How to Create a Lean VMI System (Part I)

If your operation is suffering from raw material inventory problems such as excessive stock, stock outages, frequent transactions and inaccu...

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A War on Waste!

We see waste everyday and everywhere. We are so used to seeing it, that we don’t recognize it and it doesn’t even seem to faze us at all. Th...

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Assessing a Factory: The FINAL FOUR and More

Within an hour, you can assess the success level of a factory. If you are invited to a manufacturing plant for any reason, for example as a ...

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Loving the PDCA Cycle

Love may be a strong word for a continuous improvement tool, but in this case, it is warranted. So what do I really love about the PDCA cycl...

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Exploring Our Industrial Heritage - Duluth Minnesota (Part II)

Unless you are from the Great Lakes region, you may not be aware of how lake freighter shipments across the Great Lakes support manufacturin...

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Exploring Our Industrial Heritage: Duluth Minnesota (Part I)

Situated on the north shore of Lake Superior at the westernmost point of theĀ Great Lakes, Duluth MN is the largest U.S. city on the lake. Th...

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How to Enforce your Work Rules

Leaders often ignore it when employees take process shortcuts. They think "no-harm, no-foul". In other words, they think that if the shortcu...

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