offices have paperwork, not inventory, right?

"The greatest opportunities for improvement are often in the non-manufacturing, front office areas. Ineffective front office processes also make it more difficult for manufacturing operations to do the best, most cost-effective work," WMEP manufacturing specialist Brenda Kujawski states. "A lean enterprise must be lean in every area, including the office areas."

Office wastes can be defined in the same lean terms as we apply on the shop floor. These wastes can include:

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Kaizen Blitz Events Deliver Quick Savings

Small manufacturers in Wisconsin and across the nation are using kaizen blitz events to get a quick payback on targeted improvements.

A kaizen blitz is a high-impact, intensely focused core component of lean manufacturing. It produces quick results - in five days or less - and often is focused on cellular manufacturing and setup reduction initiatives. In a fully transformed lean company, kaizen blitzes are routine because the focus on improvement and greater efficiency never ends. But the benefits of a blitz can be realized by any manufacturer.

"I've seen companies save anywhere from thousands to $100,000," says Dick Welsch of the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP). Welsch, who specializes in facilitating kaizen blitz events, says he has seen instances where a successful blitz "has stopped a huge customer and millions of dollars of business from walking out the door."

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5S/Visual Workplace: Read the Signs and Improve Your Bottom Line

When you enter a roadway, the space is divided into lanes and the shape and color of the lanes' stripes communicate a particular function or rule. Traffic flow is regulated with color-coded signs or signals. Other signs tell you how to get to a particular destination or what food, fuel, and fun can be found at the next exit of the highway. Rumble strips warn you of an upcoming intersection. Parked cars are "shelved" into particular spaces along a street or off the road to allow the flow of other cars. Snow is removed on demand and potholes are filled on a schedule. The roadway operates as an integrated system of people, space, and machines.

Similarly, a manufacturing operation is also an integrated system of people, space, and machines. Recognizing this, we can make significant improvements simply by applying organizing signals, methods, and rules onto the system.

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Value Stream Mapping Brings Quick Rewards

In these days of economic uncertainty and increased competition, boosting the bottom line is critical to long-term success. One way to do this is through value stream mapping.

Value stream mapping is a key method of implementing "lean manufacturing" to reduce waste and streamline both material and information flow.

A value stream map identifies all the actions that take a product through the manufacturing process, from obtaining raw materials to delivering the final product. The idea is to draw, on one page, a "map" of the flow of material through production and the flow of information from the customer back to each production process and key supplier.

Pointe Precision LLC in Stevens Point undertook value stream mapping in February 2001. "I learned about it when I attended one of WMEP's 'lean' workshops," says president Joe Kinsella. "Many of our customers come back year after year for price concessions, and we realized we had to reduce waste and become more efficient in order to do this. Value stream mapping was a great place for us to start."

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Pull Profits Back into Your System with Pull/Kanban

Producing excess inventory can cause a major drain on margins. The loss incurred by inventory stored for a year can reach as high as 25 percent of the value of the product. In today's economy, that creates an unacceptable pressure on already tight margins. A major shortcoming of traditional manufacturing, with its emphasis on batch processing, is the cost of production and storage of excess inventory. Not only is overproduction costly, but it is sometimes used to cope with defects within a process rather than tackling quality issues upfront. The characteristic slow turnaround in traditional batch manufacturing also stifles responsiveness to custom orders, thus further limiting customer satisfaction.

Some of the fundamental goals of lean manufacturing include the reduction of waste, increases in productivity and improved quality. Through the use of "pull systems," companies accomplish these goals, providing the worker with everything required - all the necessary parts, tools, materials, training, guidance, and opportunity - at the right place and at the right time.

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Lean Culture Boosts Morale, Retention, Productivity

People have trouble saluting the flag if they can't see it," said Sam Miller, WMEP manufacturing specialist. In other words, if you expect to get the promised benefits of lean manufacturing, employees need to understand the vision and behaviors necessary to get there. Without that, your improvement efforts will fall short. With an empowering lean culture, employees can be proactive, energized, and drive rapid continuous improvements, bringing in dramatic bottom-line results.

Companies that have successfully instilled a lean culture consistently realize:

More innovative, team-directed solutions
Lower employee turnover
Better success at sustaining improvements
Greater numbers of improvement actions

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Get the most from Your Value Stream Mapping

You've done value stream mapping and made improvements to your manufacturing process. Productivity is up. You're getting lean. So what's next?

According to one of the pioneers of Lean Manufacturing, the answer is, "Do another value stream map." Toyota says companies don't get proficient at value stream mapping until they've done it at least seven times on the same process.

"As companies do more value stream maps they gain increased benefits," says WMEP manufacturing specialist Brenda Kujawski. "They learn how to more effectively use Lean tools and find more opportunities for improvement."

Value stream basics
Value stream mapping is a four-step process that uncovers waste and reveals how to streamline your manufacturing process. First, identify the value stream or process to map. Second, you make a current state map showing the current flow of materials and information needed to make a product. Next, you diagnose problems, suggest changes, and make a future state map representing the improved manufacturing process. Finally, you implement the changes.

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To Succeed with Lean Efforts, Manufacturers Must Adopt Lean Accounting Procedures

We all know that "two plus two equals four." But when was the last time you heard someone say, "three plus one equals four"? The total is the same - it's just a different way of adding figures.

The accounting system within most manufacturing companies isn't much different. Accountants tend to use the same method of adding up the numbers as they have for years. In essence, as long as a system is turning out parts, the people who keep track of income and expenses interpret it as machining efficiency, which is easily quantifiable. Unfortunately, such accounting mentality is only encouraging and rewarding unnecessary overproduction.

According to lean experts, traditional methods of accounting and measurement can become a hindrance to any manufacturing business today, and can be particularly damaging to a company trying to implement a Lean Program.

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Creating the Lean Enterprise: System-Wide Approach Provides

Today's competitive marketplace requires faster response, better service, added value, and lower prices. How can you address eroding profit margins, challenges to market share, and increasing costs? How can you create an operation that is not only successful today but is also sustainable despite these ongoing challenges?

The solution may lie in creating a strategic shift within your company. Many companies now have set their sights on becoming a "Lean Enterprise." This bigger- picture, long-term approach to lean manufacturing provides sustainable, enterprise-wide improvement that far outweighs the benefits of more intermittent lean implementation efforts.

One Wisconsin firm that embarked on a lean enter-prise journey three years ago reported over $4 million in new sales and $6 million in retained sales this year alone. As a result of the company-wide approach to lean improvements, the firm met customer demands for a 6 percent price reduction and beat its competitors' pricing, while maintaining a healthy profit margin.

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