What is Yokoten & Why Don’t Most Companies Use it?
When it comes to safe and efficient operation of a workplace, most people are used to reading Japanese terms like Kaizen, Gemba, Gembutsu, Kanban, and more. Many companies, however, overlook the term Yokoten, and the many benefits it can bring. Barry Jeffrey posted an interesting article to the LinkedIn Group, “Gemba Academy,” where it generated…
Tony Ferraro | December 22, 2016 | Lean | 5S, Gemba, Kaizen, Kanban, Yokoten | 3 min read
How to Establish the Lean Supply Chain
Understanding the Basics of Lean Supply Chain Many companies and individual facilities have implemented LEAN techniques into their daily processes, and have gotten great results. When looking for ways to take that success to the next level, consider establishing a lean supply chain to further eliminate waste and improve efficiency within virtually any company. A Lean…
Tony Ferraro | October 22, 2015 | Lean | Facility Efficiency, Kanban, Lean Manufacturing | 5 min read
Kanban System Basics for Manufacturing
Introduction to Kanban for Manufacturing If you are looking for a way to reduce waste in your facility, the Kanban methodology might be the perfect solution. Kanban was developed by the Toyota Corporation and has since been used by thousands of manufacturing companies around the world. The effectiveness of this system is well-established from a…
Tony Ferraro | September 10, 2015 | Kanban | Kanban | 6 min read
Kanban Process – Understanding the Steps for Better Efficiency
Kanban A to Z Kanban is one of the older Lean tools or strategies tracing its origins back to (where else) Toyota. Kanban itself is system that helps companies sort through their potentially hectic operations and come out on the other side with the most efficient way possible to cope with their own supply and…
Tony Ferraro | March 6, 2015 | Kanban | Kanban | 10 min read
Lean is Green
Lean manufacturing principles have solidified themselves as a successful method of improvement in organizations across the globe. Increasing productivity through waste elimination methods continues to be the golden ticket for many industries, but a separate by-product of Lean is in need of some attention –Green. Organizations everywhere are starting to notice their Lean principles produce…
CSS Editorial Staff | December 24, 2014 | Lean | 3P, 5S, Kaizen, Kanban, Lean | 3 min read
What We Can Learn From Lean Project Tracking Software
Tips & Tricks for Efficiently Tracking Lean Projects Recently, we wrote about a couple of problems facing many Lean practitioners. These were problems that hindered their learning process and often caused overconfidence. Amongst the advice to help combat these problems arose the need for detailed tracking and note taking with regards to practice and progress.…
Tony Ferraro | July 30, 2014 | Lean | Kanban, Six Sigma | 4 min read
Five Steps to Starting LEAN Successfully
In LEAN methodology, businesses become more efficient, more profitable, and less wasteful through a plethora of time-tested strategies. However, many of the strategies might not be immediately intuitive, and may therefore not have made their way into your original business plans. Many people find themselves in this position, and want to figure out how they…
Tony Ferraro | February 6, 2014 | Lean | Continuous Improvement, Kanban, Lean Manufacturing | 3 min read
5 Easy Rules For Kanban Success
Have you ever heard of Kanban? This LEAN principle was developed specifically to help achieve a Just-In-Time, or JIT, production cycle. In a JIT cycle, products and goods are produced in exact accordance with observed demand, rather than predicted demand. This means that instead of projecting how many widgets you need to produce in a…
Tony Ferraro | January 30, 2014 | Kanban | Continuous Improvement, Kanban, Lean | 3 min read
8 LEAN Tools You Should Already Be Using
LEAN tools and strategies focus on improving production efficiency and reducing waste, both in terms of time and physical inputs. While the term LEAN and the thinking behind it is fairly well-known, there is still a natural (though somewhat perplexing) resistance to change that keeps business owners from implementing these strategies once they’re set in…
Tony Ferraro | January 21, 2014 | Lean | 5S, Continuous Improvement, Kaizen, Kanban, Lean Manufacturing | 3 min read
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 | 3 min read
Want Results? 10 Continuous Improvement Strategies that Work!
Continuous improvement is the task of frequently seeking out ways to improve processes, products, or services. However, when it comes to the ongoing and ever-changing task of continuous improvement, it is important to remember that persistence and perseverance are vital. For instance, when cell phones first came out they were oversized, bulky, offered less than…
Mike Wilson | April 17, 2013 | Safety Solutions | 5S, Continuous Improvement, Kaizen, Kanban, Lean Manufacturing, Organized Workplace, Six Sigma, Tool Organization | 3 min read
Understanding the Kanban System and Its Applications
Kanban is a system that was developed long ago by a very well known company, Toyota. It is very popular in the world of business and is widely used due to its uniqueness and ease in use. This system has brought modern planning, working conditions, management and other aspects of business. Due to these, Kanban…
Mike Wilson | October 16, 2012 | Kanban | Continuous Improvement, Kanban, Lean Manufacturing | 2 min read
An Overview on Kanban Systems
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…
Mike Wilson | September 25, 2012 | Kanban | Continuous Improvement, Kanban | 2 min read
Which Way to Turn on the Lean Road?
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…
Mike Wilson | September 25, 2012 | Lean | 5S, Kaizen, Kanban, Lean Manufacturing | 2 min read
Does the kanban system promote efficiency or errors?
The Kanban system promotes efficiency. It is not an especially complicated system. Sometimes, though, we must go back to the most basic basics. So let’s review the principles of the Kanban system. Nipon Ekanaronqpun describes Kanban this way in his article What Is The Kanban System for Lean Manufacturing?: The word ‘Kanban’ comes from a…
Mike Wilson | July 14, 2012 | Kanban | Kanban, Lean Manufacturing | 3 min read
