Lean Operations through Capital and Work Practice Investments

Weir Minerals retools its production facilities for lean operations with financial and organizational investments. ...

... "He says that the company has now exited the recession, with a lean operations rating of 80%. This was achieved by a substantial amount of capital investment in new technology and by implementing new operational practices. " ...

Via Creamer Engineering News: Major upgrade

Clean Powered By Lean

Renewable energy based shipping, when proven through a pilot phase, will require lean manufacturing to accelerate delivery of the eco-friendly cargo ship design. ...

... "The company is currently preparing a supply chain definition and manufacturing plan for discussions with a U.S. shipbuilder, which has the lean manufacturing capabilities B9 is looking for to move into mass production, he said. " ...

Via Cleantech Group: B9 cargo ship

Lean Production System

Lean production strategies are embraced and branded at food manufacturer. ...

... "Del Monte, which manufactures pet foods and supplements at its Topeka facility, received a Manufacturing Award of Distinction from the Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center ... a commitment to improvement through lean manufacturing, the Del Monte Production System. " ...

Via Capital Journal: Business

AstraZeneca Lean Drug Production

AstraZeneca looks to learn from the automotive lean experience and translate that success into the pharmaceutical manufacturing space. ...

... "Since the summer, the company has agreed to fund at least two lean experts borrowed from Jaguar Land Rover, who are applying their knowledge of car production techniques to drugs. " ...

Via Pharmalot: AstraZeneca


John Earley, Astrazeneca on Lean Transformation - Watch a funny movie here

Lean Six Sigma for Production Improvements Leads to Best Factory Recognition for UK Lighting Firm

Thorn Lighting is recognized as Best Factory in the UK for its achievements in customer satisfaction and product quality. The company has embraced Lean Six Sigma on the factory floor and has made investments in its equipment and workforce. A key ingredient of their production success is designing material flow into the production process and factory layout. ...

... "The company also made good use of lean six sigma tools which involved production workers in the development of improvements which significantly increased the factory's productivity and delivery performance. The company has invested heavily in its staff's technical skills and equipment to keep ahead of competition. " ...

Via Works Management: Thorn Lighting Ltd

Cisco Supports China Manufacturing Development

Cisco commits to the development of Chongqing, China's manufacturing infrastructure as part of its collaborative growth strategy. ...

... "Cisco has committed to support Chongqing in their development of a future local manufacturing base for telecommunications products. The parties have committed to collaborate on several initiatives to improve the local manufacturing and supplier base, infrastructure, and logistics. Preliminary estimates would put an approximate market value on the manufacturing production at as much as 10B RMB. " ...

Via Cisco: Chongqing, China


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Porsche Lean Manufacturing Modernization

Porsche CEO steps down after taking business risks and transforming his company into an efficient manufacturer, using lean production techniques. ...

... "Within two years he managed a surprise turnaround by trimming the product line-up, modernizing the production system based on Toyota's lean manufacturing system, and negotiating new work rules with the unions. " ...

Via Reuters: Porsche

Fiat Lean Production System

Chrysler will implement Fiat's version of lean manufacturing, the Fiat Production System. ...

... "Fiat, based in Turin, uses a system that emphasizes measuring every aspect of work and stopping inefficiencies, Hill said. It is similar to Toyota Motor Corp.’s highly regarded lean-manufacturing system ... " ...

Via Bloomberg: Chrysler

Lean Introduction Commitment

UK injection molding manufacturer is navigating the downturn on a solid foundation of quality improvement, having secured key production contracts, and leadership is committed to implementing lean manufacturing principles through its workforce. ...

... "ISO14001 and ISO 9000 have both been secured at the earliest opportunity and the management team has pledged its commitment to developing the workforce and introducing lean manufacturing across the plant. " ...

Via Engineering Capacity: Fern Plastic Products

Ford Production System Based on Lean Principles

Ford invests in new worker training and emphasizes lean thinking in the curriculum. ...

... "Workers new to the Dearborn plant spent the first two days of training focused on the Ford Production System and lean manufacturing principles, Pijor said. " ...

Via IndustryWeek: Ford Quality Training

Ford Six Sigma QOS Quality Operating System

Ford, where quality is not typically job one (my wife's Windstar check engine light was on for a decade), is seeing some success from Six Sigma improvement methods that reduce variation. The company packages its methods into a management system, or QOS. The critical to quality (CTQ) variables are monitored to drive customer satisfaction. ...

... "Ford also provides assembly plant teams the necessary tools to deliver quality in the manufacturing process. For example, the company’s Quality Operating System (QOS) is critical for identifying and correcting problems within the manufacturing facilities. QOS is implemented in each plant by Variability Reduction Teams (VRT) – cross-functional groups of engineers, plant management and product specialists, including the company’s most skilled problem solvers who’ve been trained through Six Sigma. Each team is assigned to one of 12 vehicle subsystems crucial to customer satisfaction, such as paint or body interior, and examines every detail, looking for imperfections so slight that even the untrained eye, or ear, could not detect them. " ...

Via Ford: Warranty Repairs Costs Decline

Lean Production Survey

Survey will understand application of lean manufacturing in newspaper production operations. ...

... "Rochester Institute of Technology is seeking newspaper production and operations executives to participate in a survey examining lean manufacturing and its application in production operations. " ...

Via Newspapers & technology: Technology

Cardinal Health Lean Manufacturing Techniques

Executives share their strategies for confronting the economic challenges that lay ahead. Cardinal Health leader embraces lean manufacturing for success. ...

... "We use lean manufacturing techniques to take out cost and waste, and improve quality and service. We do that with shorter production and build time. " ...

Via The Desert Sun: Entrepreneurs share survival plans

NBC Six Sigma Retooling

NBC is using Six Sigma to improve its processes in the TV network space and has positioned itself for a transformation versus its peers. ...

... "they are clearly retooling NBC in the Six Sigma spirit that parent General Electric pioneered - streamlining, cutting costs, and maximizing efficiency in every minute aspect of their production and distribution processes. " ...

Via Seeking Alpha: TV Networks

Honda Production Cuts

Honda idles its manufacturing footprint in North America to deal with the supply and demand imbalance. ...

... "Ed Miller, said the cuts would take place at five of Honda’s seven plants in the United States and Canada. Employees at the plants will be given other tasks or can take paid or unpaid vacation time ... " ...

Via NYTimes: Honda Production in North America

Vectron Six Sigma Manufacturing

Vectron practices lean and Six Sigma to improve its manufacturing process and product quality. In doing so, it embraces the methodology and creates a enterprise variant that works in its culture. ...

... "The facility has adopted lean manufacturing practices such as Kaizen and Six Sigma methods, all with an eye toward continuous facility and product improvement. The company follows a 16-point plan that has cut manufacturing cycle times in half compared to earlier attempts to reduce overall production times. " ...

Via Vectron: Frequency Control

HAWK Lean Manufacturing Benefits Operating Income

Hawk Corporation sees strong sales and earning buoyed by its lean implementation and supply chain efficiencies. ...

... "Relative to the economy as a whole, Hawk benefited from a number of factors in achieving our third quarter and year to date results. We serve a variety of markets on a global basis, many of which have been strong this year. Additionally, we continue implementation of lean manufacturing and localization of our supply chain and production processes. We are currently monitoring the uncertainty in the financial and commodity markets and its potential effect on Hawk and our customers, but we remain dedicated to managing our business for the long-term and utilizing our strong cash position to our benefit. " ...

Via Hawk Corp: Record 2008 Third Quarter Sales, Income

Worker Driven Kaizen

Teleflex lean manufacturing program create through passion of factory floor worker. ...

... "The impetus to go lean at the Teleflex hydraulics manufacturing plant came not from management, but from a production worker, Jay Zhang. He first heard about Kaizen when he worked as a design and process engineer at the Chang Sha Blower Factory ... " ...

Via Vancouver Sun: Kaizen works lean

NASA Lean Six Sigma Role

It is envisioned that lean principles can have a place in low volume processes such as those applicable to NASA. ...

... "Lean Six Sigma is a management technique that, like many management techniques, was developed for a large production process. While it is not specifically designed for the small production runs and unique processes that NASA is typcially involved in, there is still a place to take some of those principles and apply them to our processes. " ...

Via Wayne Hale's NASA Blog: Space News

NASA Space Operations

No China Lean

The Chinese workforce is seen as having a strong work ethic while their companies have not mastered efficiency as of yet. ...

... "Chinese-run companies don't have lean manufacturing, and workers won't stop production lines if they see something's wrong because the social and education system is based on Confucianism -- which emphasizes loyalty, harmony and obedience, not questioning. " ...

Via IndustryWeek: China

Cessna is 40Percent Complete with Textron Six Sigma

Cessna introduces its new Cessna 350 and 400 aircraft, which are produced at its Bend, Oregon facility. ...

... "Since Cessna acquired the assets of the Bend plant in December 2007, the production facility has received a full face lift including new signage, new lighting and a new customer center. The transition plan, which includes implementation of Textron Six Sigma, has reached 40 percent completion. Cessna expects to deliver 150 350/400 aircraft this year and plans to increase production rates in 2009 to meet customer demands. " ...

Via Cessna: New 350 and 400 Aircraft

Six Sigma Supports Manufacturing Expansion

Boston-Power will expand production of next-generation Lithium-ion batteries for notebook computers through a partnership with GP Batteries. ...

... "Sonata will be produced in GP Batteries' state-of-the-art facilities in Taiwan. There, it will benefit from Six Sigma manufacturing processes and a unique, real-time quality control feedback and management system that is proprietary to Boston-Power. " ...

Via Boston Power: Manufacturing expansion of next-generation Sonata notebook computer battery

Lean Product Design Process

Lear Corp sees productivity gains from its lean processes, such as product design and manufacturing. ...

... "Product design is another key element in Lear's Lean Manufacturing System. Product design teams rely on LMS principles to ensure products can be manufactured in a lean environment. Approximately two thirds of product costs are locked into the initial design of the product, Coomer noted, so any effort to reduce cost after the initial design stage can only influence the remaining one third of the product's overall cost. At one facility, for example, product design teams incorporating design for lean principles in a model year change realigned workstations, changed production flows and made other assembly line changes to boost productivity. " ...

Via Lear: Lean Manufacturing System

Lear Jet Cockpit view ...

Lean Quick Changeover

The lean workcell requires the ability to accomodate quick changeovers. ...

... "In fact, the ability to change the process and go from good part to good part as quickly as possible is a must. The faster the changeover, the less production time is lost. " ...

Via Electronics Supply & Manufacturing: Lean Principles

Boeing Aircraft Lean Production System

Boeing starts manufacturing of key airplane components as it ramps up for aircraft assembly by mid-year. Lean techniques make up its repertoire of manufacturing improvements. ...

... "To create additional production capacity to build the 787 vertical fin, the Boeing factory implemented significant improvements, including a pulse moving line featuring right-sized tooling, determinant assembly and advanced technology drilling techniques. Lean manufacturing techniques are used to enhance the quality and efficiency of its production system. " ...

Via Aero-News Network: Boeing 787 Manufacturing