More in Lean / Six-Sigma

Feb. 5, 2013

Commentary

Best Practices for Using Value Stream Mapping as a Continuous Improvement Tool

Use it properly and completely and it will provide a direct path to process optimization and an operation that is assured long-term survival....More
Jan. 22, 2013

Commentary

Take 5: Review your Operations for a Great New Year

By taking time to review your Naughty and Nice list for 2012, you can significantly improve your operations -- and your improvement trajectory -- for 2013....More
Jan. 21, 2013

blog

It’s What You Learn after You Know It All that Counts

What Hall of Famer Earl Weaver knew about managing an organization could have filled up several business strategy books....More
Jan. 17, 2013

Article

IndustryWeek

2012 IW Best Plants Winner: Pumping up Productivity

To picture the flow of parts, products and people in Warren Rupp's Mansfield, Ohio, factory prior to spring 2011, former operational excellence manager Marty Carty uses this analogy: "Just think of a mouse trying to find its cheese in a maze."...More
Jan. 17, 2013

Article

IndustryWeek

2012 IW Best Plants Winner: Engaged Teams Keep Lockheed Martin Delivering On Time, Every Time

Lockheed Martin says the success of its Pike County Operations is due in large part to an engaged workforce. "People make it happen here," says David Anderson, site director....More
Jan. 17, 2013

Article

IndustryWeek

2012 IW Best Plants Winner: La-Z-Boy Never Rests on Continuous Improvement

Take a tour of La-Z-Boy's Dayton, Tenn., facility with Continuous Improvement Manager David Robinson and be prepared for a bit of temporal distortion. For as proud as Robinson is of the facility's current operations, his heart belongs to its "future state."...More
Jan. 17, 2013

Article

IndustryWeek

2012 IW Best Plants Winner: Driven by Data

As workers file in through the hallway overlooking the plant floor at Harris Product Group's Mason, Ohio, facility, they are privy to an endless array of data....More
Jan. 17, 2013

Article

IndustryWeek

2012 IW Best Plants Winner: Ethicon - Employee Engagement Results in Zero Product Recalls

In an industry that has been plagued by product recalls, the medical devices built at Ethicon San Lorenzo, a Johnson & Johnson company based in Puerto Rico, stand apart. In the plant's 24-year history, there has never been a product recall....More
Jan. 17, 2013

Article

IndustryWeek

2012 IW Best Plants Winner: A World Class Approach to Performance

Today, World Class Manufacturing is driving CNH's continuing performance improvements....More
Jan. 17, 2013

gallery

2012 IW Best Plants Winners [SLIDESHOW]

View a slideshow of the winners of IndusryWeek's 2012 Best Plants program, including La-Z-Boy, Ethicon, Harris Products Group, and more.
Jan. 17, 2013

Article

IndustryWeek

2012 IW Best Plants Winners: Amazing Efforts, Amazing Achievements

For the 23rd consecutive year, IndustryWeek is pleased to present its annual salute to manufacturing excellence. The 2012 class of IndustryWeek's Best Plants winners demonstrates that operational excellence continues to prosper in manufacturing -- and manufacturers continue to strive for even greater performances....More
Jan. 14, 2013

blog

Lean and Fit

if your supply chain has a lot of fat and is unresponsive or slow, you need to do a diagnostic just like you would go to a doctor for a checkup if you felt the same way....More
Jan. 2, 2013

blog

Happy (Old) New Year

We’ve all heard stories about inefficiencies at the post office, but the latest one is a doozy…Pa. railroad calendar delivered 63 years late. “A northeastern Pennsylvania newspaper has just received a calendar to help ring in the new year - except the year is 1950. Scranton's The Times-Tribune reports a mail carrier delivered it 63 years late without explanation on Friday.”...More
Dec. 20, 2012

blog

The End of the World and other Demand Options

We can sometimes consider demand options as a way to reduce variability and eliminate waste in our supply chain....More
Dec. 17, 2012

Article

IndustryWeek

Manufacturing Hall of Fame 2012 Inductee: Robert 'Doc' Hall

You cannot have a discussion about the early proponents of lean manufacturing in the United States without placing Robert "Doc" Hall high on that list....More
Dec. 17, 2012

Article

IndustryWeek

Manufacturing Hall of Fame 2012 Inductee: Art Byrne

In the pantheon of Hall of Fame CEOs, there are lean legends. And there's Art Byrne....More
Dec. 17, 2012

Commentary

Lessons from the Road: Reducing Lead Time Changes Everything

Ever hear "get it done faster"? It comes from many sources, most importantly, customers. The most time-tested -- and ineffective -- means to actually get faster is to work faster....More
Dec. 4, 2012

blog

Hurricane Sandy and its Effect on the Retail Supply Chain

Good contingency planning and Lean supply chains can pay off in reducing a company’s exposure to risks such as natural disasters like Sandy....More
Nov. 27, 2012

Article

IndustryWeek

Don't Let These Common Mistakes Stop You from Harnessing the Power of Lean

In a conversation with IndustryWeek, legendary lean practitioner Art Byrne discusses strategies for sidestepping some of the most common pitfalls of lean implementations....More
Nov. 27, 2012

Commentary

Four Human Resource Factors to Consider on the Lean Six Sigma Journey

When beginning the Lean Six Sigma journey (or continuing that journey by taking improvements to the next level), several factors for recruitment and training must be taken into consideration or the results of the journey risk compromise....More
Nov. 27, 2012

blog

Lean Supply Chain Management: What Is It and Why Should You Care?

There are many areas in the supply chain where waste can occur, and lean supply chain management can help root out those problem areas....More
Nov. 14, 2012

Article

IndustryWeek

Operations: Improving Quality, One Seal at a Time

Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies makes a move away from batch production with the introduction of a single-piece-flow molding process....More
Nov. 14, 2012

Article

IndustryWeek

Lean's High-Tech Makeover

Toyota matches its Toyota Production System with advanced automation tools to create a high-tech ballet of lean manufacturing....More
Nov. 12, 2012

Article

5 Ways to Boost Your Line's Performance -- Right Now

Design your factory for optimum performance by specifying, and then regularly recognizing and rewarding, the behaviour that produces the outcomes you want....More
Nov. 5, 2012

Commentary

Three Ways Manufacturing Leaders Can Build Momentum Across an Organization

U.S. manufacturing is growing again. It’s in your hands to keep it that way....More