Lean Manufacturing with 5S

5S is an element of Lean Manufacturing, providing workers and managers alike with a visually simple, logical system to organize work areas in both office and manufacturing environments. The goal of 5S is to ‘streamline’ the business and manufacturing plant, enhancing both worker focus and safety. Another benefit, for those bean counters in your midst, is a positive influence on a company’s bottom line, or earning potential. 5S simply stands for the 5 steps (or …

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Using Kanban to Improve Manufacturing Flexibility

When you manufacture something, production is never on one constant level. Instead there are peaks and valleys that you will need to account for in your business. Products may be discontinued, altered, or even recalled, and demand is a constantly changing number. having a flexible manufacturing process will make it significantly easier to respond to production changes Kanban is a flexible system that is able to help you meet changes in demand and produce accordingly. …

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5 Kaizen Tools to Start Using

Kaizen is both a methodology and a philosophy at the core of Lean manufacturing. Continuous improvement is synonymous with kaizen, meaning no process is fully developed, people should always be looking for ways processes can be improved. Kaizen focuses on improving processes, standardizing processes, involving workers from all levels, and much more. The following are five strategies, out of many, that kaizen uses: Gemba: The phrase “go to Gemba first” is common when talking about …

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