Lean Manufacturing

New HazCom website to focus on oil, coal & gas

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Johnson) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:20:00 +0000

When it comes to Earth Energy Industries, good information about HazCom labeling is always welcome.

A newly released website is now providing the industry with easy-to-access information about HazCom labeling in the Oil, Coal and Gas industries. Found at oilcoalgas.com, the site aims to aid managers of earth energy facilities and mines with labeling and signage information for their industry.

Many of the pages inside are dedicated to explaining how to meet specific HazCom sign rules established for these specific industries... and what labeling printers and supplies are best suited for these applications.

To ensure your earth industry facility or mine exceeds the required HazCom codes; use OSHA/MSHA approved RTK Labels from DuraLabel. You can find more information about these regulations and how to purchase the right printers and supplies at oilcoalgas.com.

New Oil, Coal & Gas site makes HazCom a snap
Visually communicate in the Oil, Coal & Gas Industries

Got Ammonia Pipes? Get 'em marked right!

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Johnson) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:35:00 +0000

When it comes to Ammonia Pipes, you want everyone who enters a plant to see and understand these hazards. That's why Ammonia Pipes require special "standardized" markings.

The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) published a set of standards for marking this specific pipe type. The goal is to help anyone who sees these pipe markings to rapidly understand what the pipe contains, what system it is attached to, how much pressure it contains and the flow direction.

All of this information is critical to anyone who must work around Ammonia Pipes.

Ammonia Pipe leaks are not an uncommon occurrence in many facilities and the results can be serious. In 2007, an explosion at an Oregon based AmeriCold facility released the toxic gas into their facility and surrounding neighborhood. Two employees, as well as a bicyclist who happened to be riding by when it happened, were sent to the hospital. Oregon OSHA investigated and issued 18 violations for the incident.

More recently, the same facility was fined $470,000 for 10 willful violations, four serious repeat violations and 22 other serious violations of the Oregon Safe Employment Act. Many of these violations were related to ammonia hazards.

Communicating the hazards of ammonia pipes is a critical step in helping reduce accidental ammonia releases.

Graphic Products has published a simple-to-use, one page guide to help make Ammonia Pipe Marking a snap. Call Graphic Products today at 1-888-326-9244 for your free copy, or visit them online to request a copy.

Ensure Ammonia Pipes are seen and understood
Don't let your Ammonia Pipes go unnoticed

Check-out the new DuraLabel Supplies Catalog!

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Johnson) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:29:00 +0000

Shopping online comes in handy when you have time to sit at your computer and do the research. Nothing is quicker.

Still, it's nice to have a paper catalog to refer to, when you really need to find something fast or are nowhere near your computer.

DuraLabel just released their printed version of the complete line of DuraLabel Supplies in a single printed catalog. That means you can thumb through the many supplies DuraLabel offers at your leisure - and without the aid of a computer.

Each supply is organized by printer and then grouped in color-coded tables to help you find the supplies your printer uses more easily. DuraLabel's new supply catalog is now available for FREE by calling 1-888-326-9244, or visiting DuraLabelSupplies.com where you can request a catalog online.

Color-coding you can rely on.

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Johnson) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:45:00 +0000

It's well known that efficiency in a facility is improved through proper color-coding. Colors are used to identify equipment, tools, hazards and procedures. Select colors are even standardized by OSHA and ANSI to add greater value and improve worker recognition rates.

The goal is to increase label and sign recognition times. When color standards are applied to all labels and signs, a facility becomes increasingly efficient. That's why colors must remain as sharp and brilliant as the day they were printed and do so for extended periods- even in the outdoors.

Unfortunately, most label and sign manufacturers print colors with inferior devices. The result is a label or sign with only a very limited life. Although these labels may be less expensive, they actually wind-up costing more in replacement costs.

DuraLabel believes colored labels should provide lasting service indoors as well as outdoors. That's because they understand the value lasting colors have in the industrial workplace.

To prove just how durable their colors are, DuraLabel performed a comparison test on four commonly used primary colors. The test focused on colors printed with a DuraLabel Printer and those printed by a leading competitor.

Using state-of-the-art testing equipment, researchers at DuraLabel documented some fairly dramatic differences. As the image above reveals, the red coloring printed by the competitor is absent after just two years of simulated exposure. All of the colors printed by DuraLabel still offer functional performance with little degradation.

These differences show how important it is to use an industrial label printer that's capable of providing this level of performance. The cost of using inferior labels and signs in the industrial workplace is often greater in less efficiency and replacement cost.

DuraLabel Testing Center Info
Just how important is color to a safety sign?
When it comes to safety... don't settle for second best.

Inspect your labels and signs regularly

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Johnson) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:10:00 +0000

Keeping a safety program functional isn't always easy. Often, it gets overlooked because it's a duty that gets passed from employee to employee.

If you've been handed the reigns of your facility's safety program, put your foot down and ensure your health and safety signs are inspected regularly. It very well could save a life, maybe even yours.

OSHA, ANSI, NFPA and the multitude of other required health and safety signs all demand regular inspections to maintain their upkeep. That means you need to check your signs, at the very least, every 6 months.

Some of the basic things to look for during your inspection, include:

Readability from a distance
Overall condition
Location visibility
Label or sign coverage (Would additional signs be beneficial?)
Visit DuraLabelSupplies.com to download a free sample inspection checklist.

Lean health care is on it's way...

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Johnson) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:54:00 +0000

No one wants to hear their hospital is run like a factory, but some hospitals are finding methods used by industry also work in health care facilities and often help improve the care they provide.

Hospitals are not alone in this efficiency revolution. Many non-traditional Lean facilities are implementing these popular industrial methods and systems. One popular "Healthcare Lean" method that's being popularly used today, adopts many elements used in systems such as 5S and Kanban. One of these elements is "visual communication."

Medical facilities managers can help workers organize storage, see hazards and record inventories utilizing some very simple, but effective methods and techniques. Visual communication is generally improved with labeling and signage.

Application-specific labeling supplies are now available to display things like barcodes on unusual or textured surfaces or mark freezing pipes. Specialized labels and signs are also available to adhere directly onto surfaces such as cryogenic specimen containers or even emergency room records and equipment.

DuraLabel has unveiled a brand new label printer, targeted at helping improve efficiencies and safety in the health care industry. Clinics and laboratories can greatly improve their visual communication with the DuraLabel LabPRO. This new printer features over 20 "application-specific" labels and signs supplies- specially engineered for use in medical facilities.

Some of the more popular supplies include:

Autoclavable Tape
Cryogenic Label Tape (Poly)
Cryogenic VialWRAP Tape
Cryogenic VialWRAP Tape (Color-Coded)
Electrostatic Dissipative Label Tape (ESD)
Frozen Specimen Label Tape
Glove-Peel Vinyl Tape
Laboratory Tamper-Evident Tape
Medical Inspection Label Tape
MedTag Tape
Slide Label Tape
SlideChem Label Tape
Universal Medical Label Tape
Write-On Medical Label Tape

For more information, call a DuraLabel representative at 1-888-326-9244.

The DuraLabel LabPRO at DuraLabel.com
The DuraLabel LabPRO at GraphicProducts.com
DuraLabel Unveils new medical printer

Form-labels... made to last!

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Johnson) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:31:00 +0000

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?

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Johnson) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:53:00 +0000

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?"

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Johnson) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:52:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Johnson) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:40:00 +0000

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 1-888-326-9244. 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

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Johnson) — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:29:00 +0000

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 1-888-326-9244 to find out the complete details of this new and innovative printing tool.

DuraLabel 2000

Labels made to order!

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Johnson) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 21:52:00 +0000

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?

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Johnson) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:46:00 +0000

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.

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Johnson) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:26:00 +0000

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....

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Johnson) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:28:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Hudgik) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:57:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Hudgik) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:56:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Hudgik) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:10:00 +0000

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?

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Hudgik) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:23:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Hudgik) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:36:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Hudgik) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:20:00 +0000

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.

noreply@blogger.com (A King) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:26:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (A King) — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:26:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (A King) — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:20:00 +0000

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.

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Hudgik) — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:28:00 +0000

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.