If you’re like me, a non-digital native, then you may well have been trying to make sense of the terminology being used today which is shaping tomorrow’s world. A non-digital native is anyone born or brought up before the widespread use of digital technology. That’s most of us over 30 – sorry! In this blog… Read more »
Industry Forum Blog
3 Big Tech Terms Explained Simply
You can’t build your castle on quicksand and expect it not to sink
Although the title is a well known saying and a popular song lyric, it is an excellent analogy for all of us who strive to improve our businesses, by deploying lean techniques. I read two articles this week that mentioned the importance of certain lean techniques. However they stood out for very different reasons. The… Read more »
4 Steps to Creating The Ultimate Lean Layout
There are big benefits to be had whether you are redesigning an existing work area or planning a new site. Toyota’s new generation factories are planned to be 25% smaller, require 40% less investment and use 40% less energy to run than their current plants. On an environmental note, this means 55% less CO2 emissions!… Read more »
4 compelling reasons why everyone should read The Lean Startup
Lauded as a “Mandatory read for entrepreneurs” I wanted to see if the book by Eric Ries had anything to do with lean or was it just a name to grab attention. What I discovered were some “light bulb moments” for adapting lean in an environment that is uncertain and chaotic. And then I realised… Read more »
Diffusing resistance to change from AM and PM teams
One of the more common barriers to change we meet when introducing Autonomous Maintenance and Planned Maintenance is the belief that maintenance engineers will become deskilled and jobs cut, and that production operators will be expected to just take on more tasks. It’s important to tackle this misconception right at the beginning of your TPM… Read more »
How to persuade accountants to love Lean, TPM or Six Sigma
I think it’s fair to say that accountants love cash and hate risk. Running out of cash is still one of the biggest reasons why companies collapse. Cash is not only needed to start a business but to keep it running. For an accountant, risk starts as soon as cash is turned into something else… Read more »
The problem with Problem Solving!
When is structured problem solving the right method to use? Most of us probably still remember the pain of tackling our first fearsome quality issue. And if you were a supplier into Ford you will have been using the 8D method.I hope you had more success than I first did! Since then I have also… Read more »
10 ways to make your Visual Management Boards work
Is filling in your boards a tick box exercise or do you use them as a tool to enable improved performance and engage employees? Visual Management Boards are just one of the ways you can communicate with all the levels in your company. By themselves they don’t actually make improvements or, in fact, do that much… Read more »
10 Steps for successful lean office activities
Are you in a position where you need to improve your information or people based processes? This may be to meet new company objectives or because they are currently causing you problems. I most often find companies want to: Improve the cash flow cycle – get paid more quickly. Reduce the time it takes to… Read more »
Is your New Product Introduction programme improved by using Lessons Learned?
Setting up a system to improve your New Product Introduction (NPI) process has been identified as one of the six basic success factors to improve your ability to get new products to market quicker and cheaper. What is a lesson learned? The identification of project activities that went well and not so well Subsequent analysis… Read more »