Identify Bottlenecks, Improve Flow, & Eliminate Waste with Kanban
Kanban is a Japanese lean manufacturing term that is associated with the flow of production in a workplace. Kanban is usually achieved by visualizing or attaching moving cards to each stage of the production process so that you can see how many units are in any one stage at a time and whether some stages…
Tony Ferraro | November 12, 2013 | Kanban | Facility Efficiency, Kanban
A 5S Template to Increase ROI
There are many benefits associated with the implementation of 5S. Below, we have created a list of the top ten benefits which may result in higher ROI’s (Return on Investment) when 5S is implemented properly. Creates Consistency: When 5S is implemented, consistency is created throughout the workplace. Processes, procedures, tools used, and even levels of…
Tony Ferraro | November 4, 2013 | 5S | 5S, 6S, Facility Efficiency, Tool Organization
Re-Inventing the Wheel – Do It Just This Once
Safety incentive programs have been around for quite some time, and for most companies, they’ve changed very little since their inception. However, like everything these days, what’s considered “best practice” may change very rapidly, and safety programs have certainly seen several revisions in their time. What you’re doing right now could seem like a trusty,…
Tony Ferraro | September 26, 2013 | Lean | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Lean Manufacturing
Improving Workplace Efficiency: One Lean Step at a Time
I like to think of a working environment as one body of movement, a system of metaphorical cells, organs, and subsystems working together to create life. In business, this “life” usually comes in the form of customer value and/or product output, depending on the industry in which you reside. Just as we think about healthy…
Tony Ferraro | September 13, 2013 | Lean | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Lean, Lean Manufacturing
PDCA: How Can this Tool Help You?
You may have heard of PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act), but how much do your really know and understand about it? Have you tried using this method in the past? Was it successful? If it wasn’t successful, what may have contributed towards its ineffectiveness? These are some questions you should ask yourself before making a true, valiant effort…
Tony Ferraro | September 3, 2013 | Lean | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Gemba, Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing
Employee Involvement: It can Make or Break LEAN
Those familiar with lean may know that the key objective with lean is to eliminate all types of waste. Waste can be just about anything, and there are many different types of wastes in the work environment. When thinking about waste, it is important to remember that waste in the workplace has absolutely no value.…
Tony Ferraro | August 30, 2013 | Lean | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Lean Manufacturing
Lean Eliminates Waste, Not People
When the concept of lean is implemented within a work facility there may be a variety of different responses. For instance, some people may be excited and respond by saying “we should have started lean even sooner, what a great concept.” However, there are also people at the opposite end of spectrum who simply cringe…
Tony Ferraro | August 29, 2013 | Lean | Facility Efficiency, Lean Manufacturing
Labeling Tangled Cables
We’ve all seen it before, large amounts of disorganized cables. Messy and tangled cables not only look chaotic but also make maneuvering, understanding, and replacing cables extremely cumbersome. Whether tangled cables are located within a small cubicle area or in the back room of an IT department, they not only look visually displeasing, but may also…
Mike Wilson | May 21, 2013 | Safety Products | Electrical Safety, Facility Efficiency, Labeling, Organized Workplace, Safety, Wire Marking, Workplace Safety
5S Floor Marking
5s floor marking is a concept which is recommended to help improve the safety and efficiency of any factory or other manufacturing facility. The idea is that the floors of a factory should be clearly marked to convey valuable information to anyone traveling through the area. While there is no set guideline indicating exactly how…
Mike Wilson | March 15, 2013 | Floor Marking, Safety Solutions | 5S, Facility Efficiency, Facility Marking, Floor Marking
Safety Tape
Safety tape is one of the simplest, yet most effective, ways to improve the safety of your manufacturing facility. In fact, it is so effective that it is one of the highest recommended options for increasing safety in the 5s certification standards. There are many different places where this type of tape can be used…
Mike Wilson | February 27, 2013 | Floor Marking | Facility Efficiency, Safety
Rack Labels
Large scale industrial units are devilishly hard to manage. There are hundreds of employees working under an establishment and the number of equipment, tools and machine components used are countless. If the tools and equipment are not categorized and stored systematically, then a lot of time is wasted in finding the appropriate tool or machine component…
Mike Wilson | January 17, 2013 | Safety Products | Facility Efficiency, Labeling, Rack Labeling
Important Information Regarding Foam Inserts
Foam inserts, as the name suggests, are used for packaging and filling out packages. There is a wide range of packaging foam available for this purpose. Today, one can purchase custom foam inserts in following formats: Polyethylene Closed cell polyethylene Polyether Polyurethane Neoprene Stratocell Foam inserts can also be made available in laminated finishes using…
Mike Wilson | December 27, 2012 | Safety Products | Facility Efficiency, Lean Manufacturing, Tool Organization
How to introduce 5S concept in the work environment?
As a concept, 5S is intended to produce the best results in any given work environment. This includes things like productivity and wasted time, the happiness and safety of employees, and of course the overall profitability of your business. The S’s themselves stand for sort, set in order, shine, standardize, and sustain. Unfortunately, 5S and…
Mike Wilson | November 15, 2012 | 5S | 5S, Facility Efficiency, Labeling, Lean Manufacturing, Organized Workplace, Tool Organization
Employing 5S Tools to Improve Efficiency and Productivity
5S as a tool for lean enterprise was developed by Toyota to transform the then infant multinational into a major global player. The transformation did indeed take place with very fruitful lessons to all business managers worldwide. The raging misconception that these tools are only applicable in large organizations with complex structures is ill-informed as…
Mike Wilson | November 1, 2012 | 5S | 5S, Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency
Warehouse Signs : Enforcing Safety and Ease of Operations
To those who are used to a warehouse environment, walking through the maze and sorting out the various items safely might sound like a walk in the pack. To the visitors or new employees it is a different story altogether. Huge warehouses can be quite complicated especially with the various equipments and different chemicals everywhere.…
Mike Wilson | October 9, 2012 | Safety Products | Electrical Safety, Equipment Labeling, Facility Efficiency, Forklift Safety, Labeling, Safety, Safety Signs, Warehouse Signs, Workplace Safety
