Its Transition in the Industry...Which One Do I Use?

Most companies today are implementing the fundamentals, principles and tools of a process that has been developed over the course of many years by a leading global manufacturer:  the Toyota Production System.

As we all know, Lean Manufacturing is the process of utilizing the minimum amount of people, inventory, supplies, equipment and tools absolutely necessary to meet customer requirements.  It is such a powerful methodology that it has transitioned from its manufacturing roots into other industries (Lean Healthcare, Lean Thinking, Lean Office, etc.). Through this industrial transformation, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM ), one of the most important Lean tools in the industry, has transformed accordingly.

Written by Ed Huey, IMEC Technical Specialist 

IMEC "Mock Inspection" Preps Companies for OSHA Visit.

Knock, Knock.

No this isn’t a knock knock joke; it is IMEC’s mock OSHA inspection team.  A group of us recently proposed an innovative way to help a Chicago Area company assess the readiness of its facility to respond in the event of an OSHA inspection.

The approach was to conduct a wall-to-wall review of the company’s safety procedures, and pinpoint opportunities to prepare the client’s team to respond to potential problems.  As we know, the best Safety and Health Programs involve every level of the organization, instilling a safety culture that reduces accidents for workers while improving the bottom line for the entire company. 

At IMEC, our specialists are always looking for new ways to help our clients meet their operating challenges.   Whether it’s developing a new service or adding a new dimension to an existing capability, it’s our mission to find the best solution to enable a manufacturer to be as productive and competitive as possible.

Feedback we recently received after a process improvement project led us to wonder if simulating a supermarket system would help strengthen our introduction to Lean Manufacturing as a component of our signature Continuous Improvement Series.  While some computer programs can model production systems and Kanban, they do not lend themselves to the facilitation of group discussion and learning.  The CI Series throughout Illinois and seized an opportunity to try a Kanban simulation as part of the program.

Agility [uh-jil-i-tee] – the power of moving quickly and easily.

In business terms, being agile is being able to adapt efficiently and effectively to changes. Each time IMEC visits a manufacturer or provides a solution, the experience is different. We all adapt. We need to exercise business agility.

Recently, I began working with a manufacturer that was experiencing some significant quality problems. Their processes were individual and discrete. From what we observed, there were no characteristics that could be measured from which to adjust the process, no dwell time to adjust to bring their process into control. Statistical Process Control (SPC) seemed to be a viable option, but we wondered how we would adapt traditional SPC methods to a discrete process. Even if variable data was collected, no adjustments made would affect the next piece produced. How could we decide if the process was truly stable and in control?

Written by Mary Hallock, IMEC Technical Specialist and OSHA Authorized Trainer

For our most recent Rockford area Waste-to-Profit meeting we combined the areas of safety and environmental compliance into one program.   We presented the Chemical Safety Workshop material and  added some material that focused on hazardous waste recycling and pollution prevention.

The more I worked on my material and tied it into the Chemical Safety Workshop material, the more I realized how the sustainable aspect of handling chemicals goes hand in hand with the safety aspect.  If we minimize exposure to our employees, then we minimize exposure to the environment.

Enercon Engineering leaders host manufacturing competitiveness summit Central Illinois legislators

Innovation, state-support for manufacturing programs among the key discussion topics

Enercon Engineering has added employment, invested in new technology, and increased revenues in part because of technical assistance provided by the Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center (IMEC) and funding support from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO).   A group of Central Illinois lawmakers met recently with Enercon’s leadership to tour the facility and discuss manufacturing competitiveness in Illinois.

The East Peoria based Enercon has experienced revenue growth of more than 91% to meet worldwide demand for switchgear and controls it produces for customers in the power generation sector.  In addition, the $2.5 million Enercon has invested in equipment and productivity enhancements have enabled it to enter new markets and stay competitive in the face of intense pricing pressure.