I was a bit humbled over the weekend. As a small business, Velaction outsources some of what we do, but for the things that change rapidly, we have developed internal capabilities. It lets us be more flexible, nimble, and cost-effective when we need to update something on our site, or Read more…
An unlinked production environment is like an accordion. Some processes move faster than the average and some operate more slowly. As a result, parts move through the system at varying speeds, only to end up in piles of inventory scattered along the value stream. Even with a takt time in Read more…
I’ve been reading a lot about the problem of air traffic controllers falling asleep on the job lately, and I haven’t seen anyone address the real root cause of the problem. What has been mentioned at length is the fact that there are periods of radio silence. In those cases, Read more…
Everybody sees kaizen events as an opportunity to make an improvement. Most people also see them as an opportunity to train teams. But few regard them as a way to identify the future leaders of the company. Employees working in frontline production roles have limited chances to demonstrate their skills. Read more…
In any job, you will encounter difficult aspects of the work. Lean companies are no exception. Fortunately, in a Lean organization, there are established methods for both dealing with the problem tasks, as well as for justifying the need to make the improvement.
People crave appreciation for their performance. They put a significant amount of effort into their jobs, and most people closely associate their personal value with how they feel they are perceived at work. There are many ways leaders show that they appreciate their team. In some cases, they display their Read more…
Over the last year or so, I’ve seen a rising belief that says financial incentives don’t work. There are even studies that reinforce this belief. One shows that when financial incentives are given for simple tasks, productivity can rise. But when the task is complicated, results can actually get worse. Read more…
Learning about Lean often takes a leap of faith. But faith only goes so far. On occasion, you will struggle with various aspects of your Lean job, especially when you don’t see the point in what you are beings asked to do.
I saw a blurb in Forbes magazine that I just had to check out. It referred to an instruction located on the US tax form 2106-EZ. The instruction says, “An expense does not have to be required to be considered necessary.” I have to confess, I don’t have the brainpower Read more…
I have to say, I was amused by a recent article. Authorities seize catapult used to hurl pot into Arizona The headline pretty much sums up the story. Drug smugglers, looking for a new way to get their product to market, were thinking outside the box. I think the Plan Read more…
A standard is a rule or principle that sets a minimum level of acceptable behavior. It is also something to which other things may be compared, such as a breed standard to evaluate dogs, or a measurement standard used to certify meters and testing devices. Standards in business are useful Read more…
I saw an interesting report yesterday about a passenger in San Diego who videotaped an interaction with some TSA employees. Reportedly, the passenger opted out of the backscatter screening, but then threatened to have the screener arrested if he “touched his junk.” Now, I’m not going to get into the Read more…