The best way to reduce machining lead time is to establish a “flow” from one process to another, using cells to link, synchronize, and eliminate excessive material handling, excess inventory, and ...

One-piece flow (OPF) is axiomatic among lean practitioners. We’ve all seen the illustrations (like this one) that show the advantage of one-piece flow. There are several of this sort of animated ...

Ms. Peach used Kaizen, a process improvement strategy within lean manufacturing, within her division’s hospitals. Kaizen encompassed a three-day workshop in which front-line workers in the emergency ...

Discover how Lean Six Sigma enhances performance by combining Six Sigma and Lean methods to reduce waste and defects, ...

Lean manufacturing and green manufacturing are not always considered at the same time as companies plan their factory improvement initiatives. Often, in “going green,” a company will aim for a certain ...

FlexNet Lean Material Flow software for global manufacturing operations management (MOM) was developed in collaboration with Accenture to support Lean Manufacturing. It is designed to better ...

In the context of increasing global industrial competition and intensifying customer demands, there has been considerable pressure on U.S. small- and medium-sized (SME) manufacturers in recent years ...

It’s a question that crops up with amazing regularity: What’s next after lean manufacturing? It’s an odd inquiry, really, because it implies that you “finish” lean or toss it aside in favor of the ...

Safety has been getting an unexpected boost at some facilities that, in the past, did not seem so committed to a proactive safety approach. Old school employers are unexpectedly adopting many of the ...