World class organizations define continuous improvement as a constant pursuit of the ideal. They define the ideal as safely producing, 1 x 1, defect free, on-demand with an immediate response. The idea is to supply a customer with what they need one at a time, at the highest quality, immediately when the customer asks for […]
Fork is a Decision
October 12, 2018 By Leave a Comment
World class organizations always begin their improvement practice by drawing the process that they are trying to improve. A box for each activity filled with a verb and noun that describe the work content as well as lines showing the flow of material. There is a very clear message in the draw that comes from […]
Don’t Stop the Presses – and Other Critical Mistakes!
May 11, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Great companies unlock incredible value by resisting the natural human instinct to never stop production. Somehow, it is in our DNA to feel better when a process is making product – no matter what. “Don’t stop the process! I don’t care what you have to do!” is the marching order to abandon the benefits of […]
Everybody is a Job Shop – Mass Production is Dead!
April 13, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Everybody is a Job Shop – Mass Production is Dead! “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.” Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) And so began the age of mass production. In 2016, there were 226 different models of cars in […]
The Biggest Benefit of 5S No One Thinks About
March 2, 2018 By Leave a Comment
The Biggest Benefit of 5S No One Thinks About Most successful organizations have adopted some form of 5S on their lean journey. Most recognize 5S as a workplace organization method that uses a list of five Japanese words: seiri, (Sort), seiton, (Set in Order), seiso, (Shine), seiketsu, (Standardize) and shitsuke (Sustain). Some even add a […]
Flow When You Can – Pull When You Can’t
February 17, 2018 By Leave a Comment
The goal of perfect flow is to produce a product or service one at a time, defect free, immediately at the request of the next process. Successful operations accomplish this by flowing the value added activity of their products or services in sequence from order entry to shipment. Any time waiting or resequencing is a […]
Can Lowering OEE Improve Flow?
January 20, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Can Lowering OEE Improve Flow? Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is a measure of how well equipment is utilized and performing. It measures three specific aspects of running well. The first ratio is a measure of the machine’s availability – is it available to run when scheduled? The second ratio is a measure of the machine’s […]
Measuring Your Biggest Opportunity – Changeover
December 15, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Measuring Your Biggest Opportunity – Changeover Successful organizations understand one of their biggest opportunities for improvement is to reduce their changeover. Most organizations do not get paid to go from one product or service to the next. Customers at a restaurant do not want to see “clear and reset your table” on the menu. The […]
What if Operating Improvement Doesn’t Increase Profit?
September 15, 2017 By Leave a Comment
What if operating improvement doesn’t increase profit? Great organizations have learned how to unlock incredible value through the implementation of a world class operating model with A3 thinking, daily management, practical problem solving, and leader’s standard work. These same organizations have seen equally great improvement in their profitability. But … what if your operating improvement […]
Pain Multiplies When Processes Connect
September 1, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Pain Multiplies When Processes Connect Organizations unlock tremendous waste by focusing on the flow of value in delivering their product or service. The velocity of the value stream that delivers the product or service is directly tied to the flow of the process. Queues, buffers, and staging points slow the velocity and increase the cost … BUT, […]
