Supply chains as we know them are not just becoming quicker thanks to technology. They are about to be reversed. No longer will the manufacturer be the one to initiate which goods, and what volumes go to market. The pairing of smart phones and tablets with locally based 3D print shops and the advent of… Read more »
Industry Forum Blog
The reversal of your supply chain?
Lean techniques in Small and Medium Enterprises
“That’s great, but it won’t work here” is usually among the first comments we get when we tell people we help businesses deploy lean techniques to improve their competitiveness. Whilst most people now accept that these techniques work across more sectors than just automotive, the biggest challenge is in engaging the SME community. In the UK the… Read more »
Two ways to speed up the skills learning curve
Previously we’ve blogged about how virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) is starting to be used for off-line training prior to full scale production, and also the benefits of using Standard Procedures in training. Both methods allow people to reach a higher level of skill more quickly. I’m sure you will agree, being able… Read more »
How to improve service at your garage
Have you ever been frustrated when booking in your car in for a service or repair? Have you been put on hold, transferred multiple times or waited for a return call? Maybe you had to wait in a queue to check in? Worse still, your car wasn’t ready at the time it was promised? That’s… Read more »
To cobot or not cobot: that is the question
Modern operations managers are facing a tough decision, rather like Prince Hamlet in Shakespeare’s classic play. Perhaps not a matter of life or death, but the decision to use cobots, collaborative robots, certainly raises questions about the future of our human workforce. What is a cobot? This new generation of robots are a world away… Read more »
Is zero accidents just a pipe dream? Can you really achieve it?
Usually when I ask a company what their target is for their Health and Safety measure of choice, I am quoted a figure greater than zero. “So you are planning to have an accident? A death? Time lost at work? A pollution incident or perhaps just a few fires?” is my immediate question. This does… Read more »
What is kanban and how can it help you?
Kanban is a Japanese word that translates as signboard or billboard. In a manufacturing setting we interpret it as “signal”. Taiichi Ohno is credited with developing the idea in Toyota, after observing how high street supermarkets worked. He noticed that a shopper only buys what they need, when they need it. In turn the supermarket… Read more »
All change for the Supply Chain
Every aspect of our modern day supply chain is being optimised. Whether B2B or B2C an ever increasing array of products needs to be sourced, manufactured and delivered more efficiently. In our last blog we looked at the reasons why the way in which we select, order and receive our goods is undergoing a radical… Read more »
How our demands have changed supply chains forever
If you are reading this blog then I can guarantee that your lifestyle has led to dramatic changes in our supply chain and logistics functions. I know this because you are clearly not an off-grid spoon whittler in the wilderness of Alaska. You are a consumer used to having goods and services delivered direct to… Read more »
Secrets behind successful SMED
“You should always be able to take out at least 50% of the set up time”, was the target set me by my master engineer from Nissan. In fact SMED equates to changeover in less than 10 minutes! Having already tried videoing changeovers and studying them with a team, this seemed like quite a tall… Read more »
