“I say an hour lost at a bottleneck is an hour out of the entire system. I say an hour saved at a non-bottleneck is worthless. Bottlenecks govern both throughput and inventory.” Eliyahu M. Goldratt There can be multiple causes of slowdowns and disruptions in workflow. One of the most serious causes can be bottlenecks. […]
Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE): Understand, Measure and Improve
A best practice in the manufacturing sector and considered the gold standard for measuring productivity, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) provides crucial insights in manufacturing. It was a term coined by Seiichi Nakajima in the 1960s to evaluate how effectively a manufacturing operation is utilized. It is based on the Harrington Emerson way of thinking regarding […]
Lean Implementation Requires Grit!
Lean implementation can be a both a blessing and a curse. One cannot deny the value and results of lean programs across multitudes of industries. Anyone with any doubt about the effectiveness need just look to Toyota and the Toyota Production System (TPS) to understand the powerful impact on production and manufacturing. For many, the […]
Kaizen Methodology For Boosting Personal Performance
Are you feeling overwhelmed and out of control? Not really a surprise for many, considering the demands on our lives in this digital age. We are spending more time at work than any other generation in American history. As a workforce, Americans lose more paid leave from work each year than any other country. Our […]
Lean Manufacturing Should Focus on the People, Not the Tools
Lean manufacturing and principles have been around for years, so the ideas are not really new. However, the scope of lean and lean manufacturing principles have significantly shifted. Now, it is widely accepted beyond the factory floor and is expanding into hospitals, government agencies and service sectors. These trends are expected to continue as lean […]
[VIDEO] The US Army Is Mission Ready with the UH-72A Lakota
The UH-72 Lakota is a twin-engine helicopter with a single, four-bladed main rotor. The UH-72 is a militarized version of the Eurocopter EC145 and was built by American Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters, Inc.). Initially marketed as the UH-145, the helicopter was selected as the winner of the United States Army’s Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) program on […]
Lean Six Sigma News: Army Aviation Improves Mission & Environmental Operations
A combined team from Aviation & Missile Command Environmental Division at Red Stone Arsenal and Aviation Center Logistic Command at Fort Rucker have implemented ground-breaking initiatives utilizing Lean Six Sigma methodologies for the handling of hazardous waste involved in the maintenance of the UH-72 Lakota aircraft at Fort Rucker. These initiatives have significantly improved to […]
Lean Manufacturing – Whirlpool Takes Quality to the next Level
For over 100 years, Whirlpool has led the appliance industry producing some of the most recognizable and dependable home appliances available to the consumer. Their brand suggests quality and value to their customer base. The Whirlpool Corporation is a global manufacturer and marketer of home appliances, headquartered in Benton Charter Township, Michigan. As a Fortune […]
YouTube Video: The Principles of Lean Thinking
Lean Thinking is a business methodology that aims to provide a new way to think about how to organize activities to deliver more benefits to society and value to individuals while eliminating waste. The term lean thinking was coined by James Womack and Daniel Jonesto. It is a new way of thinking about any activity and seeing […]
Lean Thinking: How Well Does Lean Manufacturing Feed into the Food Industry?
Lean manufacturing is a series of techniques that will improve the performance of a factory, a department or even a single production line or machine. Lean thinking in manufacturing is logical and as it is applied, it can be thought of as a journey towards a more efficient future. The techniques are based on the […]