Single Minute Exchange of Dies- Break the Cycle

March 23, 2011

Manufacturing set up times can be reduced.

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Disaster Plans- What Do We Do Now?

February 21, 2011

Few businesses have had to experience a serious disaster.  But when it happens it can be catastrophic and could sink the business.  Have you ever wondered what happened to all the businesses in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina?  The effects of a disaster, (natural or man-made) can be mitigated with a little advance planning.  Even […]

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Incentives for Hiring & Training – $$$

February 7, 2011

The Virginia Employment Commission office in Roanoke will have a session outlining the incentives offered for employers to hire and train employees.  This seminar would be important to anyone with plans to increase their work force in the next year.  The seminar will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011 from 8 AM to 9:30 […]

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5S- The Secret Weapon of Lean Manufacturing

January 12, 2011

Of all the Lean Principles and techniques, 5 S gets the most press and is the least understood technique.  The 5 Ss are Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain.  They are very simple to implement, more difficult to maintain and almost impossible to measure their success.  Yet these simple rules are as powerful […]

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What is a Value Stream?

December 15, 2010

One of the key tenets of Lean Manufacturing or Office Lean is to identify the value stream you are analyzing.  A value stream is defined in the APICS Dictionary as “the processes of creating, producing, and delivering a good or service to the market.”  A value stream may be internal to a company, or it […]

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Christmas Mystery – Unsolved

December 15, 2010

We sing about her every Christmas season, yet forget her when the season is over.  She is the mystery lady of Christmas carols.  Does anyone know who “Fanny Brice” really is, and what became of her after the snowy accident?  If you can shed light on this holiday mystery, share your information with us at […]

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Without clear communication, getting the team to move in the same direction can be like herding cats!

November 17, 2010

Maybe I haven’t read enough of the O Magazine to have a set of expectations but I was surprised to see a great leadership quote from the O Magazine…. “Leading well means forming a crystal clear image of what must happen and communicating that precisely.”—Martha Beck, O Magazine- January, 2005 Leaders at all levels need […]

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The Importance of Developing High Potentials…. Engage to Reduce the Risk of Departures

November 10, 2010

The term “high potential” is generally associated with two things: employee’s you have identified as having the potential to be promotable to one or more higher level positions; and in which you are willing to invest time, energy and money to facilitate their development to a higher level. However slow the economy changes are, Bloomberg […]

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Cycle Counting- Fixing the Causes

November 8, 2010

The importance of an accurate inventory can not be overstated.  Without an accurate knowledge of what raw materials are available for production, the production schedule becomes more of a wish list that a statement of action.  Lack of materials can lead to poor on-time delivery performance, actual penalties for late deliveries, and a longer production […]

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The Sky is NOT Falling…. Nobody wants to work for Chicken Little

November 4, 2010

Have you ever worked for a pessimist?  “…this is too big, we’re not going to make it” are words you never want to hear from your leader.  Have you ever found yourself saying those or similar words to your colleagues or subordinates?  Doing so is like ADDING buckets of water to a ship in danger […]

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