Continuous Improvement In Manufacturing

April 1, 2015 by Dan Clark

6 min read 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 …

Respect For People And A3

March 3, 2015 by Dan Clark

16 min read Respect For People is a crucial part of lean and A3. Lean guru Bill Greider tells how A3 teams can implement continuous improvement in an organization. Bill heads P4 Lean Strategy Consulting, coaching companies on using A3 teams to eliminate accidents, increase production and rectify customer issues. The A3 exercise employs Respect For People, which originated with TPS (The Toyota Production System). A3 is a way to problem solve, named after a European paper standard …

Lean IT and Business

February 27, 2015 by Dan Clark

14 min read 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

15 min read 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 …

The Virtual Suggestion Box

February 23, 2015 by Dan Clark

20 min read 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

13 min read 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 …

Starting Lean Six Sigma, Pt. 1

February 20, 2015 by Dan Clark

13 min read Starting Lean Six Sigma with an expert. Chuck Hardy is a Black Belt in Six Sigma. Chuck tells of lean as a cultural thing. Brandon Nys and Kyle Holland interview Chuck about lean and Six Sigma systems. In this podcast, you’ll hear how workers and managers can include lean culture at home or at work, no matter what field they’re in. Chuck emphasizes the value of left and right brain thinkers into a lean culture, …

Lean Methodology In Healthcare

February 20, 2015 by Dan Clark

13 min read Lean Methodology In Healthcare — hear Mark Graban on 5S, Six Sigma, and “lean Sigma” in the medical world. Mark Graban is the CIO of KaiNexus, a technology and software company enabling continuous improvement in organizations. Brandon Nys talks with Mr. Graban about his experience as consultant, speaker and author on lean efficiencies in healthcare. Mark wrote the Shingo Award winning “Lean Hospitals,” plus other books, “Healthcare Kaizen” and “The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen.” …