Continuous Improvement In Manufacturing

April 1, 2015 by Dan Clark

Continuous improvement can make a process better, improve safety and save dollars. But it’s a waste of time if the customer doesn’t like the end result. How will the customer benefit? That’s the first question a company must ask itself before implementing a continuous improvement program. Dan Clark interviews Tony Ferraro about the practicality of Six Sigma, 5S, kaizen and lean in the world of manufacturing and industry. Tony writes a blog for Creative Safety …

Lean IT and Business

February 27, 2015 by Dan Clark

Lean IT expert Steve Bell helps solve the long-standing battle between a company’s goal of Continuous Improvement and the perceived lack of IT’s agility. It’s a constant friction between the boss wanting computer/network changes now, and IT wanting to slow down and do it right. Hear about Kaizen, and how IT departments are now considered strategic partners in business planning, due to so much online interaction with the public. Mac or PC? In this interview, …

Starting Continuous Improvement

February 24, 2015 by Dan Clark

Continuous improvement is best started with management on board. Expert in the field, Jeff Hajek, describes the structure a company needs to support it. Jeff tells of creating a continuous improvement culture in this podcast hosted by Antonio Ferraro Mr. Hajek is the author of “Whaddaya Mean I Gotta Be Lean?” and “The Continuous Improvement Companion,” the free, award-winning, comprehensive, Lean / Six Sigma encyclopedia. Jeff is also the founder of Velaction, a company dedicated …

Lean Success Stories

February 23, 2015 by Dan Clark

Lean success means increasing safety and efficiency. Yes, improve operations and save money simultaneously. Lean implementer Matt Wrye explains how. Matt is a lean expert, with a passion for continuous learning on all subjects related to business and lean. He is writer and publisher of the lean blog BeyondLean.WordPress.com. Matt has worked in multiple business positions, including HR, finance, engineering and operations to help them improve their processes. In this podcast, Matt gives examples from …

The Virtual Suggestion Box

February 23, 2015 by Dan Clark

The old suggestion box used to be a fair way for employees to offer ideas at their organization. However, over the years, it’s become a rusty, forgotten box with little hope of future use. In this podcast, Rich Kneece of The Massachusetts Technology Corporation tells about their product Vocoli, an application designed to accept employee input via computer or mobile device. The result is instant information which management can use to implement change faster. It’s …

Kaizen Events That Rock

February 23, 2015 by Dan Clark

Kaizen events that rock—time to increase efficiency in your organization! Lean/Six Sigma expert Mark Hamel tells of how to implement a Kaizen event. Mark is the award-winning author of the Kaizen Event Fieldbook. Mark also created and writes the lean blog “Gemba Tales.” The always-busy author is also the cofounder of another blog, “Lean Math.” Mark writes columns for Quality Digest as well. Mr. Hamel has successfully coached lean leaders, and conducted numerous training sessions …

Why Workers Resist Lean Culture

February 23, 2015 by Dan Clark

Why do workers resist lean culture? Lean methodology expert Karen Wilhelm explains why employees are often suspicious of lean, and how to get them on board. In this podcast, Ms. Wilhelm talks about a human behavior study done years ago by anthropologists led by Dr. Margaret Mead, and how this old study fit into Lean methodology at a business. Karen is a lifelong learner who specializes in Lean thinking. She has worked over 20 years …