This is an original article taken from the NIST Manufacturing Innovation blog.
Productivity matters. It matters a lot. Yet it often seems that folks talk about productivity, but don’t do anything about it. At least, it feels that way to me when I go outside of the MEP National Network™, where we’re always focused on enhancing manufacturing productivity. And you could say that productivity is a personal crusade for me, as is evident in blogs I’ve written over the last few years.
LMI Chicago is part of a worldwide organization called Leadership Management International. For over 50 years, in 80 countries and 27 languages, LMI programs have helped develop effective and productive leaders. Jeff Johnson, President of LMI Chicago, personally completed the LMI programs with his management team (at his previous company) prior to starting LMIChicago four years ago. Witnessing the benefits, Johnson was attracted to the proven programs and processes and the difference they made in people’s lives.
Facing the reality that the current workforce is dwindling down due to the silver tsunami sweeping the industry, manufacturers have a hard time finding quality replacement. The silver tsunami refers to the large number of baby boomers who are retiring from the workforce. For manufacturers, this is the majority of workers – they are not only losing employees, but also years of acquired knowledge and skills. It is time have to get creative about finding and developing talent while riding the tsunami wave. The problem is the disconnect between the industry and the general public. Unfortunately, the next generation of workers has misconceptions about manufacturing and trade jobs.
It is no secret that manufacturers play a critical role in the state’s economy. Manufacturing alone contributes the largest amount per industry to the state’s output with 12% Gross State product. It is the state’s powerhouse industry that is responsible for 93% of its exports, pays $52 billion in wages and benefits to 592,000 people – that’s about 9.2% of the state’s workforce.
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks about changing himself. -Leo Tolstoy
My work is all about new business development. Start your business from zero and you quickly realize that new business development is not for the weak of heart. You have to be able to go the distance and do it every day. It is a marathon and not a sprint, even though there are days when you feel like you are sprinting the marathon.
Fuss and O’Neill Manufacturing Solutions provides mentoring, training, and engineering services for industrial and municipal clients to help them achieve safer, more cost effective productivity. In a recent interview with Larry Bouvier, Vice President and Partner at Fuss & O’Neill, IMEC got a deeper look into how they work with manufacturers and set themselves apart from the competition – one of many reasons they are one of IMEC’s top Third Party Resource partners.
This is an original article, written by Ed Sowoski of Light Guide Systems.
As a lean practitioner of many years, I have had the privilege of applying lean concepts in many different businesses including project engineering, repetitive manufacturing, process manufacturing and even in a sales capacity. I’ve had to apply lean principles in areas where the cycle times ranged from seconds to days, which allowed me to apply lean manufacturing tools in very different ways.
Lean manufacturing techniques are proven to eliminate wastes in manufacturing processes, leading to sustained improved efficiencies and systems. However, it is important for organizations to understand that lean manufacturing is more than just a set of tools, but it is also an attitude that begins with the culture. It is a continuous improvement process that requires discipline from everyone in the organization - a lean company culture. For that to occur, the principles & benefits of lean manufacturing must be understood by those involved in the manufacturing process.
In most businesses, the one common but fundamental skill that is much needed, yet mostly lacking, is the skill of Problem Solving. Where this becomes rather apparent is within those companies pursuing a continuous improvement journey. It isn’t a stretch to say that all continuous improvement tools/practices are built around some form of problem solving. Ironically, many of these companies have devoted time and resources to the task of training their associates but pervasive success is elusive.
There is always room to improve any process or operation. By equipping team members to apply lean manufacturing principles and techniques, companies gain a competitive edge internally and externally. Continuous improvement is a method designed to implement incremental changes that will improve efficiency, increase profits and eliminate waste.
