Choose your bottleneck One of the primary rules of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) or Bottleneck theory as it is often called is that every process and hence every business has a bottleneck. Now that bottleneck can be inside the business or it can be outside. Most people are familiar with the idea of an internal bottleneck; company capacity being limited by the capacity of a piece of equipment or the number of bays in…
One of the written/unwritten tenants of Lean is to “Borrow with Pride” and its sister to “Share with Pride”. Cyclingnews.com every now and again will do a photo essay on a bike factory they have visited. This time they were visiting Full Speed Ahead Bicycle Components | FSA www.fullspeedahead.com . Looking through the pictures I saw a couple of examples of good Lean practices and a new idea I had not seen before. The new…
Lean was introduced into businesses some time ago. The basic definition, that it mainly curbs on the waste, however, has remained unchanged since its introduction. Though it has now been acknowledged worldwide as a sound process to reduce waste, other effects it has on the business as a whole are often undermined or simply overlooked. One of the key developments after Lean is implemented is the incorporation of single-piece flow, whereby batch or lot production…
The concept of lean manufacturing was developed only after the recognition of wastes in the manufacturing process that cause a loss of money and material resources. Unfortunately, there are no set of instructions, and every practitioner has to make the process more efficient and less wasteful with his own creativity. What is almost same everywhere is kind of wastes that are present, which are also discussed below- Lean finds its origin in the Japanese manufacturing…
For Entrepreneurs who are only just starting up, they are not only the idea generators, but also managers who have to take key decisions for improving the efficiency of their business process. Lean methodology goes a long way in making these decisions easier. It is the age of the startup. Entrepreneurs are everywhere, as businesses big and small are birthing around the clock. Not all of these businesses survive. Most businesses either fail to live…
In an increasingly competitive and fast–paced market, company executives are required to make informed strategic business decisions, to maintain their competitive edge. The challenge today is to organize information for supporting timely analysis of changing market conditions and the ability to make data-driven decisions. Here at Applied Performance, we have been providing streamlined solutions and maximizing the productivity and profitability of our clients, ever since 2008. We have been successful in delivering our mission consistently…
Lean Technique is being used in the production sector of almost all the industries for quite some time now. However, this professes a boon specifically to the Oil and Gas sector. With measured steps, implementing a proper working atmosphere and conditioning the work culture, revolution can be brought to the Oil and Gas Industry. Lean is a principle, a way of thinking that is implemented in many industries, specifically in the Oil and Gas Industry,…
Most of the companies today begin their lean improvement by implementing 5S, which is the Japanese methodology of minimizing errors. It is a good way for these companies to get familiar with continuous improvement cycles by involving workers to organize and improve the workplace conditions. The following article highlights the benefits of 5S process implementation for various growing organizations. 5S is a valued member of the lean tool kit. It literally stands for 5 individual…
Before you invest in any major project, it is important for you to consider the potential benefits against the total cost involved. Lean manufacturing techniques are no different. Here again, you are required to consider whether the benefits of lean will offset the overheads incurred to implement the techniques. Take a look!