Lean manufacturing is a production theory that emphasizes the elimination of waste in all forms. Resource expenditures that do not contribute to the value of a product are wasteful in a lean ...

Companies adopting a Lean philosophy strive to remove or shorten time spent on activities that the customer doesn’t value. For example, although steps like estimating and makeready are thought of as ...

Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma principals are used to improve processes and create efficiencies in the overall manufacturing process. Lean manufacturing is used to minimize waste, while saving costs ...

“They need a conveyor,” said the guy on my left as we observed the assembly process. Operators walked back and forth from the assembly station to bring finished parts to the shelf and to get ...

There are a number of articles and books written on lean manufacturing techniques and lean construction, including many in the pages of Snips about applying lean in sheet metal shops. This article ...

Lean Six Sigma gives employees the tools and training to optimize the production process. To better understand the difference: Lean Six Sigma = capable and effective. A key element in training is to ...

Lean has played a significant role for the past few decades in driving efficiency across manufacturing organizations by providing people with the data and methods for eliminating waste, improving ...

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 ...

In a highly-competitive global marketplace, almost everyone is looking for competitive advantages. Lean is not just about “less,” it is about efficiency. It does not seek to do as well with fewer ...