Lean Manufacturing

Interview With 5S and Six Sigma Expert Brion Hurley

Creative Safety Supply was honored to have the opportunity to interview a Lean manufacturing expert. In this interview, Andrew McCall of Creative Safety Supply talks to Brion Hurley of Business Performance Improvement about the concept of 5S and its implementation in businesses. Brian discusses the eight wastes of Lean, emphasizing inventory as a commonly overlooked waste. He explains that while inventory is necessary for operations, it also…

CSS Editorial Staff | June 5, 2023 | 5S, Lean, Training | 5S, Facility Efficiency, Lean, Lean Culture, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma

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 putting objects back where they were taken from. Organization is standardization. Organization…

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 for. Before choosing a tool organization solution, you will want to sort…

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 many aspects of processes, it is possible to look for specific types…

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 products moving rather than sitting in between processes for extended periods of…

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 can do is go out and actually see the physical location where…

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 car manufacturers started pushing it forward. Facilities that use the Kaizen methodology…

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 data and stories from all sorts of companies that have been gathered…

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 Tags

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 Lean manufacturing. Read through to get a good understanding of how this…

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 doesn’t require too much training, but there are some tips and tricks…

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 supply chain is essentially a system of interdependent partners that all work…

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 it is being done. This knowledge can help them to come up…

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 well established concepts in place is one of its biggest benefits since…

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 time consuming to significantly improve the safety of their facility. The fact…

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 at how you can use this system to organize one or more…

CSS Editorial Staff | February 6, 2015 | 5S, Value Stream | 5S, Lean Manufacturing, Organized Workplace