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Posts in Kaizen Success Stories

Owning Their Solution in the Weld Shop

Owning Their Solution in the Weld Shop

I have conducted many workplace organization Kaizens (5S) over the years. The results have always been dramatic. All of the teams were made up of production operators or office workers, with some mechanics assisting the team. The production operators or office workers owned the areas needing organization and the mechanics were able to do some of the more complex tasks needed during the Kaizen. All of the teams, that is, until I met my Weld Shop team. Five mechanics and an engineer, who underestimated what we could accomplish.

Operations, Kaizen Success Stories, Leadership, LearningAdam LawrenceDecember 18, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCkaizen, 5S, organization, ownership, accountability

Go See for Yourself – The Best Selling Tool There Is

Go See for Yourself – The Best Selling Tool There Is

In 2006, our Kaizen team was working on improving changeover time for a painting operation. After reviewing changeover reduction techniques with the team, we took a walk to the line to observe a changeover. The team watched the paint technician clean the front of the paint booth with water for approximately 10 minutes. After that, he walked behind the booth for a few minutes and then came back to work on the front of the paint booth. None of the team members had followed him to see what he had been doing in the back of the booth.

Kaizen Success Stories, Operations, InnovationAdam LawrenceDecember 11, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCKaizen, process improvement, Changeover reduction, safety

Sometimes It’s a Financial Question

Sometimes It’s a Financial Question

A global ceilings manufacturer was building a plant in China. Things were going pretty well until they realized they were going to be two months late starting up. The team wasn’t sure what they could do to get back on schedule, so I was invited to join them and use Lean thinking to help solve the problem.

Kaizen Success Stories, Operations, LeadershipAdam LawrenceDecember 4, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCkaizen, process improvement, problem solving, teamwork Comment

Breaking Through - The Edge

Breaking Through - The Edge

In 2005, I was asked to help a team reduce the changeover time of a painting operation at a ceiling tile manufacturing plant in Oregon. The approach I used was SMED – Single Minute Exchange of Die. The goal was to reduce the existing changeover time by 50% or more, while improving the safety of the work.

Operations, Kaizen Success Stories, Leadership, LearningAdam LawrenceNovember 27, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCchangeover reduction, kaizen, breakthrough, Safety, Quality

Improving Changeover Time in 4 Simple Steps

Improving Changeover Time in 4 Simple Steps

Have you ever watched an auto race? If so, you probably noticed what happens when a car enters Pit Row and is tended to by a whole team of people trying to get it back on the track as fast as possible. If you wondered how they knew what to do and how they didn’t get in each other’s way, the answer is SMED.

Operations, Kaizen Success Stories, Leadership, LearningAdam LawrenceNovember 20, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCprocess improvement, SMED, Changeover reduction

The Pursuit of Creativity

The Pursuit of Creativity

In my years of running Kaizen events, I never saw anything as powerful as a creativity approach called 3P – Production Preparation Process. The goal is to eliminate waste in the design of a new or existing process or product in the maximum way possible, unlocking the creativity of the team in ways most of them have not experienced. In 2016 I was fortunate enough to experience this approach through the eyes of the man who invented it, Chihiro Nakao.

Operations, Kaizen Success Stories, Innovation, LeadershipAdam LawrenceNovember 13, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCprocess improvement, 3P, Kaizen, creativity, innovation

A Simple Way to Think about a Problem You Want to Solve

A Simple Way to Think about a Problem You Want to Solve

Many years ago, I was having difficulty getting my mind straight about a problem that I wanted to solve. A co-worker of mine introduced me to a thing he called a “Task Cycle”. Once I understood it, I had a simple way to go about solving problems and executing tasks.

Innovation, Kaizen Success Stories, Leadership, LearningAdam LawrenceNovember 6, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCprocess improvement, task cycle, problem solving

What Happens in a Cost Reduction Session?

What Happens in a Cost Reduction Session?

Most companies want to reduce costs in their operations. There are many ways to do this. Some companies choose to reduce their workforce, others decide to sell off under performing businesses. Companies that use this approach are just avoiding the problems and inefficiencies of their business practices and are not targeting the root cause of their problems.

Services, Kaizen Success Stories, Innovation, Customer focusAdam LawrenceOctober 30, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCprocess improvement, cost reduction, Teamwork

Who is Your Customer?

Who is Your Customer?

We are all customers. We want what we want, when we want it, at the level of quality we expect, in the proper quantity. We are the final say as to whether a business will thrive, survive, flounder, or die. The business must deliver to our expectations, or we will not continue to purchase products or services that they offer.

Leadership, Kaizen Success Stories, Learning, Customer focusAdam LawrenceOctober 23, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCprocess improvement, customer, Voice of the customer

Use Standardized Work to Unleash Creativity

Use Standardized Work to Unleash Creativity

Most people don’t like being told what to do. They definitely don’t want to be told how to do it. But, with proper standardized work, we can show people the right way to do things and free their minds to work on more complex problems that they face.

Operations, Leadership, Kaizen Success Stories, Learning, Customer focusAdam LawrenceOctober 16, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCprocess improvement, standardized work, Respect for people, Wheel of sustainability

The 8 Deadly Wastes

The 8 Deadly Wastes

The customer defines value for any product or service. If they aren’t willing to pay for something, it has no value to them. In the terminology of Lean, anything that doesn’t directly provide value to the customer is called “waste”. Further, there are eight specific types of waste.

Innovation, Kaizen Success Stories, Leadership, Learning, Customer focusAdam LawrenceOctober 9, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCprocess improvement, waste, Leadership commitment, Respect for people

Value Stream Mapping: The First Step on Your Continuous Improvement Journey

Value Stream Mapping: The First Step on Your Continuous Improvement Journey

You can’t reach your destination if you don’t know how to get there. Maps, or in our technology-driven world, GPS systems, are critical resources for guiding you from point A to B. The same is true for your continuous improvement journey. Unlike your GPS, however, you must build your map through learning. The best way to build it is with Value Stream Mapping.

Kaizen Success Stories, Innovation, Learning, Leadership, Customer focusAdam LawrenceSeptember 25, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCprocess improvement, value stream mapping, customer focus

Why Request a Site Assessment?

Why Request a Site Assessment?

When you call Process Improvement Partners LLC for a site assessment, you are making a choice to invite outside perspective for your organization. While there is a fee for this service, there is also a significant investment of your time and resources, so it is good to understand the value of your investment.

Services, Kaizen Success Stories, Leadership, Learning, Customer focusAdam LawrenceSeptember 18, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCprocess improvement, site assessment, leadership commitment

How to Drive Teams to Success with Effective Facilitation

How to Drive Teams to Success with Effective Facilitation

The best facilitators look like they’re doing nothing at all. The team is driving toward a solution, being creative, working together, and having fun. What’s the facilitator doing, just taking credit for the team’s hard work? As it turns out, the easier it looks, the harder it is.

Innovation, Customer focus, Kaizen Success Stories, Leadership, LearningAdam LawrenceSeptember 11, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCprocess improvement, Teamwork, Facilitation, Kaizen

How to Use Kaizen to Ensure Teams are Invested in Process Improvements

How to Use Kaizen to Ensure Teams are Invested in Process Improvements

In 2005, I was helping a team improve the safety and productivity of their operating line. During a 4-day span, each of the team members was able to try and implement many different ideas that arose from their creativity.

Operations, Kaizen Success Stories, Leadership, Learning, Customer focusAdam LawrenceSeptember 4, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCprocess improvement, kaizen, Leadership commitment

How to Organize Your Work Space With 5S

How to Organize Your Work Space With 5S

In the world of Lean Manufacturing, 5S is used to organize workplaces to make them safer and more productive. Although many great manufacturing organizations and others have been credited with inventing or popularizing 5S, I’m pretty sure my mom invented it.

Operations, Leadership, Kaizen Success Stories, Innovation, Customer focusAdam LawrenceAugust 28, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCorganization, 5S, process improvement, safety

Three Tips in Preparation for a Successful Improvement Event

Three Tips in Preparation for a Successful Improvement Event

Improvement Events are used to bring teams together to solve critical problems in a fast, engaging, and sustainable way.

Leadership, Kaizen Success Stories, Innovation, Customer focus, LearningAdam LawrenceAugust 21, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCprocess improvement, Kaizen, Leadership commitment

How to Ensure Standard Operating Procedures Don’t Collect Dust

How to Ensure Standard Operating Procedures Don’t Collect Dust

We have been trying to get others to follow standard operating procedures since the Cavemen painted “Way to Kill Mastodon” on the cave walls!

Leadership, Kaizen Success Stories, Customer focus, Operations, ServicesAdam LawrenceAugust 14, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCstandard operating procedures, Wheel of Sustainability, leadership commitment

It's Better To Be Red Than Green

It's Better To Be Red Than Green

We have been taught that Red means stop and Green means go. In the context of Process Improvement, Red means that something isn’t performing as expected, and Green means everything is OK. But is it?

Leadership, Learning, Kaizen Success Stories, Customer focusAdam LawrenceAugust 7, 2018Process Improvement Partners LLCprocess improvement, Accountability, Leadership commitment