David Verble wrote a recent article titled “What Exactly is the Problem You Are Trying to Address?” for the Lean Enterprise Institute. In it, he addresses the idea of tackling a problem on an A3 and having a clear-cut, definable understanding of the problem before trying to solve it. He mentions the interaction with others on your team and elsewhere, in trying to be able to explain…
Mike Wilson | September 27, 2012 | Safety Solutions | Workplace Safety
Chemicals are both essential invention that has reached so far giving efficiency to humans. However, it can also present some serious consequences when used inappropriately. Hence, it is a must that all types of chemicals be handled with extreme care all throughout the processes. With this, the GHS pictogram can be a great tool to ensure safety when it comes to manufacturing and transportation of these chemicals.…
Mike Wilson | September 27, 2012 | Safety Solutions | GHS, Labeling, Safety
image from wikipedia I read an inspiring post today by Robert Hafey on the Lean Safety blog about his attempts to apply his lean training and expertise to something as basic as cooking food and serving it to a large group of people, but, the best part of the article wasn’t the lean angle. It was who he was serving. He and six other close friends and…
Mike Wilson | September 26, 2012 | 5S | 5S, Continuous Improvement, Lean
Kanban is an inventory and replenishment system that assists in determining what, when, and how much to produce. It is a scheduling system that maintains inventory levels used in lean manufacturing or Just-In-Time (JIT) production. When material is consumed, a signal is sent to produce and deliver another shipment. It is a ‘pull’ system of production based on planned elimination of waste and continuous improvements of productivity. …
Mike Wilson | September 25, 2012 | Kanban | Continuous Improvement, Kanban
You hop in your car and get moving. You’ve got to get from Boston to New York, but your car is on fire. You haven’t had a drink of water in two days, and your fuel gauge is low. Oh, and where is your roadmap? Sounds like a fun trip, doesn’t it? So, which problem do you take care of first? Do you put out the fire,…
Mike Wilson | September 25, 2012 | Lean | 5S, Kaizen, Kanban, Lean Manufacturing
Ron Pereira over at the LSSAcademy.com offered a really cool video that pits regular mass production vs. one piece flow, and his simulation produced a time savings with the one piece flow. In his video, what I found to be as interesting as his presented material were the comments at the bottom by professionals in manufacturing. They all seemed to think that one piece flow definitely has…
Mike Wilson | September 25, 2012 | Lean | Continuous Improvement, Lean
The employer is obligated to ensure the workplace remains a safe place for the employees. He also has a responsibility of informing the workers of the various hazards within an organization. There are specific stipulations on how this is to be achieved. OSHA has elaborate specification on safety signs and appropriate markings to caution and forewarn employees of the dangers that lies in wait so as to…
Mike Wilson | September 24, 2012 | Safety Solutions | OSHA, Regulations & Compliance, Safety, Safety Signs, Workplace Safety
On the National Semiconductor website, they explained their process of utilizing 8D, which is also known as the “Eight Disciplines,” for problem solving and process improvement. They believe the 8 disciplines are structured so as to rely on team collaboration: The team as a whole is better and smarter than the quality sum of the individuals. Each discipline is supported by a checklist of assessment questions, such…
Mike Wilson | September 21, 2012 | Safety Solutions | Facility Efficiency, Lean Manufacturing
In order to perform critical best practice OSHA-compliant overhauls, implementing proper benchmarking for visual safety and/or lean management systems is the ideal solution for today’s production and manufacturing sectors. Have a Game Plan Once your team has analyzed and considered the scope of what your safety or lean program aims to achieve, it’s advisable to target areas that require proper visual labeling, and attack each with a…
Mike Wilson | September 21, 2012 | Safety Solutions | Facility Marking, Floor Marking, Labeling, OSHA, Pipe Marking, Regulations & Compliance
Six Sigma is a technique of improving the output and performance of a process by identifying and eliminating causes of defects and ultimately finding the new methods to develop the process. The main hindrances to a quality process are the root causes behind all the defects which lead to wastage and low quality output. Six Sigma technique is mainly adopted in large organizations, however, its implementation can…
Mike Wilson | September 21, 2012 | Lean | Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma
Kaizen refers to betterment and continuous improvement in any area of process like manufacturing, business, nursing, management, etc. There are two elements of Kaizen: improvement and continuity. Successful implementation of this technique requires the contribution of all the workers in an organization. Every member has to be the asset of the organization. The use of Kaizen techniques leads an organization to sustain in this globalized world, improve…
Mike Wilson | September 20, 2012 | Kaizen | Continuous Improvement, Kaizen
As I was reviewing some marketing materials for label printing the other day, I found myself on Google Images checking out some of the safety signs and labels. What was amazing to me, and quite funny, was the amount of crazy safety directions on regular, everyday products. I figured I’d display some of them on the blog. Obviously, our LabelTac label printers can be used to make…
Mike Wilson | September 20, 2012 | Safety Products | Labeling, Safety, Safety Signs
About this time two years ago, the world was watching and praying for a relatively large group of unfortunate miners (nicknamed “los 33”) who were involved in a cave-in deep in a mine in Chile and stuck there for what ended up being 69 long days. Due to mine safety and health violations throughout the mine’s history, the men were left with no way out, barely any…
Mike Wilson | September 19, 2012 | Safety Solutions | Electrical Safety, Fire Safety, Mining Safety, Safety
Optimum utilization of the available resource is a key goal in all organizations. The main objective is to ensure each and every available resource is channeled towards adding value to the set processes in order to improve the productivity of the organization. Lean manufacturing is geared towards this and its basic tenets include the need to carry out perpetual improvements and adjustments to eliminate any wastage in…
Mike Wilson | September 19, 2012 | Lean | Continuous Improvement, Lean Manufacturing
Waste water treatment plants are usually operated by municipalities or private utility companies, and are regulated by the states wherein they reside, but their standards were enacted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 (amended in 1986 and 1996), all local treatment systems are regulated so that the water they treat is tested for contamination, their improvement plans…
Mike Wilson | September 18, 2012 | Safety Solutions | OSHA, Pipe Marking, Safety, Workplace Safety
