Why you should use AGVs on your assembly line

An automated guided vehicle (AGV) is a computer-controlled vehicle used to carry or tow materials in a manufacturing facility. In this video, Bruce Buscher, vice-president of Daifuku’s AGV group, explains why AGVs are a great solution for your assembly line and how you can integrate them with your material handling system.

Material Flow : A Key Element in Circular Manufacturing

Circular manufacturing is a system for maximizing system flow and productivity while reducing waste in a manufacturing or logistics site. In this video, Robert Simonis, principal consultant at KCE Consulting, explains how material flow is a key element in circular manufacturing.  Implementing Waterspider Waterspider, or mizusumashi,  is a term that refers to a specific … Continued

How continuous flow helps reduce waste

Continuous flow is one of the five principles of lean management, which aims to eliminate waste in production lines. By eliminating wasted time, it helps employees work more efficiently on a daily basis. Engineer David Nobert is an expert on this subject. As a long-time Service Manager in Createch’s Operational Performance Improvement team, he has … Continued

10 tips to reduce change resistance when introducing lean manufacturing

If you’re thinking of introducing lean manufacturing on the shop floor, you may have noticed that some production employees are hesitant to shift their habits. For example, they may say that their way of doing things has always generated good results or that the proposed modifications don’t apply to their current situation. Rest assured, your … Continued

9 tips for a lean and secure plant after the COVID-19-imposed shutdown

The time has come for many North American manufacturers to get back to work. The situation will obviously not be the same as it was before. Ways of doing things will have to be adjusted. In the coming weeks, plants will be implementing a host of new measures to comply with new government rules, particularly … Continued

What is the role of the Waterspider in a lean manufacturing structure

Water spider is a term that refers to a specific person whose main job is to take care of intermittent tasks such as supplying material at workstations. Like during surgery the assisting person is like a Water Spider, they allow the surgeon to perform the added value task with no distraction. The rationale behind the … Continued

Tips for a successful kaizen event

Kaizen is a Japanese word meaning “continuous improvement,” and it refers to the incremental steps taken to create a more efficient, optimized workplace. As the concept of kaizen has gained popularity in North America, many companies have started holding kaizen events to improve specific areas or processes, as Shoplogix’s Martin Boersema explains in this video. … Continued

Easy Steps to successful Value Stream Mapping

Value stream mapping involves creating a detailed visualization of all the steps in your manufacturing process, allowing you to identify problems and potential improvements. It’s one of the fundamental tools of lean management, as TXM’s Normand Sawyer explains in this video.  What is a value stream? The term “value stream” refers to the series … Continued

Lean visual management for machines, maintenance and operations

One of the principal tools of lean manufacturing, visual management is used to communicate information about your operations in a way that is easy to understand at a glance, helping to facilitate safer and more effective workflows as well as saving time and reducing waste. In this video, Leslie Pickering, co-owner of consulting firm Quadrant5, … Continued

A donation of protective panels to enable Le Chaînon to pursue its mission

Le Chaînon has seen its reception capacity reduced to 50% due to the pandemic linked to Covid-19. A donation of divider panels made it possible to continue to welcome and support women in difficulty in a safe environment for all. Le Chaînon is a Montreal-based organization that has been helping women in transition since 1932. … Continued