Lean strategies target cycle times

Medical device manufacturer Smith and Nephew Orthopaedics deploys machine tools and lean techniques to drive down cycle time. ...

... "Machine cycle times are being reduced and the lean manufacturing strategies introduced by the company have helped improve quality and productivity still further. " ...

Via Manufacturing Talk: MX CNC turning centre

Lean Government Says Manufacturing

Business leaders ...

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... expect government to adopt lean thinking to streamline their processes. ...

... "business coalition's call for state budget overhaul, urging officials to employ lean-manufacturing standards to cut waste in departments on the state payroll. " ...

Via MLive: Business owners lobby

BMW Lean Manufacturing

BMW uses creative techniques to satisfy inventory needs without introducing waste to the process. ...

... "Meeting customer desires at a price the customer is willing to pay is essential to BMW's success, he said, adding the company is marrying lean manufacturing with its build-to-order building method. " ...

Via Greenville: BMW future

Arclin Oregon Plant VOC Reduction Through Six Sigma

Arclin sees significant VOC reduction in its Portland, Oregon plant through the application of Six Sigma improvement methods. ...

... "We routinely apply Six Sigma principles to improve both manufacturing and business practices at our Surfaces operations and we are in the process of expanding its use to the rest of our organization. " ...

Via Arclin: Portland, OR Overlays Plant Reduces VOC Emissions

India Lean Manufacturing Scheme

Indian government will invest in lean principles for its small business sector to increase competitiveness. ...

... "The objective of this scheme is to enhance the manufacturing competitiveness of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by applying lean techniques to identify and eliminate waste in the manufacturing process. " ...

Via UTVi: Lean Manufacturing

Lean Proactive Business Model

New Zealand manufacturer sees strong productivity benefits from lean manufacturing. The workforce culture has been transformed to one that contributes ideas freely to proactively improve the process. ...

... "Also known by its Japanese term Kaizen, which means continuous improvement, Mr Cook said lean manufacturing had transformed his business from a reactive organisation to a proactive one working daily to improve itself and meant it took Stainless Design about half the time it used to to process work. " ...

Via Stuff.co.nz: Model T

Stainless Design Workforce Training Program: "Everyone in the company is, and has been, involved in training in Lean principles and implementing improvement projects throughout the business. All these projects will provide significant operational and business performance improvements. "

Lean Is Easy to Grasp

While the concept of lean is easy to grasp, implementing it is a journey. Industry has yet to fully leverage its benefits. ...

... "At its most fundamental level, a lean approach to manufacturing entails just what you'd expect: stripping away the excess. Going lean means cutting costs and boosting efficiency at every stage of the manufacturing process. " ...

Via DC Velocity: Lean up your act

Lean Operations Team Implements Six Sigma

Starwood implements lean and Six Sigma at its hotels to create operational efficiency and drive cost savings to the bottom line. ...

... "Our bottom up approach is called Lean Operations, and it includes using our talent onsite to reduce work and waste. And just to give you a sense of detail, here are a couple of examples. We refined our staffing model to match work to demand. We also outsourced bakers and butchers. And we expanded spans of control for managers and supervisors. The Lean Operations team is working closely with our six sigma teams to implement these productivity enhancements across our hotels. " ...

Via Seeking Alpha: Starwood Hotels

Simple Checklist Reduces Defects and Increases Quality

Whether in healthcare, aviation, or manufacturing, the simple checklist can impact quality in positive ways. ...

... "Very few U.S. hospitals are using the surgical safety checklist, though Berwick aims to introduce it in the 4,000 hospitals participating in his institute's programs. The major barrier to widespread adoption is physician attitudes, several experts said. " ...

Via Washington Post: Surgery Checklist

Virginia Mason Lean Production System Creates Value

Healthcare application of lean manufacturing principles leads to creation of the Virginia Mason Institute. Virginia Mason Medical Center has created value for the enterprise through its Lean Production System and will offer its services to others through training, education, and consulting. ...

... "VMI has been created in response to an overwhelming number of requests for Virginia Mason staff to share their experience and knowledge in applying lean principles to health care. In 2001, Virginia Mason adopted the business case for quality as its key strategy with a clear and unequivocal focus on the patient. At the time, VM was one of the first organizations in the world to adapt the Toyota Production System to health care to improve care, reduce waste and allow medical staff and the entire care-delivery team to spend more value-added time with patients. " ...

Via Virginia Mason: VM Institute

Kellogg Lean Manufacturing Initiative

Grocery prices will be under pressure as the economy slows putting pressure on the food industry to become more efficient. Kellogg prepares to weather the storm. ...

... "Through a new lean manufacturing initiative, Kellogg is aiming to reduce waste and is increasing its productivity savings target for 2009 to 3 percent to 4 percent of its cost of goods sold, up from 3 percent. " ...

Via Postbulletin: Grocers

CIO Lean Business Processes

The CIO role is evolving to include business process transformation, where lean and six sigma can play a role in reducing waste and increasing operational efficiency. ...

... "I own the lean transformation - process re-engineering, process improvement, six-sigma. When you have that responsibility, it forces you to get into everyone's business. " ...

Via Forbes: The CIO Role

Lean Six Sigma Improves Processes

Process improvement through Lean and Six Sigma is discussed. ...

... "The overriding principle that drives the lean system is that in order to reduce waste you need to develop systems that do not produce waste. " ...

Via Minneapolis-St Paul Star Tribune: Ask an outside consultant

Ariens Kaizen

Kaizen practitioner reaches 1000th kaizen blitz event. ...

... "Ariens Company employees recently conducted the 1,000th kaizen event aimed at reducing waste within the operation. " ...

Via Landscape Management: 1000th kaizen event