As I mentioned in the original Industry 4.0 blog, nine key enablers support Industry 4.0 or Smart Manufacturing. The nine key enablers are listed below. In this blog, I want to talk about how cobots will enable you to expand your operations. Cyber Security/Blockchain Cloud Computing IIoT- Industrial Internet of Things Big Data System Integration …
In the previous blog, we talked about setting up our pull chain for the parts that support the top 80% of the products you sell to customers. We discussed understanding the pull chain for each type of part that goes into your finished product. Next, we need to consider the customer demand for the products …
How to Increase Cash Flow Without Laying Off Employees Part 3 Read More »
Do your daily activities and meetings add value as they should be? Do your employees routinely miss your meetings? Analysis shows that out of each day, employees conduct Non-Value-Added activity up to an average of 280 minutes per day. That is 4.6 hours a day. NVA Meetings (reactive)- 80 minutes NVA Phone calls- 30 minutes …
For many middle-market organizations, they want to speed up their Lean Transformation as quickly as possible, but they don’t have experienced Lean professionals on their staff. A great way to speed up a new Lean coordinator’s learning is to encourage them to join Mastermind groups. I led Mastermind groups in the late nineties consisting of …
Mastermind Groups Can Speed Up your Lean Results Read More »
One of the key elements on my American Lean Weekday podcast is the weekly interviews that I conduct with companies on their Lean Journey. These companies are from various industries and are all different sizes. I have interviewed leaders from family-owned businesses to multi-national organizations. These are keynotes from a conversation with MD Engineering. MD …
MD Engineering’s Lean Journey Helped them Free Cash to Grow Read More »
As I mentioned in the original Industry 4.0 blog, nine key enablers support Industry 4.0 or Smart Manufacturing. Because of the various systems involved, Systems Integration will be key to keeping it all together. The key enablers of Smart Manufacturing include: Cyber Security/Blockchain Cloud Computing IIoT- Industrial Internet of Things Big Data Systems Integration Autonomous …
If you have had an opportunity to read my book the Lean Game Plan, you know that I talk about implementing pull systems within the organization to improve inventory turns and increase cash flow. I saw firsthand how powerful pull systems are when I worked with a family-owned company in Cincinnati that had very poor …
How to Increase Cash Flow without Laying Off Employees Part 2 Read More »
The yes… and… principle is great to keep top of mind so you don’t negate someone’s idea or input into a conversation. Let’s say that you are conducting a brainstorming activity, and someone brings up an idea. When someone responds with okay or that won’t work which will kill the entire process, answer instead with …
Say yes…and… to Improve Brainstorming and Engagement Read More »
In our lives, we have all suffered from what is called imposter syndrome. Maybe you have just been promoted to a new leadership position. Maybe you have been asked to be the Lean coordinator for your site or company. It could be you are beginning an entirely different career or switching to a new industry. …
How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome as a Lean Leader Read More »
Only seven months into their Lean Journey- Capco Inc. a $65M company headquartered in Grand Junction, CO has seen benefits and inventory improvements by implementing Kanban. This has enabled them to minimize stock-outs and keep employees working and happier. Capco Inc. has 100,000 square feet facility, 400 employees and has been around since 1968. They …
Capco Inc. Seeing Benefits from their Lean Journey in 7 Months Read More »