Make It Stick: How to Standardize 5S Visuals for Long-Term Success Without standardization, even the best 5S efforts eventually fade. After you’ve sorted, set in order, and shined your workspace, the next step is to make those gains repeatable and scalable. Standardization is what transforms short-term wins into long-term systems. And visual tools—signs, labels, floor markings, and more—are what make that standardization stick. From Training to Daily…
CSS Editorial Staff | August 19, 2025 | 5S, Lean | 5S, 5S In Action, Facility Efficiency, Facility Marking, Labeling, Lean
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
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
Navigating the rough waters of any manufacturing process is a complicated and difficult undertaking. Managing risks, costs, time-to-market, the communication across departments, and the other aspects of your manufacturing project can make staying organized difficult and slow you down. But you don’t have to go into a project hoping and praying for the best. Thankfully, applying some simple project management tools and fundamentals to your manufacturing process…
CSS Editorial Staff | September 29, 2017 | Lean | Agile, Lean, Project Management
Eliminate Losses When looking for ways to improve the profitability of a manufacturing facility it is important to look at the things you have the most control over. While it would be nice if you could just double the number of orders you have to fill, that is typically not going to be possible. What you can do, however, is look at how you can eliminate losses…
Tony Ferraro | December 20, 2015 | Lean | Lean
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
Lean and Automation Working Together As production has advanced over the years, the techniques and technology we have at our fingertips to improve the speed and efficiency of the things we do have increased tenfold. On the one hand, a new and deeper understanding of lead times and how various elements of production affect each other have led to a better understanding of how we can eliminate…
Tony Ferraro | January 2, 2015 | Lean | Lean, Robots, Six Sigma
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 a significant impact on their green/environmental performance. In general, environmental impacts are…
CSS Editorial Staff | December 24, 2014 | Lean | 3P, 5S, Kaizen, Kanban, Lean
Should We Quantify All KAIZEN/Lean Efforts from the Shop Floor? Ben Huang, a professional in the midst of implementing Lean techniques into his workplace, has a dilemma. As he related on a LinkedIn group this past week, Lean is apparently going well in his business, but he’s unsure of the extent to which he should be documenting and measuring the process. On the one hand, even small…
Tony Ferraro | December 1, 2014 | Lean | Gemba, Kaizen, Lean, Six Sigma
You Must Obeya Welcome to today’s dose of Lean, on the agenda is Obeya. If you haven’t heard of Obeya, you might still have used it, or you may know about the concept but never have put it into action. In any event, it’s best to know and to act, and that’s exactly what we’re going to focus on today with this Lean planning concept. Obeya, coming from the…
Tony Ferraro | November 7, 2014 | Lean | Facility Efficiency, Lean, Lean Manufacturing, Obeya, Organized Workplace, Six Sigma
Lean Six Sigma for Non Profits We always like to hear about people applying business methodologies and mechanics in arguably unorthodox ways or markets, and today I stumbled across a LinkedIn discussion that happens to exemplify exactly that sentiment. User William Falquero seemed to be onto something interesting as he posed a question for other professionals: Could non-profit organizations benefit from Lean Six Sigma thinking? If so,…
Tony Ferraro | September 2, 2014 | Lean | Lean
LinkedIn Discussion Unravels Important Lean and Six Sigma Tools Lean and Six Sigma methodology both work together toward the common goal of getting your business into its best shape possible. When conducting Lean operations, you’re looking at ways to reduce waste and variability and, ultimately, to make a work floor or overall business more productive and efficient. That said, the plethora of tools at one’s disposal when…
Tony Ferraro | August 18, 2014 | Lean | Lean, Six Sigma
Linked Discussion Takes Aim at Common Issues with Lean Lean is, without a doubt, a stellar set of strategies and techniques for managing and, more importantly, improving the productions and efficiency of any given workplace. With a number of tools at one’s disposal, a Lean practitioner can, in theory, quickly transform a struggling operation into a well-oiled machine. Also, many of the commonly talked about Lean manufacturing…
Tony Ferraro | July 29, 2014 | Lean | Lean
Completing Six Sigma Projects Lean six sigma strategies and principles have dominated the industrial workplace for roughly half a century, and for good reason. To put it simply: Lean works, and Lean “blackbelts” or experts improve the flow and efficiency of (primarily but not exclusively) production-based businesses using tools that are time-proven in their effectiveness. Despite these overwhelmingly positive aspects of the Lean playbook, however, roadblocks are…
Tony Ferraro | July 24, 2014 | Lean, Safety Solutions | Lean, Six Sigma
A Discussion About Methods and Tools That Are The Most Useful In Lean Six Sigma Lean Six Sigma has absolutely revolutionized the way workplaces and production facilities alike are managed and laid out. Since the mid 20th century, transformations toward making businesses more efficient and less wasteful – measured in time, money, and more – have undergone constant evolution. Today, so many Lean processes and strategies have…
Tony Ferraro | June 6, 2014 | Lean | Lean, Six Sigma
