Lean Manufacturing
The application of Lean manufacturing principles enables a company to produce more with existing resources. Lean techniques are used to reduce lead times, minimize inventory and raise productivity and Lean is now accepted as a best practice in manufacturing, front office processes and production functions. Lean typically takes place in four stages with a goal of helping you to achieve a lasting and meaningful impact on operations:
- Stage One: Assessment
- Stage Two: Solution Design
- Stage Three: Implementation
- Stage Four: Continuous Improvement
Stage One: Assessment
In this first step, we will help you to assess how your organization conducts its activities in order to identify and prioritize where Lean can have an impact. During this stage, we are also able to establish a baseline against which to measure progress.
Stage Two: Solution Design
Step two involves developing a material and information flow map for major products or processes that will help you identify Lean priorities. Through this process, you are able to view the pieces of your production puzzle as a series of steps which lead to other steps. Creating a map helps you to visualize where the bottlenecks occur, where the problems arise, where the flow is disrupted or slowed down. From this you can pinpoint opportunities to streamline or reduce many forms of waste (time, energy, material) and create a more functional and effective workflow.
Stage Three: Implementation
After completing stages one and two you will be ready to implement Lean in a targeted area that will clearly demonstrate its effectiveness. This is the beginning of a multi-step process which involves mentoring, facilitation, instruction, and implementation and we do it jointly with your company.
Stage Four: Continuous Improvement
Lean is process, not a single event to be done once and then forgotten. Lean reaps the greatest reward if it is incorporated into your company's culture and we are here to assist you. If needed, we can continue to work with you to enhance your competitive edge, measure your performance, and realize further ongoing improvements.
ITAC offers the following Lean training:
- Lean 101 Introductory Workshop
- Value Stream Mapping
- The 5S System
- Total Productive Maintenance
- Setup Reduction
- Cellular Manufacturing
- Pull Systems/Kanban
- Lean Office and Administration
- Equipment and Automation Planning
Lean 101 Introductory Workshop
Experience first hand how Lean techniques improve quality, reduce cycle time, improve delivery performance, and reduce work-in-process enabling the company to increase profits. ITAC can also present the Lean 101 Workshop to your firm’s entire workforce at your site in English and Spanish.
Lean 101 Workshop Details
Value Stream Mapping (VSM)
Develop a material and information flow map for major products or processes that will help you identify lean priorities.
The 5S System
This system helps to improve housekeeping, workplace organization and work standardization, which translates into bette quality, improved space utilization, reduced costs and better morale due to an improvedl work environment.
Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
TPM helps to improve quality and capacity and reduce equipment downtime. In also maximizes equipment productivity and fosters an environment that engenders safety, quality, delivery, cost and creativity by encouraging employee participation.
Setup Reduction
Setup reduction can dramatically reduce or even eliminate changeover time, which will reduce inventory and increase your capacity and ability to meet customer demands for rapid delivery of high-quality products.
Cellular Manufacturing
By linking manual and machine operations into the most efficient combination of resources your firm can minimizes parts movement and excess inventory while increasing productivity.
Pull Systems/Kanban
Pull Systems are based on actual demand and consumption instead of forecasts. They help your company increase customer satisfaction, dramatically reduce inventory investment and eliminate waste in materials handling and storage.
Lean Office and Administration
Similar to lean enterprise techniques Lean Office & Administration helps to streamline the flow of information and improve your firm’s ability to gather, move and store it, reducing both time and costs.
Equipment and Automation Planning
Maximize capital investment by ensuring that new equipment is selected carefully to work in concert with existing resources to achieve production goals.
ITAC is funded by:
Clients Report:
- Simplified operations
- Reduced inventory
- Increased capacity
- Improved cash flow
- Increased inventory turnover
- Improved quality
- Increased employee morale and customer satisfaction
- Reduced cycle time
- Reduced costs
- Improved lead times
- Increased sales
- Increased productivity
- Increased profits
- Develop and maintain a distinctive competitive advantage
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