Lean Manufacturing
Whiteboards: The Solution for the Disorganized
Creative Safety Supply has recently revealed a new product line all about whiteboards! Dry erase boards are an excellent tool for encouraging collaboration between departments and employees. However, one of the best attributes whiteboards hold is the fact that they are most often used as an organizational tool. When we say organization, it isn’t just…
Mackenzie Busby | September 8, 2021 | Company Updates | 5S, Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Healthcare, Kaizen, Kanban, Lean Manufacturing
Top Tool Organization Strategies for the Workplace
You may not know it, but your facility could be losing hundreds of dollars every year in missing, misplaced, or stolen tools. By implementing a tool organization system in your facility, work is done more efficiently, a number of costs are saved, and you can be sure workers can easily find the tools they’re looking…
Jesse Allred | January 16, 2020 | Lean, Safety Solutions | 5S, Facility Efficiency, Lean Manufacturing, Organized Workplace, Tool Organization
How is Gemba Lean?
Gemba walks are a Lean management tool that fits in with many other Lean manufacturing concepts. The focus of a Lean manufacturing system in general is on identifying waste in work processes and eliminating it. That way only things that add value for the customer are performed or included. While a gemba walk can focus on…
CSS Editorial Staff | June 4, 2019 | Gemba, Lean | 5S, Facility Efficiency, Facility Marking, Gemba, Kaizen, Lean, Lean Manufacturing
Managing Inventory with Rack Labels
With rows and rows of aisles and shelves, operating an efficient warehouse can be a difficult and complex task. There is a considerable amount of planning that takes place in the development of a warehouse management process, but rack labeling is a simple and cost-effective way to control inventory. Facilitating the flow of inventory, keeping…
Jesse Allred | May 2, 2019 | Industry News, Lean, Safety Solutions | Barcoding, Facility Efficiency, Inventory Control, Labeling, Lean Manufacturing, Organized Workplace, Rack Labeling
Genchi Genbutsu
The term Genchi Genbutsu is Japanese in origin and came from the Toyota Production System, which is where methodologies like Lean manufacturing originated. Loosely translated the term means, “go and see.” When used in a workplace, it is usually said to imply that when there is a problem in the facility, the best thing you…
Tony Ferraro | April 8, 2016 | Lean | Gemba, Genchi Genbutsu, Lean Manufacturing
What are the Best Kaizen Benefits?
Kaizen Methodology When looking for ways to improve a facility most managers will discover the concept of Kaizen. Kaizen is a Japanese term that means ‘a change for better’ or more commonly said, ‘continuous improvement.’ This is an ideology that has been growing in popularity since it first started back in the 1980’s when Japanese…
Tony Ferraro | April 1, 2016 | Kaizen | Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing
5 Tips to Improve the Elimination of Waste
Elimination of Waste Whether you are implementing a specific program like Lean or 5S to help improve efficiency or you are just looking for a way to eliminate waste in your facility, it is a good idea to look at what has worked for other companies in the past. Fortunately, there is a lot of…
Tony Ferraro | March 2, 2016 | 5S | 5S, Facility Efficiency, Facility Marking, Floor Marking, Forklift Safety, Lean Manufacturing, Organized Workplace, Regulations & Compliance, Safety Signs, Six Sigma, Valve Tag
Lean Manufacturing: Commonly Asked Questions
Lean Manufacturing Questions Answered Implementing a Lean manufacturing strategy in your facility can be a great way to eliminate waste and improve overall efficiency. While the general concept of this methodology is not overly complicated, there is a lot that people need to know. The following are some of the more frequently asked questions regarding…
Tony Ferraro | November 25, 2015 | Lean | Lean Manufacturing
PDCA Cycle Tips
Useful Tips to Help Implement PDCA One of the most effective ways to implement changes in a facility is by using the PDCA cycle. PDCA, which stands for Plan Do Check Act is a system that has been used for years by many different types of industries. It is simple enough to use that it…
Tony Ferraro | November 17, 2015 | Lean | Continuous Improvement, Facility Efficiency, Gemba, Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing
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
Gemba Walk for Manufacturing
Introducing Gemba Walk in a Manufacturing Environment Gemba walks are becoming a very popular and effective way for facility management and other key areas to learn more about what goes on within the facility. Gemba, which simply means ‘the real place’ or ‘where the action is’ shows those who don’t normally do a specific task how…
Tony Ferraro | September 2, 2015 | Gemba | 5S, Gemba, Lean Manufacturing
Understanding Key Lean Manufacturing Concepts
Lean Manufacturing Concepts to Implement Implementing the lean methodologies in your facility is an important decision. Whether you’re getting to ready a lean initiative or you are just weighing the benefits of the strategies it is a good idea to make sure you understand all of the lean manufacturing concepts. The fact that lean has…
Tony Ferraro | August 28, 2015 | Lean | Lean Manufacturing
Seven Simple & Effective Manufacturing Safety Tips
Manufacturing facilities are an essential part of the global economy, but they are also one of the more dangerous places of employment. While there have been significant manufacturing safety improvements over the past several decades, many facilities still have a long way to go. Unfortunately, many facilities believe that it would be too costly or…
Tony Ferraro | July 10, 2015 | Lean, Safety Solutions | 5S, Lean, Lean Manufacturing, OSHA, Regulations & Compliance, Safety, Safety Signs, Six Sigma
5S – For Life & For Business
Have you ever heard of the 5 S’s? The five S’s stand for steps that you can use to organize various elements of your life. Originating from lean manufacturing principles, and used by businesses and assembly lines, this process can be applied to nearly any organizational task. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to look…
CSS Editorial Staff | February 6, 2015 | 5S, Value Stream | 5S, Lean Manufacturing, Organized Workplace
Safety Walk – Gemba Style
Have You Done Your Safety Walk? One of the most important goals of any facility should be to keep the employees and the company as safe as possible. In most cases, all the basic safety requirements will already be in place, including things like fire suppression systems, evacuation routes, safety signs and more. When a…
Tony Ferraro | February 4, 2015 | Gemba | Gemba, Lean Manufacturing, Regulations & Compliance, Safety