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Lean Manufacturing
First Step: The 5S's |
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by
Ray Mikulak |
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5S effort is usually one of the early steps in a
comprehensive Lean Manufacturing initiative — as well it
should be. Lean Manufacturing strives to reduce waste of any
type. Implementation of the 5S’s tackles wastes by
eliminating time spent on scavenger hunts (searching for
tools, supplies, and materials that are not where they
should be), reducing in-process travel times, ending damage
due to cluttered and crowded storage areas, and reducing
obsolescence due to disorganized storage practices.
Application
of the 5S’s is universal. A 5S effort will eliminate waste
in any operation. It's not just for manufacturing – the same
techniques apply to manufacturing support (office) processes
and service-delivery organizations. Regardless of what type
of organization you are involved in, 5S's should be an
integral part to your improvement efforts.
For more
information on what the 5S's are and how you can apply them
at your site see our 5S Resource Center.
Ray Mikulak
is president of Resource Engineering, Inc. You can
contact him at 800-810-8326 or 802-496-5888 or by e-mail. |
| Did you know? |
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Companies report 5S
efforts have:
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Product
Focus from Carolyn Burke
The 5S's:
Workplace Organization |
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 Some
may ask: “Isn’t a training program on 5S overkill?
Isn’t this just about housekeeping?” Well, the 5S’s
are much more than just housekeeping; the 5S’s
represent a powerful approach to improve the
workplace through organization, proper arrangement,
and attention to detail. Housekeeping implies
cleaning after a mess has been created — a reactive
approach.
A 5S
approach is proactive. Orderliness is designed into
processes, designated storage locations for tools,
supplies, and materials are selected and designed
based on a well thought out rationale, and
preventive measures are implemented to ensure the
work area stays clean, reducing the need for
conventional housekeeping.
A
structured training program consistently delivered
will help put you on the road to 5S success. Want to
try out a free 5S training lesson? Click
here.
Carolyn
Burke is Sr. Customer Service Representative.
She can be reached toll free directly at
866-791-1003 or by e-mail. |
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Quality
Outside of the Box |
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Mise En Place - 5S's
for the
Culinary World |
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 If
you have never worked in a commercial kitchen you might
not have any idea of what is going on behind the scenes
in a restaurant. Diners in a fine restaurant may be
comfortably relaxed enjoying their first glass of wine,
but the kitchen is in a controlled chaos mode. What
keeps the kitchen from uncontrolled chaos is mise en
place (pronounced MEEZ ahn plahs), the French phrase
that translates as “to put in place.”
Mise en
place means assembling all of the ingredients, pots and
pans, plates, and serving pieces needed for a particular
period. More than that though, mise en place is a state
of mind. According to the Culinary Institute of
America’s tome The New Professional Chef…”Someone who
has truly grasped the concept is able to keep many tasks
in mind simultaneously, weighing and assigning each its
proper value and priority.”
Mise en
place sounds like the 5S’s to us. Having a clean and
organized work area that only has what is needed to do
the job eliminates a lot of wasted time and frustration
in getting the job done. |
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Robin's Training Tip
Blended Learning |
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 People
learn in many different ways. Most often we learn by doing,
but there is also classroom training, on-the-job training,
mentoring, and computer-based training.
So, what is
the best way for employees to learn? Actually, there is
not just one “best” way to learn. The teaching method
depends on the learner, the topic, the time, the cost, the
number of people to train and a whole host of other factors.
But, one thing is for sure – rarely will people learn from
just a single teaching method.
Companies today
are starting to understand that and have invented a whole
new buzzword for this phenomenon – blended learning. Simply
put, blended learning recognizes the importance of providing
multiple vehicles for training vs. the one shot classroom
approach that used to be the cornerstone of the corporate
training department.
There are many
benefits to blended learning, but the two most important are
cost savings and effectiveness. Many companies are using
web- and computer-based training as one part of the blended
training process. Computer-based training can provide an
excellent baseline understanding of topics that can then be
enhanced and tailored with an application workshop. Follow
that up with a little on-the-job coaching and your learners
will have effectively transferred what they learned to their
job. After all, that’s the objective of corporate training.
For more
information on Blended Learning keep an eye out for our
upcoming Not Quite White Paper "Blended Learning for the
Rest of Us." It will be out in early January.
Robin McDermott
is director of training for Resource Engineering, Inc.
You can contact her at 800-810-8326 or 802-496-5888 or by
e-mail. |
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