Factory output in the U.S. is growing at a steady pace. While manufacturing expanded in February for the 31st consecutive month, many industries have failed to learn from mistakes made during the recession. Continuous quality improvement, for example, has emerged as an operational imperative, yet many producers have completely overlooked the value of this management
Continue reading »Lean Management programs continue to gain popularity in the global healthcare industry, particularly in stressed markets such as the U.S. With industry reform underway, healthcare administrators and service providers are seeking new ways of controlling costs, improving performance and broadening care. For that reason, a number of institutions have joined healthcare alliances to leverage market-wide
Continue reading »Citing the cost-saving and performance benefits of Lean and Six Sigma, many organizations have tasked the C-suite to develop a Continuous Improvement (CI) strategy. A recent survey by IndustryWeek and TBM Consulting found companies with mature CI programs outperform companies without CI or Kaizen in three financial categories: projected revenue growth, operating income growth and
Continue reading »Employee empowerment helps establish responsibility and drive engagement levels in the workplace. However, some critics contend that employee empowerment programs rid managers of the responsibility to lead and control the progress of their organizations. “This is not the case,” objects Anthony Emerson for the Credit Union Times. “Empowerment is actually a culmination of many of
Continue reading »Amid such a tight job market with stagnant wage growth, many organizations are searching for new methods of stirring employee engagement. At the same time, companies are faced with determining how effective their employee management and sustainability programs have been. A report released this week by GreenBiz.com found most organizations are using employee surveys to
Continue reading »Healthcare providers are taking inspiration from the manufacturing sector by adopting more sustainable practices and quality improvement programs to boost their bottom lines and expand patient care. Like Lean Manufacturing programs, hospitals and service providers are targeting processes with inordinate variability and replacing them with standardized procedures. “The manufacturing industry has long realized that one
Continue reading »Global manufacturers seem to agree that enhanced visibility, flexibility and sustainability efforts are central to improving operational performance within the supply chain. While pressures have mounted in recent months to reinforce supply networks in the wake of last year's slew of environmental disasters, many companies already seem to acknowledge the bottom line benefits of continuous
Continue reading »Efficient and productive workplace performance requires a commitment to process improvement and staff training, among other things. Many companies have deployed the Japanese 5S methodology to optimize workplace performance. Enna's 5S: Solution Package features action-oriented management systems designed to ensure successful learning and implementation of Lean Manufacturing. This implementation and training package can be used
Continue reading »A Pennsylvania-based organic chocolate company announced this week it is planning a series of sustainable transformations intended to improve the company's bottom line, reduce operational redundancies and lessen its environmental impact. Dagoba Organic Chocolate, a subsidiary of the Hershey Company, reported Wednesday that its complete line of USDA Certified Organic chocolate products is now made
Continue reading »Through various sustainability and Lean training efforts, the U.S. Postal Service announced last month it saved more than $34 million and generated some $24 million in revenue last year. The federal agency managed to do this by reducing its consumption of energy, water and consumables while also cutting back landfill waste and introducing new conservation
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