Lean Manufacturing

Form-labels... made to last!

2009-06-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

In Lean Manufacturing, inspection tagging is a critical function of a maintenance department. Equipment, utilities and other mechanical elements of a facility must all be regularly inspected to assure they provide optimum efficiency and performance.

Having a durable label is paramount to good inspection tagging. Labels must continue to show dates and signatures long after they are first applied. Embossable Poly Supply is popularly used to provide the necessary and long-lasting application inspection tagging demands.

Ideal for printing very durable labels, destined for years of service, Embossable Poly Supply is perfect for printing form-labels and other label formats where hand-written information is required. When written on with a ball-point pen, the supply's special surface "embosses" to leave a permanent impression- long after the ink has faded.

Engineered with a tough reflective top-coat, this popular supply is now available from DuraLabelSupplies.com and specially designed for use with the DuraLabel PRO and DuraLabel PRO 300 Printers.

Just design a form using the DuraLabel PRO or DuraLabel PRO 300's bundled software and your labels are ready for lasting written information.

Embossable Poly Supply (Metallized)
Two New Labeling Supplies!

OSHA- Remember how it all started?

2009-06-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

Back when Lean was just starting to catch-on in several larger U.S. factories, workers were mostly dependent on employers to provide safe working conditions. Even through the 1960s, outside safety inspections were rarely performed and the government played only a minor role in assuring facilities were safe to work in.

Then, in 1970, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) was signed into law. Suddenly, facilities had nationally standardized guidelines to follow. Along with this law many safety codes and standards were enacted to help reduce hazards in the workplace.

To commemorate this period of advancement in industrial safety, Graphic Products is offering a "free" limited edition poster. This collectors' piece has the look and feel of the early days of OSHA and is perfect for displaying anywhere in your facility or even framing for display in the office.

For a limited time... this $19.95 value is free! But only 500 were printed... so act fast while they last!

Just follow this link to claim a copy for yourself: Free "Limited Edition" Safety Poster

DuraLabel Pro Label & Sign Printer
Custom, Industrial Labels & Signs

Got "Hazardous Material Communication?"

2009-06-10T07:52:00.001-07:00

Lean Manufacturing is all about efficiency, but let's not forget that efficiency is always improved through better safety.

One of the easiest ways to protect personnel from the dangers of a facility is to assure every hazard is appropriately labeled with OSHA compliant safety labels and signs. To maximize their effectiveness, make sure to use labels and signs made for industrial applications and designed to conform to your facility's standards.

These tips aren't just helpful; they can save a facility from costly OSHA Hazard Material Communication Violations. These violations are one of the most common facility violations OSHA hands-out and they're not just a slap-on-wrist. They can have devastating consequences.

Just yesterday, a large explosion at a ConAgra Plant in North Carolina made national news. At the time of this post, not all details were known and a bomb has not been ruled-out. However, a local news story described the explosion as rupturing, "... a 34,000-gallon ammonia refrigeration system, triggering the leak." Even still, these events expose a facility's past violations and cast a negative light on an already tragic event.

As of today, two are known dead and dozens injured in this explosion. Along with the headlines, many stories brought out the fact this plant had been cited for Hazardous Material Communication violations in 2006 and again in 2007. These violations certainly don't help their case and could, very likely, be the centerpiece of lawsuit should ConAgra be found at fault.

The point being, don't take OSHA's Hazardous Material Communication Violations lightly. They tend to come back to haunt facilities years-after violations were issued and the total cost may be much greater than any payments made to OSHA.

Of course, the best defense is to assure all hazardous materials are properly identified with OSHA compliant labels and signs. DuraLabel provides one of the highest quality NFPA/RTK Diamond Labels available and can help your facility avoid these costly violations.

Play it smart... reduce violations with proper labels and signs.... and save lives while you're at it!

Lack of "Hazard Communication?"
DuraLabel Supplies NFPA Diamond Labels

New and improved 5S Guide now available... for free!

2009-06-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

5S is rapidly becoming one of the most effective aids in successfully implementing Lean

Manufacturing. As many facilities are now experiencing, this popular system can help lay the groundwork for a successful implementation so a facility is prepared to make the transition to Lean.

The reason, it's one of the easiest systems to apply and it helps facility personnel focus on the critical improvements necessary for Lean to provide the maximum results.

One of the big advantages of 5S is its simplicity. It's specially designed so busy personnel can easily grasp the system's basic concepts and integrate them into their regular work routines. In 5S personnel follow five, easy-to-follow, steps.

The 5S steps are:

Sort
Set-in-Order
Shine
Standardize
Sustain.

Each step helps facilities focus on the critical organization they become part of facility-wide standard operating procedures.

Graphic Products unveiled their new 5S Guide to help put successful Lean implementations into motion with greater success. Known as the "5S System; A Lean Manufacturing Tool," this new and more complete guide comes with sample forms and ideas for promoting 5S achievement so your implementation is very successful.

Just call a DuraLabel Representative for a "free" copy at 1-800-788-5572. Be sure to ask for the new and larger, "updated" 5S System Guide. It can really help you make your facility "leaner" first.

Graphic Products
DuraLabel PRO Printer & Sign Blog

Custom Labels... In the palm of your hand

2009-05-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

If you've ever spent time in a large industrial plant or warehouse... you know it's imperative to gather-up all the tools and supplies you're going to need before heading out onto the floor for the day.

Unless you run marathons... it's just impractical to keep running back-and-forth to get things in today's "mega-size" facilities.

That's why DuraLabel came up with a specially designed label printer that allows you to pack everything you need to design and print custom labels in-the-field and right where they will be displayed. The DuraLabel 2000 puts all this labeling power in the palm of your hand.

No more jogging back to the office because you see a missing label... or putting it off 'till another day. The DuraLabel 2000 arms you with the ability to customize the labels you need on-the-spot... with up to 122 OSHA/ANSI compliant pictograms! That's a pretty big selection for such a small label printer....

Perhaps, the greatest feature of this little printer is it's ability to print labels up to 2" wide! That's very unusual for hand-held printers... and a very nice tool to have in most any Lean facility. These larger sizes can be used for printing very professional looking: inventory labels... Kanban queue markers... 5S work area information...

The list goes on-and-on when you can print 2" labels in-the-field.

Call a DuraLabel Representative directly at 1-800-788-5572 to find out the complete details of this new and innovative printing tool.

DuraLabel 2000

Labels made to order!

2009-04-30T14:52:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about the internet is the speed at which you can do most anything.

Like a growing number of people today.... I check my bank statements online, do my taxes online... I even have my phone hooked up to my cable modem.

There's really no reason customized labels can't be made online.... and.... now they can.

Just this week, DuraLabel unveiled a new Custom Label Service. You can pick from six popularly used industrial label headers and the most commonly used label formats.

Headers options include:

Danger
Warning
Caution
Notice
Safety
Biohazard

DuraLabel's Custom Label Service is a great alternative labels printed on an in-house printer. No more black and white labels and paper supplies. DuraLabel offers these labels in either indoor or outdoor quality die-cuts.

Having an online tool to print professional looking and industrial-grade color labels is extremely handy for any facility.

This new online service is perfect when you just need a few custom designed three-color labels.

Few online label services exist, but even fewer give you the control DuraLabel's new Custom Label Service offers. As the image below shows... you have all the control to position label text and pictograms.

Custom Label Service
DuraLabel Pro Label & Sign Maker Blog

Are 5S, Kanban and Kaizen really Japanese inventions?

2009-04-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

The debate as to who invented "5S," "Kanban" and "Kaizen" has been a hot-topic amongst business management professionals around the world since the end of WWII.

Both Americans and Japanese take credit for their invention. Clearly, the Japanese were the first to universally apply many of these methods, processes and philosophies in their major factories and made some very substantial contributions to their current form and function.

However, the concept for all of these ideas has its roots in America. Since America was one of the first countries to formally apply very similar concepts to industry and formally study them as a science, one could argue these concepts should be credited as American inventions.

There is plenty of information out there to back this argument up... American universities were formally studying the mathematical subject, known today, as statistics by the late 1930s. During WWII, America was one of the first countries to formally apply these statistical methods to industry to improve efficiencies. This was best known as Training Within Industry (TWI). Although... their application in America was somewhat limited and far from universally accepted and led some early TWI promoters and industrial statisticians to seek further application... elsewhere.

After WWII, Japan might have been best described as "ripe" for putting these new statistical methods into practice in a very big way. With much of its infrastructure and industry destroyed, factories short on supplies and storage space... Japan was desperate for solutions.

To help bring the Japanese economy back from the brink of ruin, General Douglas MacArthur promoted Western ideas of industry and organization as the country's reconstruction leader. During this period MacArthur's staff helped establish Japan's national census. One of the more famous American inventors of industrial efficiencies, W. Edwards Deming, was invited to participate this national endeavor.

While working on the Japanese census, Demming made a huge impression on industrial leaders for his efficiency improving ideas. In fact, the Japanese eventually credited him with providing the groundwork for many of these processes and methods now known as 5S and Kanban. His expertise in quality control techniques, combined with his involvement in Japanese society, led to an invitation to lecture at the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE).

Although a number of efficiency methods were already being studied in Japan through the end of WWII, JUSE eventually credited him as the father of the "Quality Movement" and his ideas are still seen as core elements of today's 5S, Kanban and parts of Kaizen.

In 1951 the Deming Prize was instituted in honor of Deming and a Prize Committee was formed. The first prizes were awarded in 1951 to four Japanese companies. Prizes are awarded to individuals, for application and factory quality control.

Demming's more popularly known "Total Quality Management" or "TQM," essentially, gave birth to a long list of Japanese methods and processes used in post-WWII Japan and are also well known today.

Of course, Demming's ideas needed the help of a country ready and willing to embrace them and Japan was definitely ready and willing. As Henry Ford once said... "You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do."... and Japan was certainly the first to put these ideas into action in many of their largest facilities.

Still, whichever side you of the debate you stand, it's probably best to see the development of these methods, processes and philosophies as more than just the product of a single country and certainly not for use by that country alone. 5S, Kanban and Kaizen have all been influenced by an untold number of countries around the world... and each method, process and philosophy has greatly benefited.

Extended Life Vinyl
Circuit Board Supply
DuraLabel Supplies

Thin is in... and can add life to your visual communication.

2009-04-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

In Lean Manufacturing, and the many related methods and processes, there are few things as important as good Visual Communication. It's a core element of both 5S and Kanban and since many facilities combine the two in their implementations, it makes it every bit as important to Lean itself.

Make sure the supplies you choose to utilize, in any of these implementations, are made of the right materials... ones that will provide the lasting service when identifying inventory, utilities, equipment, buttons and switches... or any other efficiency improving location.

Generally, these are supplies only available by companies who specialize in industrial labels and signs. They can generally offer the right materials for the applications you need and, as most know, printing supply outlets only offer a very limited choice.

For labels and signs to survive the punishment of chemicals, solvents and even gas or oil... you really have to demand the highest quality supplies. DuraLabel offers more supply types than anyone and they're made to survive the industrial environment.... so your message keeps visually communicating long after their first day on the job.

One of the newest supply types to hit the market is "Extended Life Vinyl." This new DuraLabel supply is specially engineered to repel moisture using some very simple technology.

It's very thin! In fact, it's just 2.6-mil-thin. This is a major advantage alone... because thinner signs don't catch moisture at the top horizontal edge and this can greatly extend a label or sign's life.

Extended Life Vinyl also is very durable. It's made with a very tough and dependable vinyl... the kind of supplies DuraLabel is known for. Check it out at DuraLabelSupplies.com.

Extended Life Vinyl
DuraLabel PRO
Lean Blog

Going Lean? Get Colorful....

2009-03-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

Nothing speaks to work area personnel like color-coded signs and labels. When used consistently to address similar hazards or facility features, standardized colors help personnel more easily link them to specific meanings so recognition is instant.

Just think how easy it is to find something in a well-organized filing cabinet. Add color coding and the benefits are multiplied many times.

The trick is to standardize your facility's colors first. This requires assertiveness on your part to organize a meeting with all production, safety and facility managers. Their participation will play a critical role in helping you to standardize your facility's colors. After all, you don't want to standardize a color and later find out the safety manager already has a different color in use.

To select your colors.... take some time to survey your facility by walking around and making some detailed notes of what issues and features are already labeled. Then mark down all of the areas where your facility would benefit from the addition of a label or sign. Begin to formulate a list of color you feel could be associated with certain label and sign types.

While you're at it... you may want to consider labeling all of those unknown dials and switches... nobody seems to use or know what they're for. Think like a new employee when reviewing these possible locations for labels and signs. Would I know how to operate this piece of equipment without supervision? Should I operate this piece of equipment without supervision? Everything a new employee should know about safely working and walking through a facility can be placed on a label or sign. Of course, color coding these signs makes them even more effective.

When selecting colors for your facility, choose shades that relate to issue or information you hope to communicate. OSHA has already standardized several colors for safety signage... so red, orange, yellow, blue and green should be reserved for their appropriate use. There's a whole spectrum of labeling supply colors out there to choose from... so don't worry about finding others.

As an example, you may want to associate the color gray with inventory, since it is has a more generic look and does not require an immediate call to attention. Procedural signs, such as equipment operation directions, try sticking to bright colors that attract attention and are easy to read. Even variations of OSHA colors are fine, like light orange or light red.

The goal is to make sure to use these same colors, consistently, for the same uses over and over. So that work area personnel never have to think about what a sign is for. They know what they're going read.... long before they can read it.

Color Supplies
Label & Sign Printers
Special Packages

Step One 5S - Step Two Kaizen

2008-10-31T06:57:00.001-07:00

Four of my posts this month have been about 5S. Kaizen is a natural companion to 5S.

The fifth "S" is to sustain. Sustain means engage in activities that ensure the gains accomplished through 5S are maintained and improved on. This is done by feeding back to the other four steps information that allows corrections and improvements to be made. Kaizen is the perfect tool for accomplishing this.

Kaizen is a process of continual improvement. It is a process of taking suggestions from those directly involved in getting the work done and implementing those suggestions quickly to create a continual stream of improvements. That's exactly what the fifth step of 5S requires.

We have a free Kaizen guide available that can help you understand kaizen, get an overview of the benefits of kaizen and read a quick synopis of what it takes to implement kaizen. You'll see that once you've moved into implementing 5S, the next logical step is begin using kaizen techniques.

Using 5S In Tough Times

2008-10-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

It can feel like you are getting squeezed from the top and the bottom. Your suppliers what to charge you more and your customers are telling you to cut your prices or they'll find another supplier. And sales are way down because your traditional customers are putting off their purchases, so cash flow is tight. What can you do?

One thought is to consider that this may be a good time to implement a lean manufacturing technique such as 5S. 5S is one of the foundational principles of lean manufacturing. It can be implemented with a minimum of cost and the benefits can be significant.

What is 5S? It is an approach to cleaning up and getting organized that helps eliminate waste, improve productivity, reduce maintenance and improve safety. How does it do this?

Cleaning up and getting organized sounds easy... almost as though it is so simple that there can't really be any benefits. After all, everyone puts their tools away and sweeps up at the end of the day. 5S is actually a simple, common sense idea, but it involves a little more than just putting tools away and sweeping the floor, and that's were the benefits come from.

For example, when a machine is keep clean, and cleaned up every day, it becomes easy to spot maintenance problems such as oil leaks as soon as they develop. That way small problems can be caught early and fixed while they are small and easy to fix.

5S also provides methods for identifying waste and unused tools. It provides a systematic approach to getting organized. And it implements procedures and practices that maintain the benefits that are achieved.

If you'd like to find out more about 5S I recommend an Introductory Guide to 5S that is available free. It provides an overview of 5S and the benefits of 5S, allowing you to determine whether 5S will be of value in your company, facility or organization.

Learning The kaizen Ropes

2008-10-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

You may have heard the words... Kaizen, Kanban, 5S, but they sound strange and don't mean anything. You are hearing that kaizen can help improve your business... it can cut costs, improve quality, and develop new products. You've heard your competition may be using kaizen and that's why they seem to have a new product coming out every month. What is kaizen? How does kaizen work? What are the benefits of kaizen?

There are many questions and many unknowns.

A good place to start is with a booklet called Introduction To Kaizen. It is free and it provides a quick overview of kaizen; how kaizen is implemented; and what benefits you can expect. Use the link above to order your copy.

Kaizen is a system of continual improvement using small steps that come from employee suggestions. It harnesses the resources you already have in your employees, those who are closest to what is going on in your facility, and uses that resource to find ways to improve your business. Typically suggestions resulting from kaizen are low-cost changes that can be implemented quickly. This means that using kaizen you can get a "big bang" for your buck... a great ROI, and improved and new products that help you overcome the competition.

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) - What is it?

2008-10-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

You may have heard the acronym TPM or the words "Total Productive Maintenance," but what do they mean? What is TPM and can it help you improve your bottom line?

TPM is defined as an equipment management program that uses equipment operator involvement in machine maintenance and in continuously improving machine operation. The person who best knows a machine, is also the person responsible for routine machine maintenance. The result is that problems are identified and repaired sooner, reducing the need to major overhauls and long maintenance outages. Machines run longer and are more productive.

A good way to learn more about TPM, and the benefits of TPM, is by reading a short booklet about TPM that is available free. Called An Introduction to TPM, this easy-to-read guide provides a comprehensive introduction to TPM and the benefits of TPM. It gives you the information you need to take the first step in evaluating whether TPM can be a benefit in your company or organization.

Help With 5S Implementation

2008-10-07T04:36:00.000-07:00

Elsmar Cove Forums currently has a good discussion in progress that was started when someone asked for 5S success stories. The result is some good advice about implementing 5S, as well as a list of excellent 5S rules... things that should be done as a part of a 5S program.

You can visit this discussion by going to: http://elsmar.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=29863

Introduction to 5S

2008-10-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

The economy is slowing and we are all looking for ways to become more competitive. We need to cut our costs without impacting quality. We need to find ways to deliver a better value to our customers. We need to improve productivity. 5S can be the first step in this process.

5S is a foundational lean manufacturing technique that can deliver substantial benefits. The basic principles underlying 5S are cleaning up, getting organized, and maintaining that condition. It sounds simple, and it is... although accomplishing these goals does take planning, effort and management support.

A good place to start is with the Graphic Products' free guide: Introduction to 5s.

This free guide provides a quick introduction to 5s, how it can be implemented and the benefits of 5S. It provides "getting started" information allowing you to evaluate whether 5S is right for your facility or organization, and whether you should invest in investigating 5S further.

Find out if 5S can help your organization get through these tough times. Get your free copy of Introduction to 5S.

2008-07-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

A sad kanban commentary ...

There's a shortage at the pump! The gas is going strong, but the 4s and 5s are not. Those plastic numbers that display painfully high gas prices on gas station marquees are at a shortage. Station managers throughout the country are reporting they have run out of 4s and 5s to use for their prices. Managers have ordered more, as prompted by the little kanban cards in their file cabinets proclaiming "Time to Reorder" in the absence of the numbers.

The New York Times reports a Greenwich Village station owner meekly admitting, "Typically we have a lot of 9s and 1s, and we had a shortage of 3s." Now that shortage has moved to 4s, and inevitably on to 5s. Oh, for the day when all those many 1s were used the most!

The visual communication is there, but sadly not even furthered lean implementation can help out this cause. The next time you drive past a gas station and see the price hastily scrawled in magic marker on the backs of numbered cards, think to yourself, "man, they need to step up that kanban system with a little Just-in-Time management!" and let thoughts of lean principles wash away the knowledge that you just spent $79.84 on a tank of gas.

Living in Ohio and Loving Japan

2008-05-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

Just checking in ...

Last we heard, our heroes at Dana Holding Corp. were battling the evil auspices of bankruptcy, looking for a protagonist -- a champion among men -- to wield his lean sword and rescue them from their inefficiency laden business practices.

Turn the page past Chapter 11, and Dana is now posting gains in the millions since Toyota veteran Gary Convis proved to be just the knight in shining armor they needed.

The automobile-components manufacturer and supplier pulled out of a $550-million loss from 2007 with a little lean manufacturing savvy from Convis, who was named Dana's CEO just months ago.

January through March of this year saw a posted profit of $685 million, compared with a $92-million loss posted this same time last year for the Toledo-based company.

Dana has been one of the few auto parts suppliers to emerge smiling in a landscape of declining vehicle production. The Fortune 500 company has been coping with the unprecedented increase in steel prices by saving in other areas.

"Our goal is to drive out waste in all the systems and business' process," Convis said in an interview with the Detroit Free Press.

In that vein, Dana has been taking its cues from a Toyota philosophy embedded deep in Convis' heart: Total Productive Maintenance. Aimed at streamlining processes and promoting worker autonomy, TPM's ultimate benefit is an increase in machine and equipment efficiency and longevity. Sometimes just bypassing costly repairs and extreme maintenance costs is enough to help out a company's bottom line. But in this case, Toyota implementation had to go a bit further.

Dana saw a total overhaul with a radical lean restructuring plan and an accounting boost. And with the addition of another Toyota veteran, VP of operation excellence Marty Bryant, Convis is poised to keep Dana functioning Toyota-style: lean and mean and barreling ahead. No more Chapter 11s for this fairytale. It's hard to say what's next in Dana's story, but with Convis running this Fortune 500 kingdom, peace should prevail for the time being as workers happily dance along autonomously whilst that great beast known as insolvency stays locked up.

Lean and Green!

2008-05-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

Who's going green? Companies throughout the world are caught in the wave of leafy green spunk, touting themselves as reformed, efficient greensters. But there is a little more to making your supposedly earth-loving biz green than just paying a few extra bucks for the recycling guy to pick up some additional color-coded bins each month.

Being lean and green is a very possible and very real thing, according to environmental management research pioneers Rothenberg and Maxwell. There are strong correlations between good manufacturing practices and superb environmental performances. As you take a page from lean and get that warehouse cleaned up and running more efficiently, that organization can better the environment ... Better-running equipment and a cleaner facility all around are good, earth-friendly components. Further, employing lean manufacturing techniques inevitably leads to less waste and lower inventory levels. Those companies that really take lean above and beyond are eligible for ISO9001 certification (superior quality management systems), which can be a precursor to adopting ISO14001 standards (superior environmental management). These certifications are set forth by the International Organization for Standardization, a non-government entity that endorses world-wide proprietary, industrial, and commercial standards.

A company can go green these days in a number of ways. Use renewable energy and biofuels, redesign production systems to be more environmentally friendly (cleaner, more efficient technologies), help your equipment to fulfill their maximum useful lifespans, or implement a new rage called TQEM (Total Quality Environmental Management).

A brilliant example of a company who successfully went lean and green is 3M, our favorite scotch tape pusher. The international diversified technology company created the 3P program for its worldwide facilities: Pollution Prevention Pays. In the name of preventing pollution at its source, the worldwide mega-co began using water-based coating for tablets in substitution for solvent-solution coating. The results? A $15k cost savings per year in raw materials, the prevention of 24 tons of air pollution, and the $180k-break that came with elimination of pipe treatment for air pollution concerns.

Nicely done, 3M! Let's get more companies on board. Lean implementation has been on the rise for the past few decades; adopting green should seem natural and complimentary to an already lean facility. You did it for your bottom line before; now do it for your earth.

2008-05-12T13:28:00.000-07:00

The following video is a report about Toyota and lean manufacturing techniques that was aired on "Report on Business Television"

It provides a good overview of the Toyota Production System (TPS), which is the overall name for the lean manufacturing techniques Toyota developed, such as kaizen, kanban (JIT) and 5S. Their lean manufacturing techniques have given Toyota the ability to "produce cars the way Dell makes computers. " They have no inventory and they make each car to customer specifications as they are ordered. This is called flexible assembly.

This 4:20 minute video points out that the corporate culture is important. Everyone from the top down must embrace and support TPS principles. For example, unlike other car manufacturers the Toyota production line does not have a lot of quality inspectors at the end of the line. They are not needed because quality goes into the product, and is verified, during production.

So close! Don't overlook this in TPM ...

2008-04-28T15:04:00.001-07:00

Uh, oh ...

The much-championed TPM has one tiny downer: An alleged increase in work-related injuries.

With all the potential benefits of implementing the Total Productive Maintenance philosophy, there are a few disadvantages. In the throes of championing worker autonomy, someone forgot to mention that a more diversified worker can potentially mean more diversified injuries.

It happens like this ... A worker uses his machine with skill and ease. In a wave of TPM implementation, he learns to clean and maintain it. Blades are checked and cleaned, the engine is serviced, the functionality of various parts is tested periodically, and needed lubrication is performed. With each new task, the potential for injury increases.

“Not surprisingly, strains and sprains continue to be the bane of many companies, especially with increasingly autonomous workers who act as they think best,” said Robert Prater, a director with Strategic Safety, in an article for Occupational Health & Safety.

So what's the solution? In the enthusiasm to implement TPM, be sure to address safety concerns. A more weighted workload will inevitably introduce more ways to get hurt. Safety training in addition to simple operation training is necessary, but often overlooked. Cleaning supplies can be harmful to the skin or eyes; sharp blades are dangerous to clean or lubricate. There are many potential hazards in any task in nearly any given facility that ought to be addressed, especially for a worker who is newly trained to perform such tasks. Fortunately, OSHA has set in place myriad standards for training and safety

Conversely, the benefits of TPM still far outweigh any negative aspects. The goal of TPM is to maximize equipment effectiveness and longevity and reduce and eliminate loss. These goals are accomplished through three main objectives: standardizing procedures for consistency, streamlining procedures with visual communication, and maximizing the use of space and resources (people and equipment). That last element – maximizing resources – can't be achieved without necessary training on both operational and safety fronts.

Two, Four, Six, Eight ... Wait, No, Just Six.

2008-04-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

Toyota got its own lean term. Anyone else? Motorola raised its hand in that great classroom known as industry and introduced ... Six Sigma.

While the methodology is lean at heart, its objective is more data-driven and statistically based. Six Sigma strives to reduce product- and service-quality problems or defects, which naturally translates into some lean-championed benefits like improved productivity, waste reduction, and enhanced customer satisfaction.

Six Sigma, so named because of its emphasis on the statistics measure of deviation from the mean, has fallen under fire lately with analysts questioning its validity.

A quick rundown of Six Sigma, according to Plant Services' asset manager: For normal distributions, 68% of the population should fall within one standard deviation, or sigma, of the mean. For quite some time, many companies upheld a three-sigma benchmark for quality, meaning that you could expect parts to be within specification 99.73% of the time (or have a defect rate of about 2.7 per 1,000 parts). However, Motorola noticed that a process could vary by nearly 1.5 sigma over time, which would mean those parts could have a defect rate of about 0.995 to 1.005 per 1,000. This slight variation in numbers could have a significant impact. For a 1.5-sigma drift in the mean, the sigma level would have to shift to a tolerance of plus/minus six sigma. This new acceptable tolerance level is 3.4 defects per million opportunities, or rather, at least 99.9996599% of data points should fall within plus/minus six sigma from the mean.

Got that?

Team Motorola figured that the ever-ebbing wave of technology was so complex that a more forward-thinking approach to quality levels was needed. Motorola Corp. was one of the first, back in the late 80s, to alter the notion that quality levels ought to be measured in parts per hundred to a case where quality levels should be measured in parts per million or parts per billion.

Since then, Motorola has reported savings of upwards of $17 billion. Not too shabby. The likes of Honeywell, 3M, and General Electric have followed suit, incorporating Six Sigma methodology into their lean practices.

So if money is being saved, mathematical minds are hard at work, and companies are going lean, what's the big problem? Plenty, according to analysts, starting with creativity.

A number of business publications have explored the criticisms of Six Sigma, coming to the same conclusions. First, the rigid and narrow standards of Six Sigma can stifle creativity, prompting "incremental innovation at the expense of blue-sky work." In other words, a company can get so caught up in meeting Six Sigma's limited acceptability that commitment to innovation or value is sacrificed in the name of stark quality. Second, that although the gist of Six Sigma is effective at fixing an existing process, it doesn't help in "coming up with new products or technologies," according to Business Week. Finally, some critics peg the standard deviation shift as arbitrary, maintaining the reasons for choosing six as the number is neither clearly defined nor justified.

What does this all mean? The lesson we have been learning all along: No lean process, be it TPM or Six Sigma -- worker based or data driven -- is a panacea for any business. What these methodologies ought to be promoting is a new way to examine processes, an example of how to think and act differently, and a basic outline for how to proceed successfully and effectively.

One-Way Ticket from Japan to Ohio

2008-04-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

How does that cliche go? You can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Consider this: That old dog might not need any new tricks. Especially when he's man's best friend.

Gary L. Convis, a 40-year veteran of the domestic auto industry, spent nearly a quarter century with the glorious Japanese auto maker Toyota at its North American manufacturing plant. Convis had just retired last year after running Toyota Motor Corp. stateside, and now has been picked up by the likes of Dana Corp.

The Toledo-based automobile-components supplier has been struggling with its recent bankruptcy and is looking to the touted "manufacturing whiz" for some lean, mean guidance, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Convis is now the CEO of the $8.7 billion Dana Holding Corp., and everyone is looking to the seasoned pro for his expertise in lean manufacturing.

Analysts believe that if Convis could get Dana to adopt a little Toyota philosophy, things could really turn around for the Fortune 500 firm.

Never mind that the Toyota Production System was generated half a century ago ...

But perhaps that's the magic of lean? Someone actually got it right the first time?

Dana reportedly lost over $550 million last year, but Convis is confident that with a little lean implementation, he can get that turned around, starting with restoring employee's pride in their company. It may seem an odd place to start, but really, it just makes sense. One of the main elements of lean TPM is worker autonomy, which is achieved by touting a worker's ability to have nearly complete independence in his or her job and total responsibility for his or her equipment. Lean experts promote such autonomy by fostering a sense of pride in those duties among workers, and perpetuate that pride with recognition of accomplishments and successes.

In an interview with the Toledo Blade, Convis commented, "I come back to the fundamentals. It's been a couple tough years for sure. I think people's morale is related to pride in working for a great company."

Norman Bodek, who publishes books on productivity, maintains that many companies have embraced lean, but they "wrestle with a fundamental component of the philosophy: the worker."

"We've had this myth of individuality," he said in an interview with the Oregonian. "Management has used that myth to dominate workers and keep them separate. The shame is, we all love teams. We're excited that the Blazers did so well .... It's puzzling to me why we don't have teams in every American company. It's a powerful missing ingredient."

So THAT'S how Toyota got it right the first time! They focused on the integral factor that would never go away: People!

With that concept at the heart of lean, I foresee that philosophy sticking around for another 50 years, and beyond. Dana Corp. will bounce back with Convis as its leader. And hopefully more American companies will follow suit and streamline their operations and focus more on their workers.

Another Point for Labels!

2008-04-09T07:28:00.000-07:00

As it turns out, labels are pretty helpful.

While brushing up on some reading about dry chemical safety (isn't that what everyone peruses in their spare time?), I came across an article about the importance of visual communication in the inspection process of dry chemical fire extinguishers. How about that! Apart from properly functioning valves and pressure gauges, the first thing to consider when inspecting a dry chemical fire extinguisher (and good old regular fire extinguishers, too, I imagine) is the labeling. First, a proper fire extinguisher should indicate the class of fire for which it is meant, and a rating number indicating its extinguishing capabilities. This information should be coupled with a rundown of required chemical levels and weight, suitable temperatures for storage and operation, and some hydrostatic test stickers. It sounds like someone over at the dry chemical fire extinguisher factory has 5S on the brain.

Visual communication as a means to organize, streamline operations, and ultimately deliver pertinent information at the exact point it is needed has become key in any business or operation. Its function to inform, warn, and assist has become seemingly commonplace, yet surprisingly few facilities seem to really embrace its benefits. A simple label or sign can diffuse confusion and enhance understanding. Just as you wouldn't want to pick up that fire extinguisher and pull the pin without knowing proper instructions and whether it was even appropriate for the job, you wouldn't approach a lighting panelboard without knowing which circuits are separated by which breakers. This information is generally communicated via color coding and labeling, two useful tools for making anything -- from panelboards to fire extinguishers -- more user-friendly. (And OSHA-friendly!)

At a loss for how to implement some lean-induced visual communication? Start with the basics. Take a visual tour of your facility or workspace, focusing first on safety (what hazards or warnings ought to be marked? what requires PPE?), and then on organization and function (should the inventory shelving be marked? could that bundle of cords be color-coded?). Then get to the fun part: creating the signs and labels. Try out the DuraLabel PRO , a leading industrial-grade label printer that can generate everything from the tiniest wire wrap to reflective parking lot signs. Working alongside your own PC, this handy printer can produce pipe markers, warehouse labels, NFPA diamonds, and OSHA-compliant safety signs, and more using its own templates or your Microsoft docs.

To take a page from the lean book, check out www.labelprinter.com.

Look, Don't Touch: Using TPS Effectively

2008-04-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

Let's talk Toyota. Not the cars (though I hear they have stellar crash-test ratings), but the methodology employed on the industrial and business fronts.

Since the rise of the TPS (Toyota Production System) regime, businesses everywhere have gone lean. Lean is good. Lean is efficient, productive, and waste-free. The main goals of TPS are to design out overburden, inconsistency, and eliminate waste. Seeing the obvious advantages, managers shake their heads while chuckling, “Those Toyota guys! What will they come up with next?”

So what's the problem? Revering TPS and all things appertaining to it to the point of complete dependence on it. When a business is confronted with a challenge, rather than examining its company-specific needs and roadblocks to find a creative solution, it asks, What would Toyota do? It’s a fair enough inquiry; after all, Toyota's name is in the title of the philosophy. But that's just it – TPS is meant to be a business philosophy, not a panacea for all things challenging on the workfront.

Using different lean concepts championed by TPS, businesses in need of a little direction should reevaluate their use of kanban, kaizen, and 5S techniques. Don't make a blanket comparison between your company and another – each is intrinsically different and will require solutions catered to their respective dynamics.

The following is an analogy from Gembutsu Consulting:

“Imagine that we are given the task of winning a bicycle race. Unfortunately, we are not bicycle experts and do not know what type of equipment to purchase for this race. Luckily, we are very good friends with an expert. In fact, he is a Tour de France champ! We call upon this individual for his recommendations with the mindset that his knowledge and experience can surely help us prepare for and win a race. With great excitement and passion, our friend runs through his preferred bicycle brands, models, and training methods. Satisfied with this information, we go to the local bike shop and make a purchase based on our friend's recommendations. On race day, we are terribly disappointed to find that this ‘expert’ recommended bikes made for competition on a flat, paved road, while we will be racing on dirt trails in rough, mountainous terrain.”

Every business is different, from warehouse to office space. There are differences in end product, in production, company size, equipment, building makeup, company hierarchy and culture, needs, etc. It is illogical, then, to expect that exact replication of business practices would translate well in any workplace. While a general system or model for improvement and success ought to be implemented, relying on the exact play-by-play of another business (even one as esteemed as Toyota) will fall short of your company’s needs, abilities, and goals.

“When we copy specific tools (“I need a bicycle”) without understanding why, even with the best intentions, we run a great risk of implementing the wrong solution,” according to Gembutsu. While one modification may have worked for the “benchmark company,” it may not be appropriate for your company based on all the factors.

The moral of the story? Don’t be lazy and expect Toyota to fix everything for you. I hear they've got a pretty demanding automobile schedule. If your business needs a little nudge in the right direction or a complete overhaul, examine the specific reasons that need exists in the first place. Evaluate the company dynamic, from equipment usage to personnel issues, and, armed with TPS philosophy, start making decisions that will result in a leaner, meaner business. You know what TPS' ultimate goal is; now use your brilliant business to get your company there.

For a little extra help on streamlining your business Toyota-style, check out Graphic Products, Inc., a lean manufacturer and supplier of premier industrial labeling and printing supplies sure to get any business shaped up with 5S aplomb.

Become TPM Savvy with Labels

2008-04-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

Total Productive Maintenance, or TPM, is a wide-ranging program meant to maximize equipment availability. This is achieved with preventive and predictive maintenance. A central idea in TPM is the concept of self-directed maintenance, wherein machine operators are responsible for the routine maintenance and operations of their machines and equipment. With regular, routine maintenance, cleaning, and necessary upgrades, machines and equipment should ultimately improve in functionality and longevity. The major goal of TPM is total elimination of all losses – lost equipment, lost time, lost money. Eradicating these things can lead to improved utilization of production assets and plant capacity, as well as a boost in worker morale.

Graphic Products, Inc., an Oregon-based manufacturer and supplier of industrial-grade printing and labeling products and supplies, provides a key element in getting any facility organized and functional to comply with the TPM philosophy: Labels. By properly and plainly labeling areas, equipment, and maintenance protocol, a workplace will stay more organized and ultimately run more efficiently.

The concept of implementing a standardized labeling system in any facility promotes visual communication, which is simply the idea of communicating pertinent information to a person at the exact point that information is needed. For example, in a wave of TPM overhaul, some specific machinery could be affixed with a series of labels and signage: OSHA-compliant warning labels, RTK labels indicating the type of personal protective equipment (PPE) required for running that machinery, as well as a sign detailing operating instructions, and a sign detailing a maintenance plan. All of this information is presented graphically at the very place the operator most needs it. This is visual communication, and it is a highly effective tool for enhancing efficiency and productivity. Any uncertainty about operating, cleaning, or maintaining the machinery should be eliminated; accidents and injuries should decrease because any hazards or warnings are clearly posted. Graphic Products, Inc., makes this possible with the DuraLabel PRO, the premier labeling machine.This desktop thermal-transfer label printer is extremely versatile and quickly prints anything from small wire wraps to reflective parking signs with the help of your own PC.

As workers become more self-sufficient and proficient in their duties with the help of visual communication, the TPM philosophy can be sustained and a more efficient and ultimately more productive workplace will emerge.

Learn more about how TPM can improve your workplace by requesting a TPM guide, sent to you free.