Drum- Buffer- Rope: Constraints Management

April 19, 2013

In the Theory of Constraints (TOC), or as it often called, Constraints Management, the technique DRUM-BUFFER-ROPE (DBR) is a key element. This term refers to the process of managing a constraining resource to maximize the throughput. Use of DBR is an excellent tool in manufacturing management because it allows you to maximize throughput even when […]

Read the full article →

Constraints Management, Lean Principals, Six Sigma- Which is Best?

March 13, 2013

In the past decade managers have been bombarded with case studies, testimonials, and journal papers extolling the virtues of Theory of Constraints (Constraints Management), Lean Enterprise practices and Six Sigma techniques.  To confuse matters further, some have combined Lean and Six Sigma into a hybrid improvement philosophy.  Each of these philosophies has avid proponents who […]

Read the full article →

Consumer Confidence-Consumer Sentiment: What’s the Difference?

February 15, 2013

Many of us listen to the economic news regularly in an effort to understand what is happening in the economic world. Each month we get a report from the Conference Board about their recent reading of their Consumer Confidence Index. Within a week we get a report from the University of Michigan-Thomson Reuters Consumer Sentiment […]

Read the full article →

The Future of Manufacturing – Change and Growth

January 7, 2013

In recent decades doomsayers have lamented the demise of American manufacturing power and predicted the end of the Industrial Age in America.  They cite the steadily declining number of people working at manufacturing jobs.  According to these sources, manufacturing jobs have been out-sourced overseas where cheaper labor costs have reduced the product costs and increased […]

Read the full article →

Pareto’s Principle – The Swiss Army Knife of Management

December 7, 2012

Everyone has a favorite tool (like a Swiss Army knife) that seems to be the first one we reach for when there is something to be fixed.  It’s the same way in management!  When faced with new challenges and problems, I look for my Pareto Principle to help me decide how to handle the problem. […]

Read the full article →

Inventory Control – It’s Not that Hard!

November 2, 2012

Everyone would agree that maintaining control of the raw materials inventory is important, if not critical, to successful production operations.  You can’t produce a product if you have no raw material!  Yet I’m amazed at the companies that cringe at the thought of managing their inventory.  When they think of inventory control, they have visions […]

Read the full article →

Management 101- Control and Monitoring

October 17, 2012

There are five major functions in business management.  Koontz and O’Donnel list these functions as Planning, Organizing, Staffing (some management theorists combine organizing and staffing into a single function) Directing and Control.  I would like to consider the function of “Control”.  There are some management experts who would expand this function to be “Control and […]

Read the full article →

Management 101-Organizing and Staffing

September 10, 2012

In our review of basic management principles we are using the Kootz and O’Donnel definition of management functions.  These functions are Planning, Organizing, Staffing (some management theorists combine organizing and staffing into a single function) Directing and Control.  We have reviewed in previous articles the functions of Planning and Control.  In this article I would […]

Read the full article →

Point of Use Storage- a Concept Whose Time Has Come

June 7, 2012

One of the most useful Lean concepts is Point of Use Storage or POUS. Point of Use Storage in its simplest definition is the storage of raw materials at the work centers where they are used. While this concept sounds very obvious and straightforward, it is a rare occurrence in most manufacturing plants. We are […]

Read the full article →

Just-in-Time Manufacturing – Revisited

May 8, 2012

Many of us remember the Just-in-Time or JIT philosophy that swept the business world in the 1980s and 1990s.  In many cases this philosophy was misunderstood and became epitomized by the practice of forcing your inventories back on your suppliers.  This short-sighted interpretation of JIT gave the philosophy a bad name — especially among suppliers! […]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →