Kaizen

What is JIT (Just in Time) Manufacturing (Why You Need It)

Inventory management is a crucial part in any business in that it can make or break its overall condition. Stocking up on your products can allow you to meet the demands of your customers anytime they need them. But it will also require a bigger storage space and will run the risk of ...

Lean Manufacturing Training Materials

Using Lean principles in manufacturing is a great way to improve the quality of a product and service. Moreover, if used correctly, it will definitely improve a company’s financial performance overall. If you are in the manufacturing industry, manage a manufacturing industry, teach employees ...

lean factories - Serendipity Rocky Coastline Wide Presentation (3)

Shingo Guiding Principles

For people who are handling businesses and processes, there is a misplaced focus on tools. The belief is that the right tool will solve most, if not all problems. However, another belief states that the tools are not the endgame. They aren’t even the starting point. Enter the Shingo Guiding ...

The Reshoring Initiative

The pandemic has hit all countries from around the globe. Not only has the pandemic affected people’s lives and health, but it has also affected the economies of various countries. The delicate balance and business framework that has been steadily built has been smashed, like a boat ...

TPM and Six Sigma Basics

Six Sigma is usually termed for a process that is well-controlled. It is a methodology that has set tools and processes. These tools and processes are used to improve the overall performance of an organization or business. The increase in the business’ performance coupled with the ...

Gemba Boards

Running a business or managing a team is a challenging endeavor. Fortunately, there are a great number of tools that people can use to understand the various problems and statuses within the workplace. One tool that can be used is the Gemba Board. The Gemba Board is taken from ...

Poka Yoke in the Kitchen

We have looked at common poka yoke examples in daily life. But I thought it would be a nice thing to zero down on other poka yoke examples in specific areas. These new series of posts will start with poka yoke examples in the kitchen. From the basic equipment to cooking methods, you will find that the kitchen is full ... Read More

3 Reasons Why Jidoka is not an Important Lean Tool Anymore

Jidoka Basically, Jidoka is a Japanese word that means giving machines human intelligence — this helps in building in quality into products. Stopping to fix problems is and developing countermeasures ultimately leads to better productivity in the long run. But Jidoka is not only about machines that can stop themselves. In line with the TPS philosophy, Jidoka is also about ... Read More

Kaizen Musings — Lean Inventory Management

Summary Inventory quantity is a measure of how well lean has matured Reducing inventory without streamlining processes can be a recipe for disaster Inventory velocity is more important than inventory reduction Supplier management to align to lean goals is key How inventory is received matters Inventory is Muda The ideal situation in lean is to have zero inventory. But for ... Read More

Kaizen Musings — In Lean, Slow is Better than Fast

One of the greatest selling points of lean is that it leads to faster throughput. You would expect people in a lean plant running around frantically producing goods very fast. But the reality in a truly lean organization is markedly different. While the output is very high, you will also notice that people are working at a comfortable pace. Why ... Read More

Kaizen Musings — Why Is There So Much Stress At Work

Why is there so much stress at work? Work related stress can be overcome through simple habits.

Nemawashi Model for Decision Making

Nemawashi is consensus based | Source What is Nemawashi? Nemawashi is a Japanese term which literally translated means ‘work around the roots’. It is a consensus building technique that aims at removing obstacles to proposal approval by seeking an informal audience with the decision makers before a formal meeting is held. The concept is not about lobbying as many people think of ... Read More

HOSHIN KANRI — Policy Deployment Meaning & Examples in Manufacturing

What is Hoshin Kanri? Hoshin Kanri is a management process that aims at aligning a company’s functions and activities with its strategic objectives. The process involves developing specific plans which consists of precise goals, actions, timelines, responsibilities and metrics. Hoshin Kanri usually starts with a high level organizational plan that involves setting of all the necessary goals required to achieve ... Read More

Lean Kata: Daily Improvement Practice Routine

After unsuccessfully trying to implement lean, most managers end up blaming the workers as being against lean. While resistance is to be expected in any change program, the reasons for lean implementation failure are many. But the most ignored aspect when trying to implement lean is the psychology of change within the organisation. Everybody behaves in a certain way because ... Read More

Beer Game: How the Bullwhip Effect in Supply Chains Happens

Exploring the Bullwhip Effect using the Beer Game | Source What Is the Bullwhip Effect? The bullwhip effect in supply chains is the increase in order fluctuations as one moves upstream. It starts with a small signal in the consumption of goods by a downstream step. This small signal is misinterpreted ... Read More

5s at Home: Use this Lean Manufacturing Tool to Declutter

Clutter overflow by Puikkibeach on flickr (cc by 2.0) | Source The amount of disorganization in your house has now become a major problem, and you are wondering what to do with all the piles of materials that are building up in every available space. You decide to do something about it but do not know where to start, and it ... Read More

14 Lean Management Principles

A lean organization achieves its goals through the application of time-tested techniques and tools, backed by a firm philosophical foundation of continuous improvement and learning. Behind the lean paradigm are a set of management principles that when consistently applied, result in business success regardless of one’s industry. What is Lean Management? Traditionally, we expect management to be the function that ... Read More

How Poka Yoke Improves Safety

Thousands of workers die or get injured on the job in the US each year. Workplace injuries and fatalities are financially and socially [PDF] costly. Safety features are at the forefront of most product design. No one wants to be the reason a customer was hurt or killed because of poor quality or a dangerous feature went unnoticed. Rigorous testing ... Read More

Heijunka — Production Levelling in Manufacturing

Manufacturing products is not for the faint hearted. The coordination of resources required to convert raw material to the final product can be exhausting on a normal day. To add to this, customer orders may fluctuate from day to day — leaving the plant guessing on what and how much to produce. Wouldn’t it be nice if customer orders were ... Read More

10 Ways to Improve Your Office Productivity

A hurried office can be both unproductive and unsafe. If you are too distracted and can’t focus on the content of your work, chances are you are likely to make a good number of critical mistakes. Here are a few tips and tricks you can use to increase your productivity and at the same time make your job easier and ... Read More

10 Reasons Why Organizational Change Programs Fail

Change management can sound like a scary endeavor and can cause its own crisis if not implemented properly. Sometimes change is necessary but done properly with the right tools and intentions, can enhance your business and product to be the best it can be. By steering clear of the ten mistakes below, you can give your program an excellent chance ... Read More

10 Mistakes Companies Implementing Lean Manufacturing Make

Toyota’s vaunted production system has been around for over 50 years. During that time, they have improved on their quality and productivity — in the process capturing a significant portion of the world auto market. This success has led other companies to try and implement lean manufacturing — in most cases with limited success. Why is this? The short answer ... Read More