When it comes to Lean Manufacturing, there are a number of strategies factories and producers can adopt to improve operational efficiency and overall performance. But it helps to gather an understanding of the basic principles by Lean management. Daniel Markovitz, a consultant and time management expert, argues that there are three basic concepts to Lean
Continue reading »General Electric, a long-time proponent of Lean Manufacturing efforts, is launching a new sustainability strategy for its line of “smart” refrigerators that it hopes will save the company millions while also curbing its environmental footprint. Touting its “Ecoimagination” campaign, GE's new refrigerators are among the first to pioneer the use of cyclopentane foam, which scales
Continue reading »Risk assessment is now one of the central components of effective supply chain management. Companies that focus extensively on procurement and logistics need to understand how various environmental, political and economic risks have and will affect their supply chains. This is one of many reasons why companies are investing in Lean supply management practices. The
Continue reading »Empowering employees is central to any sort of process improvement or Lean management effort, as leaders must rely on individual initiatives to affect organizational change and efficiency. Managers have often relied on financial incentives to stir empowerment, but most experts now agree that bonuses and salary raises are not the only factors motivating hard work
Continue reading »Leadership development is seen as a top priority among global corporations, according to a study released this week by consulting firm SHL. In fact, most organizations view leadership training as more important than employee development. Specifically, more than half of surveyed HR professionals across 32 different countries – 56 percent – pointed to staff retention
Continue reading »Telecommunications giant Verizon is launching a company sustainability effort aimed at cutting its CO2 intensity in half by the end of this decade. The effort will be combined with broad operational changes, philanthropic initiatives, marketplace solutions and community involvement. Carbon intensity is defined as the amount of energy needed to move data across the Verizon
Continue reading »Workers feel empowered when it's clear that their employers are investing in them. Whether it's a talent development program or standard health benefits, employees tend to respond to these outreaches with similar devotion to the company. New research even suggests that this level of dependence on workplace benefits shifts from generation to generation. A survey
Continue reading »Continuous improvement efforts have traditionally been viewed as strictly a business strategy, but the truth is many government agencies and institutions are adopting similar programs for their fiscal and operational demands. Anoka County, Minnesota, is one such example, as the district recently created a new position devoted to improving government and organizational efficiency. Mike Roff,
Continue reading »When it comes to corporate sustainability and operational excellence, the role of employees is increasingly viewed as a fundamental component of a successful transition. With employee engagement suffering at the hands of a weak job market, companies are looking for ways to blend both sustainability and staff empowerment. To that end, the Environmental Defense Fund
Continue reading »Supply management and spend analysis consultant BravoSolution reported this week that it sustained its eighth consecutive year of profitable growth in 2011. The company pointed to its process improvement and Lean management strategies as being behind much of the growth. Through effective supply chain management and quality improvement efforts, BravoSolution managed to glean a 95
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